Carrie's Blog

 When I use my rifle to hunt, I don't worry too much about yardage.  The minute I picked up a bow all of that changed.  It never really occurred to me how important being able to gauge distance really was until it came down to a 5 ring at 20 yards and missing at 25 yards!

My next logical step was to get me a good range finder. 

Simply because I was TERRIBLE at judging distances.

I looked at several different models and read reviews in Consumer Reports, and at every turn Nikon's name kept popping up.  They really do lead the industry in optics so it was a no brainer.

While I am totally digging archery and bow hunting, I will never completely give up my rifle so the Rifle Hunter 550 in camo was a perfect match!

I needed something that would be simple to use, being so new to the sport I needed something that would be essentially dummy proof.  With the eight million things that would be running through my head when the deer actually came within range, I knew I needed something that didn't have a ton of buttons and functions.

When I read the specs I knew this was the one for me, compact, it was fast, measuring distances in less than a second, it's accuracy was within a ½ yard, it shut itself off automatically, it compensated for angles while sitting in a tree stand, and it was water proof and fog proof.

With the range finder becoming an essential part of my pack, the next step was to play with it of course.

So I created this quick and simple game to not only familiarize myself with the range finder, but to use it as a learning tool in training myself to estimate yardage!

 

Step #1.  Take 20 3X5 index cards.  On each card write a random number 0-50.

Step #2.  Shuffle the index cards facedown as you would a deck of regular playing cards.

Step #3.  Turn over one of the cards revealing a number.

Step #4.  Try to find an object, tree, rock, fencepost, deer etc. that would correspond to that number.  For example if you drew the 20 yard card try to find a tree that you think is exactly 20 yards from where you sit.

Step #5.  Take your range finder and see how accurate your estimation was.

 

Scoring:

Exactly right:  5 points

Within .5 yards:  3 points

1-5 yards off:  -3 points

6+ yards off: -5 points

 

Step #6.  After the 20 card round has been played, tally your score.

 

Score 80-100:

Clash of the Yardage Titans...you have no equal in the realm of estimation and all should bow down to you.

 

Score 60-79 :

Very good my young Padawan ...Obi Won Kenobi has mentioned that you are well on your way to becoming one of the finest range finding Jedi's he has ever seen.  Keep at it and soon you will be better than even Yoda.

 

Score 40-59:

You've reached your Final Destination...well not really, to get to YOUR final destination you actually have to move 7 yards forward, or possibly 3 yards back.  Keep practicing or you will look like a blaze orange version of the Cha Cha Slide.

 

Score 0-39:

Shaun of the Dead has nothing on you...unless you want to be dubbed as the "Yardage Zombie": practice, practice and then practice some more.  Seriously dude, practice until the battery has gone dead in your Nikon range finder....