Laser rangefinders remove the guess work.
Although shotgunning for wild turkeys is a short-range sport, relatively speaking, precisely determining the distance between the muzzle and the bird at extended ranges leaves little margin for error. Under estimating range can lead to misses, or worse, crippled birds, and holding fire when a bird is well within range can lead to the obvious missed chance at filling a tag.
Get the Range Right
Specialized guns and loads for turkey hunting available during the early 1990s translated into a 40-yard-and-less pursuit. Today, shot shell technology advances have extended optimum maximum effective range to about 50 yards. But, that extra range still puts the burden of precise range estimation squarely on the shoulders of the turkey hunter. Thankfully, estimating when a gobbler is within range is easy, if you practice.
Range estimation is a skill that must be learned through repetition. A lot of novice turkey hunters do their homework—practice calling, pattern their guns and outfit themselves in full camo—only to go afield without a skill that is equally as important.
Military field tests prove that the average person estimates range with a probable error of 30 percent. Even with intense training, visual range estimation gets no better than 15 percent of actual distance. If the average untrained person has a 30 percent error handicap it’s a pretty sure bet that a lot of turkey hunters go afield ill prepared.
Tips for Learning Range Estimation
A self-reliant method that works well is to find a partner and play a form of “hide-and-seek” with turkey decoys. One person places a turkey decoy at an unknown distance in the woods, while the other sits down to guess the yardage. Vary the terrain, lighting conditions, thickness, or lack of, brush to offer true hunting situations. Remember to sit down to estimate range because things look deceptively different from different heights. Take turns at this game and your range estimation will dramatically improve.
Know the “Hyper Zone”
Accurate range estimation could help you in another way as well. I’ve found that there’s a threshold at about 25 to 30 yards where mistakes, usually hunter movement, seem to be more critical than when a gobbler is within this distance. When a bird approaches within this “hyper zone” practically any hunter movement can spell disaster. On several occasions I’ve watched birds within gun range, but beyond 25 yards, hesitate when they see something they don’t like and often calm back down if they don’t see something else to confirm their fears. Inside 25 yards, a gobbler’s best judgment is full retreat if he becomes suspicious. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s something to consider when hunting.
Borrowing a method from the bowhunting fraternity is the simplest way to accurately judge distance. Several range-finding devices are available to help you estimate distance. I first used a Ranging 50/2 Mini Rangefinder for bowhunting and turkey hunting in the early 1980s and liked its compactness and light weight. Ranging also offered a TRL 75 model that accurately measured distance from 10 to 75 yards.
These devices use a system of mirrors and light beam splitters to produce split images of an object, much like the old-style manual camera focusing rings. Look at the images through the viewfinder, adjust the distance knob until the images become a single image, and then just read the distance indicated. Their advantage is that they don’t require batteries. Finding a new one will be tough, since they have been pushed out of production by the host of laser range-finders on the market today.
I got my first taste of laser ranging equipment about 25 years ago. Early laser devices were bulky and heavy; hence their primary use leaned toward bowhunting from tree stands. As technology improved and laser devices got smaller, turkey hunters started considering adding them to their vests.
Another device I tested was a early on was Brunton Laser70 Rangefinder, which was actually manufactured by DME. This device is about the size of a bologna sandwich, weighs less than 10 ounces and can be worked with one hand. It is accurate to within one yard between five and 70 yards.
The range finder I carry today is the Leica LRF 1200 Rangemaster. With its maximum range of 1200 yards, it goes with me on most hunting trips. Its 7X viewfinder also allows me to leave my binoculars at home during turkey season as well. Bushnell’s Yardage Pro Legend also deserves a close look. Its max range is 930 yards, weighs less than the Leica, and costs about half as much.
In Conclusion
When a gobbler is coming to your call is obviously not the time to try out a rangefinder. Find various landmarks, trees, rocks, etc., to note distance when you first set up. By the time a tom strolls within range you should be ready to shoot rather than squinting through a peephole.
If you go the route of using a rangefinder, don’t make the mistake of trying it out the first time the morning you go turkey hunting. A little practice at home will go a long way toward success later.
Spring turkey season is just around the corner, so take the opportunity soon to sharpen your range estimation skills. A little practice now will make you a better turkey hunter. Practicing range estimation with decoys is just as important as good shot pattern performance and calling skills.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about turkey guns and loads from the author’s book, “Turkey Hunter’s Tool Kit: Shooting Savvy.”
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