HuntingNut
HuntingNut
   Login or Register
HomeCommunity ForumsPhoto AlbumsRegister
     
 

User Info

Welcome Anonymous


Membership:
Latest: RichardZ
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 13126

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 360
BOT: 0
Total: 360
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Forums
02: Home
03: Forums
04: Forums
05: Forums
06: Forums
07: Home
08: Forums
09: Home
10: Forums
11: Forums
12: Forums
13: Your Account
14: Your Account
15: Your Account
16: Your Account
17: Forums
18: Your Account
19: Forums
20: Forums
21: Forums
22: Forums
23: Forums
24: Forums
25: Forums
26: Forums
27: Forums
28: Home
29: Photo Albums
30: Statistics
31: Forums
32: Photo Albums
33: Forums
34: Forums
35: Forums
36: Home
37: Forums
38: Your Account
39: Forums
40: Home
41: Forums
42: Home
43: Forums
44: Your Account
45: Home
46: Home
47: Forums
48: Home
49: News
50: Forums
51: Forums
52: Forums
53: Home
54: Home
55: Forums
56: Home
57: Home
58: Your Account
59: Home
60: Forums
61: Photo Albums
62: Forums
63: Forums
64: Home
65: Your Account
66: Forums
67: Forums
68: Forums
69: Home
70: Forums
71: Forums
72: Forums
73: Home
74: Home
75: Photo Albums
76: Forums
77: Forums
78: Forums
79: Home
80: Forums
81: Photo Albums
82: Photo Albums
83: Forums
84: Forums
85: Forums
86: Home
87: Photo Albums
88: Forums
89: Forums
90: Forums
91: Home
92: Your Account
93: Photo Albums
94: Forums
95: Forums
96: Forums
97: Your Account
98: Home
99: Forums
100: Home
101: Forums
102: Forums
103: Forums
104: Forums
105: Home
106: Forums
107: Forums
108: Forums
109: Home
110: Home
111: Forums
112: Your Account
113: Forums
114: Photo Albums
115: Home
116: Forums
117: Your Account
118: Forums
119: Forums
120: Forums
121: Forums
122: Forums
123: Home
124: Your Account
125: Home
126: Forums
127: Home
128: Photo Albums
129: Home
130: Your Account
131: Home
132: Forums
133: Forums
134: Forums
135: Home
136: Your Account
137: Forums
138: Your Account
139: Forums
140: Home
141: Forums
142: Forums
143: Forums
144: Forums
145: Forums
146: Home
147: Forums
148: Forums
149: Photo Albums
150: Home
151: Forums
152: Forums
153: Forums
154: Forums
155: Forums
156: Forums
157: Forums
158: Forums
159: Forums
160: Home
161: Photo Albums
162: Forums
163: Photo Albums
164: Forums
165: Forums
166: Home
167: Forums
168: Forums
169: Forums
170: Home
171: Photo Albums
172: Photo Albums
173: Home
174: Forums
175: Forums
176: Forums
177: Forums
178: Photo Albums
179: Photo Albums
180: Home
181: Forums
182: Photo Albums
183: Forums
184: Forums
185: Home
186: Forums
187: Home
188: Home
189: Home
190: Forums
191: Forums
192: Home
193: Your Account
194: Forums
195: Home
196: Home
197: Forums
198: Home
199: Forums
200: Forums
201: Forums
202: Forums
203: Forums
204: Forums
205: Forums
206: Forums
207: Forums
208: Forums
209: Home
210: Home
211: Forums
212: Your Account
213: Home
214: Photo Albums
215: Forums
216: Forums
217: Forums
218: Forums
219: Forums
220: Forums
221: Forums
222: Photo Albums
223: Your Account
224: Forums
225: Forums
226: Forums
227: Your Account
228: Forums
229: Forums
230: Forums
231: Home
232: Photo Albums
233: Forums
234: Forums
235: Home
236: Forums
237: Forums
238: Forums
239: Forums
240: Home
241: Home
242: Forums
243: Forums
244: Forums
245: Forums
246: Forums
247: Your Account
248: Forums
249: Your Account
250: Forums
251: Photo Albums
252: Home
253: Forums
254: Forums
255: Home
256: Forums
257: Forums
258: Forums
259: Your Account
260: Forums
261: Forums
262: Forums
263: Your Account
264: Forums
265: Forums
266: Your Account
267: Forums
268: Photo Albums
269: Home
270: Forums
271: Forums
272: Home
273: Home
274: Photo Albums
275: Forums
276: Forums
277: Forums
278: Photo Albums
279: Photo Albums
280: Forums
281: Forums
282: Photo Albums
283: Forums
284: Forums
285: Forums
286: Photo Albums
287: Forums
288: Forums
289: Forums
290: Forums
291: Your Account
292: Home
293: Home
294: Home
295: Forums
296: Forums
297: Home
298: Forums
299: Home
300: Forums
301: Forums
302: Forums
303: Forums
304: Your Account
305: Forums
306: Forums
307: Your Account
308: Photo Albums
309: Photo Albums
310: Home
311: Your Account
312: Home
313: Forums
314: Photo Albums
315: Home
316: Forums
317: Your Account
318: Forums
319: Forums
320: Forums
321: Forums
322: Forums
323: Forums
324: Forums
325: Forums
326: Forums
327: Forums
328: Forums
329: Forums
330: Home
331: Home
332: Forums
333: Home
334: Home
335: Forums
336: Forums
337: Photo Albums
338: Home
339: Forums
340: Forums
341: Home
342: Your Account
343: Forums
344: Home
345: Forums
346: Photo Albums
347: Home
348: Forums
349: Home
350: Forums
351: Forums
352: Forums
353: Your Account
354: Forums
355: Forums
356: Forums
357: Photo Albums
358: Forums
359: Forums
360: Forums

