Rangefinders and bowhunting?

[Bowhunter57]

I plan to do some serious bowhunting for groundhogs, this year. Using a rangefinder can make all the difference in the success of each shot.

Do you use a rangefinder, while bowhunting?
What brand/ type do you use?

Your experience and opinions are appreciated. :-)
Thank you, Bowhunter57

[Lawdog]

Bowhunter57,

Yeah, I use them.  Started out using one made by Ranging that was good for 25 or so yards out to 400 yards.  It got me hooked as I used it for work as well as hunting.  Now I use a Nikon Laser 800 for all hunting and at work.  In fact I keep one at the job site and another with my hunting gear.  Wife uses one too.  You learn to trust them but I still pace off distances just to check.  Lawdog

[WNY_Whitetailer]

I use the Bushnell Pro Sport for all my hunting/rangefinding needs.  When bow hunting for whitetail I like to "paint" the trees around my stand for my yardage estimations.  I never pick up my rangefinder when a deer is in range so I want to know the distances before I see any deer.  Most of my stands are "painted" before the season starts so I know the yardages well in advance of me sitting in a particular spot.  If I use my climber in a new area I wait until I can see the trees around me to range the distances.

[old rookie]

Howdy bowhunter57.  Hunting groundhogs and other ground dwelling rodents is excellent practice for range estimation. Every spring I dust off my bow and practice for the fall hunts. The longest reasonable shot for a bow is about 50 yds. You shouldn't need a range finder to judge that distance. Somewhere sometime you are not going to have time to use your range finder and you will blow the shot unless you have practiced range estimation. Faithfully shot "hogs" all summer without a range finder and you will be amazed how accurately you can judge distance when deer season rolls around.