Who uses a rangefinder while hunting?

[gregg dudley]

I have missed deer when hunting in new locations because of poor range estimations.  Generally, I have found that I tend to overestimate distances when shooting from a treestand. Combine that with a deer's tenancy to jump the string, and you get some missed shots over the back of a deer.  I have only shot under one deer from an elevated position. 

Similar mistakes can easily be made when hunting a different species.  I undershot a huge mule deer buck once that was about 10 yards farther than I thought it was.  The deer's size had me absolutely fooled.  Shooting 3D from both marked and unmarked distances can certainly help, but there is nothing wrong with using a range finder to boost confidence. 

[YosemiteSam]

I picked one up for airgun hunting & pest control -- Sig Sauer.  A 1" target and a scope rise of 2" over the bore makes for some close-range challenges.  But when hunting (airgun & bow), like others, I may use it just to check distances at various landmarks as I'm getting set up.  It also helps when I'm with my son (turkey, small game) so we can discuss when he is clear to take a shot.  I'm usually pretty close in my guesses.  But usually isn't the same as always.

That being said, I rarely use it for big game.  I can usually tell if I'm within 20 yards for bowhunting.  And a few reference points on my rifle scope is all the rangefinding I need to do for deer to tell me if I'm within 200 yards (my personal limit).  An 8" vital area offers a lot more room for error than a 1" (small game) or 4" (turkey) vital area.