Never Miss Again with these 3 Rangefinding Scopes

I demonstrated the Burris Oracle X rangefinding scope at a sporting show in Central Pennsylvania last summer, and participants were amazed.  So much so that I pitched the idea of a field test to Petersen Publishing’s Crossbow Revolution Magazine.  They agreed it should be an interesting story, and the full article hit the newsstand last summer.  If you are a crossbow fan or just interested in the subject, you’ll find everything you need to know in this edition.

Beginning with Success

Since I was familiar with the Burris Oracle X, I began my test with that scope.  One of the challenges of this assignment was using three sets of technology which had to be transported to Africa, set up, sighted in, disassembled, and repeated in one week’s time.  After sighting each scope according to its individual process, I marked the Picatinny rail so that the scope could be mounted in Africa with minimal difficulty.  Luckily, the outfit had one good target that would stop the TenPoint Viper 430, but I had to put butter on the shafts to remove them.

Bowhunting Unfriendly

I was assured by my outfitter that this hunt was very bowhunter friendly but upon arrival, the guides told me that the properties we would hunt were rifle hunted year-round and that the average shot is between 150 and 250 yards.  Yikes!  I had hoped to sneak within 50-75 yards of game animals and use the rangefinder sights to seal the deal.  The picture above was taken at 300 yards with a telephoto lens, a manageable rifle shot but way out of arrow range.

First Success

Because I had been using the Burris Oracle X for the past two years, I began with it and scored at 71 yards.  African animals are difficult to stalk because they often live in herds of like or similar animals.   Imagine trying to sneak close to a herd of whitetail or mule deer.  To be successful, I had to sneak behind bushes and small trees, crawl under the lower bows, and shoot from a prone position, complicated by the thick ground cover that would surely affect arrow flight.

Sig Sauer BDX

Archers may be surprised to learn that Sig Sauer’s BDX ranging system can be calibrated for crossbows.  This system is well known and written about in the outdoor press among rifle hunters, yet the same technology works well for crossbows.  The Sig Sauer scope pairs with a Sig Sauer KILO5K rangefinder and once the range of a target is determined with the hand-held rangefinder the corresponding aiming point appears as a red dot in the scope.  The scope has a standard BDX reticle so it works with or without the rangefinding option. Once used the usefulness of this system is incredibly apparent.

Spot and Stalk

On the 6th day of the 8-day hunt, I spotted a pair of mature impala rams feeding several hundred yards away.  Luckily, they were in a deep ravine with numerous trees that allowed us to close the distance.  The red dot of the Sig Sauer scope made the 50+ yard shot simple as the animal quartered away.  It ran about 100 yards before going down and expired in an area with easy access.

Garmin Xero X1i

A blesbok was one of the antelope I took on my first trip to Africa in 1994 and it was fun to hunt them again.  This large male followed a herd of about 30 females and often lagged behind.  We spotted the herd at a considerable distance and stalked close to the skittish animals.  When they moved out of sight we set up in a clump of trees and the old male soon followed, providing a hasty, quartering-away shot, made much simpler with a single aiming point at a known distance.

Computer Compensating

The Garin XERO Xli offers a manual process for zeroing the sight or the ability to let the computer do the set-up.  As you see in this photo, the sighting process begins at five yards and progresses from there.  With the Garmin, Burris, or Sig Sauer sighting system, it’s very important to take your time, read the directions, and watch the set-up video.  I’m the worst at not reading directions, yet in this case, you will save many frustrating hours and busted arrows by following the step-by-step process.  Rangefinding scopes will greatly aid in the lethality of your hunt.  They are expensive, yet a small price to pay for success.  Check out each of these great products and I’ll be writing in greater detail in future posts.