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!
 

Coppermine Stats
Photo Albums
 Albums: 308
 Pictures: 2451
  · Views: 820725
  · Votes: 1316
  · Comments: 86
 

Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique?
Discussions related to Guns and Firearms
Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
gelandangan
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: May 07, 2006
Posts: 6396
Location: Sydney Australia

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:34 pm    Post subject: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

Heres another noob like question for all you great hunters.

So I read that most of you shot a deer, pig, goat, bear, buffalo etc at so many thousand inches away Laughing ,
I guess most of you are using the super hyper velocity cartridge that shoot straight as a laser beam for miles Very Happy
that way, you dont usually have to compensate for the bullet drop.
Just aim for the general area of killing zone, bang and yer done.. (oh how I wish :pray:)

Me, I have been busting my knee trying to duck and creep up to an animal to get me a good shot within 50 to 100 meters.
I guess thats because all my load are in the "rainbow trajectory" class, the closer I get the better I could ensure that the bullet hits.

Seriously, everything are subject to gravity that pulls them down at the same rate be it a .17 cal , the .50 cal or the loose brick at the back of the house. Now, although this is a rough guess, I could say that things drops at about 1 meter (or 1 yard) in a second. So, at 1000fps, my projectile should drop 1 meter 1000 foot away - roughly speaking that is..

Okay, now all I need to know is how far away the target is from me, so I could guess the time it took the bullet to get there and where I should aim so the bullet will go to where I want it to go. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!! Mad

HOW DO YOU ESTIMATE THE DISTANCE???? I mean by eyes, not optical measure such as rangefinder, Mildot scope, 30-30 recticle etc, but your eyes and maybe some chart that you could tape up the gun etc and some reckoning.

I have real trouble estimating distances beyond 5 meters away and I need the skill BADLY. Anybody have a good technique? Please share, I am sure some of us would like to learn about this too.

Gelan

_________________
A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.

Do - Not try!


gelandangan.weebly.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
Dimitri
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Nov 25, 2005
Posts: 5944

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:59 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

Well if you don't want to buy a laser range finder you can always point at a random object in the distance and guess at the distance, then count your paces walking in a stright line to it, (before hand measure what distance is a "pace" for you) and then you can say "ok I guessed 300 yards but I walked 250 yards according to my pace count"

Now do this over and over agian till you've done it so many times your sick of doing it. Cause by then your guessing will be more and more closer if you are paying attention to your mistake if you guess too far or too short and roughly how much.

Thats how I learned to measure distance. Then I started to guess, and instead of walkign use a range finder to prove if I guessed good or not at a instant... seems to work for me. Smile

Dimitri

_________________
A thousand hills, but no birds in flight, ten thousand paths, with no people's tracks. A lonely boat, a straw-hatted old man, fishing alone in the cold river snow.
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
gelandangan
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: May 07, 2006
Posts: 6396
Location: Sydney Australia

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

Sorry not to make it clear Dimitri, I have a Laser range finder, but I found it to be cumbersome. For the weigh, I could carry extra water or ammo, besides, I already carry a binocular on my neck.

