The Best Bowhunting Rangefinder (October 2024)

When I am hunting there is nothing more frustrating that trying to estimate the distance to the target.

You can set up everything right and fire the “perfect” shot all for it to end up short or whatever else. This is because you misjudged the distance to the target and your shot was poorly targeted because of it.

When you have a quality rangefinder you won’t have to worry about judging the distance. Instead you can get the correct distance and focus on what exactly is at hand, the hunting itself!

I have used a lot of different rangefinders and below are the best options.

Best Bowhunting Rangefinder – Top 3

Most Affordable Option

#3 Bushnell Team Primos The Truth

Not everyone can afford to break the bank when choosing a rangefinder, so I wanted to include an option that was not only affordable but offers a quality product. The product that came out the winner was the 3 Bushnell Team Primos The Truth rangefinder.

First off when it comes to design of this Bushnell. It has a simple and plain black design, its small and lightweight and can easily be carried in your jacket pocket.

It comes with a carrying case and a neck strap which makes for fast usage very easy if you want to wear it around your neck. It’s also worth mentioning its rain proof which means not fully waterproofed but any rain or very humid days won’t be an issue here and should increase the lifespan of the device.

In terms of usage it is easy to hold and has a gripy surface and because its lightweight there is no fatigue from using it for longer periods. Its range works from 7 -850 yards although for tree ranging 600 yards is the limit and for optimal deer ranging 200 yards.

The one thing that stood out to my and really is ideal for bowhunting is the Bow Mode. How it works it when you press for the distance to a target it will give you the standard LOS(line of sight) distance. Then after you press and hold the range button for a couple seconds it will give you the angle compensated yardage and the angle(in degrees). In addition to this you have a 4x magnification which can be handy. For accuracy if you stay within the suggested ranges it works extremely well and is always accurate. For more information on angle shots check out this article.

It’s worth mentioning that when you make use of the bow mode the screen becomes quite cluttered with different numbers and measurements which is not ideal.

Advantages

Very affordable
Angel compensation bow mode works well
Lightweight and portable
Accurate

Disadvantages

Screen can become cluttered when using bow mode

Excellent All-Rounder

#2 Bushnell G-Force

My second choice is a great all round option that is well priced and has all the quality you would expect as well as the important features, and yes, it’s another Bushnell product!

The first thing that caught my eye with the rangefinder was the unique design and color scheme. It has an interesting woodland style pattern and a nice texture which helps with holding the rangefinder. It has a similar footprint to the previous Bushnell I mentioned and again is lightweight and can be carried in your pocket.

Unlike some less expensive rangefinders it has red lighting for the target and displaying the range etc. This works better for most situations. You can also adjust it to not be as bright at nighttime for example. The only time it can be a little difficult to read is when it is very bright outside and the red text doesn’t contrast as well for that.

For actual functionality, it has a range effectiveness of 5 yards to a maximum of 1,300 yards. When using it for bowhunting on trees out to 900 yards and readings out to deer out to 600 yards which is a significant improvement over the more budget version.

There are 3 available modes, you have the regular mode which is basically point and shoot and it returns the range as you would expect. The other 2 modes are rifles mode and bow mode. As this article is with bowhunting in mind I will just talk about that specific mode. When in bow mode there is a small bow displayed to show you are in the correct mode. Below the standard line of sight measurement, you will get the angle of the shot which will appear for a short amount of time and then will be replaced by the angle compensated distance.

Advantages

Premium metal design with rubber coating
Very accurate
Bow mode works flawlessly
Compact and portable

Disadvantages

Can be hard to see reading in very bright conditions

Premium Option

#1 Leica CRF 1000-R

If you are more serious about your hunting or simply what a top-notch product then this rangefinder is a perfect choice.

The design and overall quality of this Leica rangefinder is amazing not only does it look classy but it feels premium in the hand. It is lightweight and weighs in at just under 8 oz. It also has a small footprint at about the size of the palm of my hand. It has a range from 10 yards all the way up to over 1000 yards. In my own testing which was primarily under 500 yards the most it was ever off the correct measurement was 0.5 yards which was very impressive. It also has access to a magnification of up to 7x which is one of the best I have used.

With general operation, it has an ambient light sensor which automatically adjust the brightness of the display depending on the current light level. This works fantastically well the display dims down more at night and brightens up during the daytime basically providing you the optimal display all the time which is perfect.

For operation, it’s just a matter of pressing a button and then your distance will be displayed. With this Leica you also have the option for measuring the EHR(equivalent horizontal range). This is ideal if you are hunting where the ground is sloping and has more gradient. You can switch between the modes as you need and it will display the relevant distance in yards.

Advantages

Amazing build quality
Very accurate
Classy look
Very portable
Brilliant auto adjusting display

Disadvantages

Minimum range of 10 yards(ideally would be a little lower)

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