Where do you carry your rangefinder?
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
Just curious how other elk hunters do this. I usually carry mine in the front pocket of my pants on my non bow hand side…
In the rangefinder pocket of my bino pouch.
Same here, pocket in bino harness on right side. I am right handed.
Same here, rangefinder pocket on right side of bino harness with the rangefinder lanyard looped through the bino harness strap so I can drop my rangefinder if I need to and it will hang near my thigh. Also extra security against losing it.
I've never actually used mine to range an animal before I shoot it. That always seemed like an unnecessary step at crunch time to me. So, mine is usually in my daypack, and is only used to range certain markers around my ambush sites.
Matt
Pocket on bino harness. I did see a guy last year that had one on sort of a retractable lanyard. Pull it out, use it and automatically reeled it back in. Should have asked him where he got it. Pretty slick.
Pouch attached to my shoulder strap of my backpack.
It's more critical when spot and stalk type hunting as tree stand or ground blind hunting usually has rocks, trees and trails ranged out already. For spot and stalk I carry in my right front pants pocket in warm weather and right jacket pocket if I'm wearing one. I have the bow with an arrow on the string in my left and can come up easily with my right hand to range. In many situations you don't have time to range at crunch time so you range stuff before the animal comes through and make an estimate.
I attach mine to my bino strap. It allows me to pull it up instantly when needed and falls out of the way. However, one lesson I learned the hard way last year is don't wear a jacket over it while hiking in. I had a 300+ 6 X 6 at first light but because my range finder had been inside my jacket, it was fogged up from my steam and I couldn't get a clear reading. Shot right under him. Every other morning I wore it over my jacket without any issues. I can add that to a long list of mistakes that have cost me bulls. :)
In the front shirt pocket of a Cabelas MicroTex button down camo shirt. Keeps the rangefinder protected, warm and readily accessible.
In a pouch on hip belt of pack connected to a retractable tether made by Nikon. I can slowly lower and let go and not word about it dangling and moving around after I range. Don’t like all that stuff on my chest. I also don’t range before shots on elk unless it’s past 40, the beauty of shooting UNKNOWN yardage 3D all summer….a dying skill set now days!
Depends on where and what I'm hunting. Treestand hunting it's in my pack. Stillhunting it's on my belt with the lanyard looped around my bino harness. In the mountains with a pack on it's in a pouch pocket on the waist belt with the lanyard looped around my bino harness.
In a case where the belt loop goes on the side strap of my bino harness.
I'm with GG on this one, I don't hunt Elk, but when in stand I range spots and make a mental marker as to distance
I guess Elk is a whole different animal ;0)
Like this, either clipped onto my pants or jacket pocket...Also on edge of Bino Harness..Only goes into pocket if weather is a factor...
I put the lanyard through my Bino strap and just let it hang for shot...
I'm with Darrell. I tape it to by bino strap. I can access it with my release attached to the string. Easily get to it and drop it with very little movement. I won't use a bino harness while elk hunting because of this. Have to use the crooked horn strap.
Right pants pocket easily accessible
on my right side of my chest attached to my crooked horn bino harness. stretch it out to range and the elastic puts it right back where in started.
Same here strap to bino harness right side with a lanyard
There was a similar thread over on Archery Talk - a crossbow guy asking where do you carry your quiver when you’re walking to your stand. I chimed in and said “if I shot a xbow I’d carry my quiver in my purse” No sense of haha over there - They banned me for a week.
I use a loop of cord that just fits over my head and hang it around my neck. Fastest to grab, fastest to drop. Tuck it under a bono harness strap if you need to run.
HelenJRussell's Link
On my current bag (Wilson Staff Nexus carry) there is a dedicated albeit snug pocket for the range finder
Spot & stalk: Rangefinder pouch attached to bino harness. Treestand: In my pack.
In the lowest pocket on my right side of my Primos Bowhunting Vest.
Good luck, Robb
Well The new crossbows are so fast why do you need a rangefinder?? Just hold dead on out to 50. Top of his back past that your good
Mine is vet wrapped in place on my bino harness. I have the vortex range finder. I ran para cord through the tether then put each end through the top of the range finder. It has been quiet and worked well for 9 years.