I need the "eyeball" technique.

Gelan

_________________
A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.

Do - Not try!


gelandangan.weebly.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
Dimitri
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Nov 25, 2005
Posts: 5944

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

Gelan,

Well then go out point to a tree, or a rock or anything at a distance, guess how far it is then use the laser range finder to figure out how bad your guess was, and just practice really guessing by pointing out something, estimating the distance then checking your range finder, by doing this (and the counting paces method) I am able to better guess distances now then I was before. Smile

Dimitri

_________________
A thousand hills, but no birds in flight, ten thousand paths, with no people's tracks. A lonely boat, a straw-hatted old man, fishing alone in the cold river snow.
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
Morax
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Dec 18, 2006
Posts: 618
Location: Pittsburgh Pa

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

the big D hit it on the head, take a known object, say something like your car, and park it at 100 yards away. keep a mental picture of it in your head, then the next time you see it at distance, compare it in your minds eye is it bigger (closer) smaller(further away) and you can usually guesamate it rather closely to distance away from you.. the movie "Jarhead" also had a good point on distance, take something you know, and compare it, 300 yards is 3 football fields, etc etc...
Back to top
View user's profile
gelandangan
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: May 07, 2006
Posts: 6396
Location: Sydney Australia

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

I agree that the compare and test method is one of the good method, in fact I am practicing it all the time when I drive, ie. I guess the distance of an intersection and read the speedo differences to see if my guess is correct.

The trouble I found with this comparison method is that in large open space, some object may look larger or smaller than it usually be.

Viz, the easiest example is the moon usually looks bigger when they are low on the horizon of a wide open plains or ocean than it is when straight up or in a built up area.

_________________
A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.

Do - Not try!


gelandangan.weebly.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
FALPhil
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Aug 18, 2007
Posts: 377
Location: Dixie

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique Reply with quote

Relying on your eyes and comparing it to mental pictures is not reliable. That's because the human brain tends to interpret things from a relative relationship. The best way is to have a range finding device in your sighting system. There are many out there, but my favorite is the old Redfield ranging system which consists of two parallel stadia wires which represent 18 inches. Finding an object you know to be 18 inches, such as the distance between a deer's withers and his chest, and bracketing it with the stadia by using the magnification ring allows you to read the distance off the indicator in the sighting picture.
www.abousainc.com/ATsystem.htm


Another good system I like is the Shepherd Scope system and its near-clone, the Hakko/Springfield Armory system which has a reticule that represents a length, usually 18 inches, in the form of circles or brackets.

www.shepherdscopes.com/

This is the Hakko/SA reticle:


I like these first two systems, because they have a bullet drop compensator built in.

Mildots would be next in line, and are not as fast due to the math involved, although with training, you can approximate the speed of the other systems, if you can figure out how to use the reticle as a BDC. The advantage to mildots is that you can range without adjusting the power of the scope; the big disadvantage is that the ranging capabilities are usually restricted to one power, as the reticule is in the second focal plane.

Then there is the unique Horus system which is not fast at all, and typically requires a PDA or hand calculator to use.


Finally, there are the new laser rangefinding scopes with the rangefinder built into the scope, like the ones offered by Burris, Pentax, and Swarovski.
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
d_hoffman
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 696
Location: Chillicothe, Ohio

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

I've always practiced the paceing method. Just keep practicing until you get it right. Pick a point and estimate it, pace it to see how close you are. Pick another point and pace it. After a while it'll become second nature.

Mind you that you don't need to be accurate to the yard when doing longer distances that you'd typically use while estimating for a rifle shot. If you can estimate within 10 yards or paces, which ever you use, you'll be close enough.

For archery though, you do need to be that accurate

_________________
The best form of gun control...aim straight!!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger Photo Gallery
gelandangan
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: May 07, 2006
Posts: 6396
Location: Sydney Australia

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique Reply with quote

d_hoffman wrote:

For archery though, you do need to be that accurate

Very Happy Maybe I should add, for Archery and Gelan's loads.. I shoot mostly at sub sonic of trans sonic velocities. (22LR, 300 Whisper, and 45-70 real soft loads)
The trajectory of my projectiles curves like Anna Nicole Smith when she is 20 years old Very Happy

Yes I need to be a tad more accurate in my distances Laughing

_________________
A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.

Do - Not try!


gelandangan.weebly.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
tikkat3
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Jul 30, 2006
Posts: 800

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 1:58 am    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

I'm with d_hoffman, step it out, or are you lazy or something gelandangan.
Back to top
View user's profile
Pumpkinslinger
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Sep 22, 2007
Posts: 5001
Location: NC foothills

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:20 am    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

"Practice, practice, practice..." I don't know of any gimic to accurately estimate distances except to practice and measure, as the folks above suggested. And even then you're just guessing without using a tool of some sort. That's why I bought the laser range finder! When I get to a hunting spot I range various objects that I can easily see to get a feel for how far a shot I might be taking.

