Anyone using a Kestrel 2700 for hunting

[midgetwaiter]

I’ve been changing up the way I deer hunt the past couple years because I have access to some pasture land with small wooded sections so I’ve started to do more time in stands or blinds. It’s often pretty windy though. Luckily I also belong to a range that gets good cross winds so I’ve been getting much better with first shot hits at 300 or 400m if I know the wind speed and can consult my dope chat.

I currently use an el cheapo wind meter that’s fine but I’ve been looking at the Kestrel 2700 with it’s built in ballistic solver. Seems like it might be handy for this and I would only need to have one thing with me that way. The other part of me wonders if I wouldn’t be better off learning how to read wind better though. So far it’s a lot easier at the range with windsocks next to the target than it is looking at a stand of willows or what have you.

So what do you think, crutch or useful tool?

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by midgetwaiter

I’ve been changing up the way I deer hunt the past couple years because I have access to some pasture land with small wooded sections so I’ve started to do more time in stands or blinds. It’s often pretty windy though. Luckily I also belong to a range that gets good cross winds so I’ve been getting much better with first shot hits at 300 or 400m if I know the wind speed and can consult my dope chat.

I currently use an el cheapo wind meter that’s fine but I’ve been looking at the Kestrel 2700 with it’s built in ballistic solver. Seems like it might be handy for this and I would only need to have one thing with me that way. The other part of me wonders if I wouldn’t be better off learning how to read wind better though. So far it’s a lot easier at the range with windsocks next to the target than it is looking at a stand of willows or what have you.

So what do you think, crutch or useful tool?

Yes, kind of. I use the kestrel 4300 its typically cheaper and does more than the 2700, if my memory serves me correctly. Plus its construction yellow, no searching in the tail grass for the brown one.
I only use it when I am set up to be shooting over 500m whilst hunting. I have it Bluetooth to my phone and it is mounted in the tripod mount on a small tripod.

Another option is to put utility marker flags out along the clearing edges every 100m. I found this really lessened the learning curve in adequately reading the wind. As well no matter how good the kestrel are, they don't tell you anything about the wind at target, the flags will.

It is a very fun toy.