I am going to opine about the past for a minute. There used to to be a local sporting goods chain called G.I. Joes. To me, this was fantasy land. They had auto parts, electronics (including music), Ticketmaster franchise, army surplus, stick and ball gear and a full marine department. In some ways, this is probably why they went out of business. When the children of the founder wanted to retire, the business was sold to an equity group that quickly ran it into the ground (2009). Dick’s bought the name and you probably know how I feel about that.

They had a going out of business sale. I was in China on business when it started and by the time I got back, most remaining things were 50% off and certainly all of the best stuff was picked over. I did find a Nikon pack that contained a scope, range finder and a coupon for a free fleece jacket, which I bought for $150. I still use all three of those things, so I suppose I did OK.

Enough of that… first I will talk about what is old. My Nikon rangefinder was a pretty simple (to operate) device. Press the button and laser goes out to a pointed distance and measures as long at the distance is less than 1000 yards. You can change between meters and yards and there and the results are displayed on a black LCD readout. It cant be too close either, the distance needs to be longer than 10 yards.

Last week at Trap, we saw a coyote out at some distance. My Nikon is the one I carry in my range bag so I got it out to measure the range. I couldn’t get a distance on it. So, I don’t know if the battery is week, my angle was bad or it is actually farther than 1000 yards. Things have gotten a whole lot more sophisticated in the last 13 years.

My new Leupold rangefinder has a lot going on. First note that it is significantly smaller. The output LED is red instead of black; I assume this is for low light use. It claims that it can read reflective surfaces out to 1400 yards and game out to 1000 yards. But that is not all. This one is also usable for bow hunting, so short range measuring is much improved over my older Nikon.

There are multiple modes: TBR stands for True Ballistic Range. Remember your Pythagorean theorem? On any sort of angle, we are looking at the hypotenuse, not the actual distance. So there is some sort of level sensor inside to compensate for angle (if using that mode). One of the use cases is to take a measurement at the top of a tree to determine the actual height. You can then assess whether it is a risk of the tree damaging something if it were to fall.

And there is more. Using a preset of ballistic groups, the rangefinder will calculate your holdover on targets at distance. Your target is 400 yards, you are sighted in for 200, how many inches do you need to aim higher to make the shot. This also takes the angle into consideration. There is some minimal amount of wind compensation if desired. There is even more, but I worry about needing to read the manual before each use, so I think I will set it up and let it be at least during hunting season.

I have never worried too much about range. The truth is, I have never seen an animal and had my rangefinder handy. I have always figured, if my rangefinder can’t measure it, I am likely way too far away. I mostly use it to gauge distances when I am sitting anyway. I know that if I see something between X and me, then I am good, otherwise I am going to have to get closer.

End Your Programming Routine: This is like having a new car. At first, you think I am going to use this for special occasions. But then, you remember that you like working air conditioning and better fuel mileage plus it is parked in a better spot for that quick run to the store. For now, it is going in my hunting pack but it very well may find my way into my range bag after the season is over.