Take a look at the Pointblank software to see what kind of trajectory your gun/load really has. You might be surprised at how much drop the bullet has, or hasn't!

_________________
Mike

"I ain't no better than anybody else, and there ain't nobody better than me!" Ma Kettle
Back to top
View user's profile AIM Address Yahoo Messenger Photo Gallery
skb2706
Member
Member


Joined: Apr 10, 2006
Posts: 269

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 8:45 am    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

gelandangan wrote:
Heres another noob like question for all you great hunters.

Me, I have been busting my knee trying to duck and creep up to an animal to get me a good shot within 50 to 100 meters.

If you just keep doing that you will be miles ahead in hunting skills vs. shooting skills.
Its great to have range finding equipment and rifles that will shoot flat as a pool table out to 400 or so yds. but 'hunting' is far more than that.
I personally don't think there are many people that can judge distance beyond 200 yds. without some type of assistance. At the distances that it would make any difference in trajectory you could be walkin a long ways experimenting with your estimating.
I shoot pds on private land, land where we can put up markers at various distances for comparison out to 500 yds. You would be surprised how easy it is to be off by 75 yds. or more on land that you know very well. Not one person whos ever went with me was even close their first time out.
Back to top
View user's profile
Bushmaster
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Jun 12, 2005
Posts: 11390
Location: Ava, Missouri

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 9:09 am    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

Not having a fancy scope on my Browning A-bolt I use the size of the deer in the scope to determine if it is close enough for a good hit. I have a pre-ninty Redfield 3 x 9 compact Golden 5 star. As I don't like to shoot past 200 to 250 yards (I prefer to sneak up on them) I keep the scope on 5 to 6 power and if the deer shows up as if it is reachable, I'm in [MY] range. I know...Primitive of me, but it works for me...I use a lot of good (bad?) judgment as to the distance as I'm very far sighted and what looks like 200 yards seems to me to be only 150 or less...I also, when I have time, pace off different ranges while hunting...My average pace is almost 3 ft +/-. With my .30 WCF "Jack Handle" with iron sights, this is very easy as most of the shots on game has been under 50 yards (heavy brush and timber)...

Ya have to remember...I started hunting when they didn't have all those hunting(?) aides(?). Every sighting was by your own sight judgment.

_________________
I have one nerve left and yer standin' on it...

DEMOCRACY Two wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for lunch...
LIBERTY A well armed sheep contesting the outcome of the vote...
Back to top
View user's profile
tracker
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Nov 08, 2006
Posts: 1175
Location: Manitoba, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 11:37 am    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique Reply with quote

Well sir, set up a target, pace off a distance and turn around and shoot the target, whether you've a scope or not. You get accustomed to the different distances and accustomed to what ranges you can shoot at accurately or what corrections you might need to make.

As Bushmaster said, it might be primitive, but...it'll work for any firearm, any caliber, scoped or iron sights. You learn your own skills and limitations and your rifles'.

_________________
"If God hadn't meant for man to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat!"
Back to top
View user's profile
Bushmaster
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: Jun 12, 2005
Posts: 11390
Location: Ava, Missouri

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 12:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Judging distances by eyes.. Anyone have a good technique? Reply with quote

Remember Tracker...100 yards in the woods looks different to 100 yards on the range... Smile

_________________
I have one nerve left and yer standin' on it...

DEMOCRACY Two wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for lunch...
LIBERTY A well armed sheep contesting the outcome of the vote...
Back to top
View user's profile
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic   Printer Friendly Page    Forum Index » Gun & Firearm Discussions
Page 1 of 4
All times are GMT - 7 Hours
Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next



Jump to:  


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Valid CSS! Valid HTML 4.01!
Click to check if this page is realy HTML 4.01 compliant for speed :)

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of HuntingNut.com.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest © 2011 by HuntingNut.com
Interactive software released under GNU GPL, Code Credits, Privacy Policy

.: Upgraded to DragonFly 9.2 by *Dizfunkshunal* :.