I also don’t range before shots on elk unless it’s past 40, the beauty of shooting UNKNOWN yardage 3D all summer….a dying skill set now days!"
Ain't it the truth. Whenever I watch a TV hunter range an animal that is clearly under 30 yards away, I just shake my head. I often practice judging unknown yardages, then confirm with my rangefinder. My internal range finder is usually good to +/- 2-3 yards out to 50. I don't really care to shoot at animals beyond that unless I know the exact yardage.
Matt
I use a quick attach/detach clip on the end of a bungee then hang range finder on the side of the bino pouch
Mine is built into my Bushnell Fusion Binos. I got tired of having to switch to a rangefinder and looking through a mono lens was difficult for me.
My rangefinder pouch is threaded onto to right lower strap of my bino harness.
Yeah I shake my head when I see a hunter range an animal to confirm yardage and make a better shot than guessing. What are they thinking wanting to be accurate!?!? I guess they’d like to find the animal quickly so all the meat can be salvaged before it spoils.
Inside of 30 yards I’d say you usually have more to lose than gain by grabbing your rangefinder. For me, the couple or 3 yards I could be off in range estimation is pretty much irrelevant to shot accuracy. Much outside of 30, it gets relevant quickly as range estimation errors grow and arrows drop faster.
I think (hope) that when you see some hunting celeb ranging a deer at 20 that it’s just a phoney cutaway shot to make the sponsor happy.
Trying RF Binos this year. This is my newest attempt. Clips on off. Can I clip and drop in a side pouch.
You guys keeping your rangefinder in your pack might as well strap your bow to it too. I keep mine on me always, similar to Matt, I use paracord and make a sling. Instead of just looping over my head, I loop it over my head and put my left arm through it. I have it attached to the paracord with d loop material. It slides freely on the paracord so I can quickly grab it slide it up to my eye and slide it back to my side. I range every animal that offers it and is greater than top pin distance.
I converted to a bino-rangefinder combo a few years ago and will never carry both a rangefinder plus binos again! Sure is nice just pressing a button when my binos are up rather than having to go back and forth between the 2. Saves a lot of time and frustration. I love my Leica!
Mine’s in a rangefinder pouch right beside my bino harness. I also have a small lanyard attached, just in case.
I'm with Bulelk1. I wear a vest with pockets. My range finder, wind checker, cow call all at my fingertips.
Right lower strap on my OV and Rick Young harness
Same as Matt. I use a bino strap and leave just enough slack that it fits over my head. The RF rides a few inches under my chin. To use it requires very little movement and I dont need to worry about finding its dock after I use it.
Same as Bowfreak, I think. I have a FHF rangefinder pouch next to my KUIU binocular chest harness. I threaded string loop through the rangefinder’s strap hole, made a loop about the size of a dime and tied it closed with serving material then super glued the crap out of to make it permanent and slick. Then I thread about a 30” piece of paracord through that loop and secure one end of the paracord near the rangefinder pouch with a bowline knot and the other end to the back strap of the bino harness. Make the paracord long enough so you can easily bring the rangefinder to your eye and when you drop it after ranging it’ll fall near your belt line.
I settled on this method after trying many of the previously posted suggestions and it’s worked well for the last 7-8 years.
Right Cargo pocket of my pants. It is tethered to my belt with paracord. I can't express how important the tether is. The reason I will never hunt without it being tethered, I dropped my rangefinder in a 20 yard section of buckbrush. I spent close to two hours before I found it. I was lucky it was such a short distance before I noticed.
I had to change out the old battery and put in a new one, so I thought I would share a pic of how I have it in a Primos Vest pocket but on a string so I can range and let it hang if need be.
Good luck, Robb
Agree with GG also. Fumbling around trying to range an animal at crunch time is not a great strategy. It costs more animals than it helps kill. I've seen it in action and it ain't pretty. Sometimes we can't get out of our own way.
Right side pant cargo pocket. The one located just above your knee but on the side.
I always wear bibs I attach the cord to the right bib strap the rangefinder is on the inside on my bibs
I don't always have binoculars with me so mine is attached to a paracord lanyard around my neck. It hangs on my right side. I use it this way even if I have my bino harness on.