Hunting in Tough Terrain, Part 1: Using a Laser Range-Finder

Big game hunting in the West often brings the hunter into very tough terrain. By tough I mean rugged, steep, rocky, nasty, and maybe with nasty weather. This is particularly true of Mule Deer terrain, Bighorn Sheep terrain, and where Elk are harassed by predators, Elk terrain. In addition to the difficulties arising from the terrain itself - getting in, getting out, and getting an animal out, there are difficulties with the shooting also.

Much of the `west' is open. This means long shots. Shots from 100 to 200 yards are typical. Shots at 300 yards are not uncommon. Shots beyond that are generally at the discretion of the shooter based on his or her ability and confidence, and the size of the target (animal), and the firearm/bullet being used. The challenge of longer shots is that the farther the target - the more precisely one must know the range - to accommodate for the drop of the bullet. For example, even without accounting for air friction causing the bullet slowing down, for every doubling of distance the drop is quadrupled. Adding back in the air friction, the drop is more. The first thing a shooter must know in engaging targets at distance is the ballistic performance of his/her bullet. This is the easy part, as ballistic information is readily available for any manufactured ammunition. The challenge arises in that knowledge of the ballistics is of little use in long range shooting unless the distance to the target is accurately known.

In tough terrain it is common to overestimate range. And there are a number of reasons for this. First, in tough terrain our subconscious mind judges distance by difficulty. A deer on a hillside 200 yards (straight) away but with a big canyon in between `looks' farther away because our subconscious mind says, "Whoa, it's would take all afternoon to get over there." And your subconscious mind may very well be right. But it doesn't matter to the bullet. Secondly, the game animals also know that it would take you all afternoon to get over to where they are (if they see you) and may be comparatively less alarmed (at your presence). So the game is at ease with your presence - and you think it's because of (straight) distance. And they haven't yet learned that it doesn't matter to the bullet - that it can go straight across. Third, I find that deer, for example, are not as big as we think they are. We are used to seeing deer lying on the ground, either felled by another hunter, or hit by a car. But if we see them standing up - I find that they are surprisingly short. A good exercise for any aspiring deer hunter is to go to a game farm or other place where you can get close to living (standing) deer - and I think you, like I, will be surprised at how big (little) they are. And, in some sense, the same could be said for elk.

And, finally, the obvious: we generally sight in our guns at a `flat' range - not the nasty terrain we hunt in. We may even practice estimating range - and get quite good at it. And yet find that in rugged terrain we estimate wrong. And wrong is disastrous at longer ranges

So, a deer at 250 yards (straight) may appear to be at 350, and with a typical high power rifle bullet, if you, or I, `hold for 350', the bullet will hit at least 12 inches high of where intended, either missing the animal, or delivering a shot that may wound the animal instead of provide a quick, clean kill.

Shooting uphill or down has additional challenges, but this topic will be addressed separately (Part 2).

And here is the beauty of the laser range-finder. With just a push of a button (or two pushes) the distance to target can be determined accurately - in units of yards, meters, or whatever options the particular range-finder affords. Once the distance is determined, the bullet can be placed (aimed) accordingly. I use the Leica 900 laser range finder. The 900 stands for being able to range accurately out to 900 yards, more or less. If a good reflection is possible off the object being ranged (more realistically some object next to the target), then perhaps more than 900. If the target being ranged is fuzzy, then less, maybe way less.

So, when you head out into the West for the big deer, elk, or sheep, be sure you have a good set of legs, be sure you know the ballistics of the gun and bullet you are using, and be sure you have a range-finder, so that you can quickly and accurately determine range, so your knowledge of the ballistics will pay off.