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Old 01-12-2018, 10:04 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edmonton Area
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Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck View Post
OR the argument could be made guys will step outside their personal effective range thinking the technology will make up for their shortcomings.

Why practice yardage judging when a machine does all the work...point and shoot right?

LC

I completely agree with your 1st statement and how that would be a poor decision thinking the tech would make you better at distances.

but.....

I think we owe it to the animals we hunt to do everything possible to ensure a clean kill? If you ask any hunter/shooter what is more accurate, yard estimation or a handheld range finder, the ranger finder will win every time. I know tech can fail, but when it does it is then up to the individual hunter to know their limitations.

On November 29th this year I went to pickup my ground blinds as I was headed to Wainwright to hunt the Muzzle Loader season. I took my bow along as I had both a mulie and WT for Strathcona still available. I run a Leupold Vendetta on my bow and it has worked flawless out to 70 yards everytime. Drawing, ranging and then settling my pin in has now become part of "draw cycle." When hunting I wear my Leupold handheld on my hip for back-up or longer distances when doing spot and stalk; not really for the shot but more for knowing how much ground I have covered. This day I didn't bother wearing the handheld. Of course I run into what would have been my biggest mulie. Unaware that I was there, I watched him in a clearing for 45 minutes dogging a doe. I knew the clearing to be about 140 yards north to south and 60 yards wide. I was 4 yards into the bush on the north side and he was in the middle of the clearing. During the 45 minutes I drew 3 times with clear shooting lane and tried to get a range, but couldn't. Knowing my Vendetta always worked flawlessly, it told me the Mulie was farther than 70 yards. He never came any closer that day and I never got a shot. In this case the Vendetta help me to stay within my effective range and not take a unethical (for me) shot.

I think the tech on face value is awesome and if works like advertised will increase success rates and reduce (even by a little) wounded animals. In the hands of an ethical hunter it is no different than using a better broadhead, or a more reliable drop away, or a faster bow. But at $999 USD, it might be a while before we see these thing mainstream here in Canada. Also with the chatter on Archery Talk, Garmin is going to be filling a lot American orders before this thing starts going out internationally.

The boys at Jimbow's should get a first hand look at it next week down south, hopefully it lives up to the hype.
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