Budget rangefinder review.

Hunting season is nearly upon us!  Yay!  Get your bows out, dust off your rifles, get to the range and get sited in!  Yep this is the awesome time when we get to trudging through the woods getting back to our primal roots.

Thank goodness we have evolved a bit.  In the last few years I have been introduced to the world of bow hunting.  I grew up as a rifle hunter along with the millions of other americans.  I still love bumping shoulders with all the other rifle hunters, however I find myself enjoying the hunt with a bow more these days.  There is something about being able to talk with the animal your trying to harvest that brings me to a different place.  As we have evolved from the age of spears and rocks, so have our tools.  Here is one of those tools that will aid in your attempt in making it a successful hunt.  

Here is my review of the Halo XRBD Range Finder by Wildgame Innovations.

This little guy can be found at retailers for around $125 making it a great entry level range finder.  That being said, I have found it to be a great rangefinder.  The size is perfect and compact.  I really enjoyed the ergonomic design and the rubber grips on the top and bottom.  It is a simple two button design that is very easy to use.  The two buttons are the power/range button, and the mode button.  At first use I found that I would sometimes press the wrong button but after the first few uses muscle memory took over.  The mode button switches between meters and yards.  The display is simple with no clutter, showing the mode (Y or M) and the range and a low battery indicator.

So I know you were thinking it by now, what are the specs of this little gem…

Max Range: up to 500 yards
Scan mode: Yes
Power: 6X
Eye lens: 15.5mm – anti-fog 
Power Saver: 20 seconds without pressing a button
Object lens: 24mm
View angle: 7 degrees
Precision: +/- 1 yard yes 
Water Resistant: Yes
Weight: 8 oz.
Size: 4.2” x 3” x 1.7”
LCD: Gray color text/icons
Battery: CR2 (Included)
Warranty: 1 Year


Oh yeah thats right those are some pretty awesome specs right?  If you didn't like those check these out!

Range Performance

Object                Min Range           Max Range

Tree                     5 Yards               400 Yards

   Deer                   5 Yards               250 Yards  

     Golf Flag               5 Yards               150 Yards        

The XRBD comes from Dicks Sporting Goods with the battery and tether in the package.  I really like having the tether so it is always close at hand.

Now the bad.  The max range on this rangefinder is 500 yards, that is on a reflective target.  I don't know any deer or elk that run around with a mirror.  If you find one please send me a picture!  For a long range rifle hunter this will fall short.  For a bow hunter this will work.  The only thing that would make it better would be angle detection (true shot range on a positive or negative angle).  That being said this is a great budget rangefinder that will get the job done.  

Check back for more rangefinder reviews later!

Gorge Yourself

      I am a spoiled brat.  That is the truth.  I live in this wonderful place called the Pacific Northwest.  A person can literally drive from the Pacific ocean, through the valley, over the cascade range, and on up to the high desert of central oregon.  If one wanted you could snow ski in the middle of summer, drive to the columbia river and wakeboard, then drive to the coast and surf…. all in one day.  Where else can you do that!?  I find my self trying to take a step back, have a little out of body experience and soak in the magic around me.  The Northwest is truly an outdoor pot of gold.

      

     Recently day trips have been the norm for my family and I, due to having three little munchkins. 

Not real munchkins….More like this kind of munchkin….

     There that is better.  With my little munchkins we have been following the yellow brick road (I-84) to the east from Troutdale.  This journey takes us up the Columbia River Gorge, which to me sometimes feels like "just another drive".  This place is so much more than just another drive though.  This place takes you back in time.  It connects you to so much more than just another town or just another another state.  In the Gorge you will without a doubt see hundreds of waterfalls, drive by (and hopefully check out) thousands of hikes, and see countless wildlife ranging from mosquitos to bighorn sheep.

     Our latest little journey was a quick getaway for my lovely bride and I.  With the sweltering heat lately, we decided to get out of the house and cool off in the water.  With so many options at our disposal it can be rather hard to decide.  However on a 90 plus degree day our decision was fairly easy. We decided to make a trip to Oneonta Gorge which is located a few miles East from Multnomah Falls.  This hike is unlike most hikes you can do in the Gorge.  The trail is actually the river.  Be prepared to get wet!  

     This hike is a great way to get out of the heat and cool off in some pristine water and enjoy the outdoors.  At a mere 1 mile round trip with no elevation gain, it is a simple yet fun hike.  You will start off at a parking area on the Historic Columbia River Highway, where you walk down a set of stairs and begin your journey into the river.  Almost immediately you are greeted with a log jam of epic proportions.  It looks like giants were playing pick-up-sticks right in the middle of the river.

     This is nothing a little scrambling, and ninja warrior skills can't conquer.  Once you have dismounted the pick-up-sticks, you are back in the river walking in a 150' deep gorge that is anywhere from 10'-40' wide.  During your trek there is varying depths of water from shoe deep to possibly above your head in one spot.

     Finally you will reach the end and run smack dab into the 100' Lower Oneonta Falls.  There is a small pool at the bottom of the falls that is perfect for swimming around and cooling off.  If you suffer from Agoraphobia I would suggest planning this hike on a week day as it can be rather crowded on weekends.   

Photo by Chris Preperato

     Proper attire for this is obviously clothing you can get wet in!  I would suggest old shoes or rafter type sandals, it is a river after all.  Go check it out this summer before it's too cold.  Comment below and let me know what your favorite gorge hikes are!

Thanks for reading and get outdoors!

Prelude of the Addiction

     My little 4 year old legs trying to match the seemingly silent and at the same time giant stride of my father's.  He defied nature the way he moved over the logs, through the four foot tall ferns, up and down the banks of the damp forest floor.  He was doing the exact opposite of every thing I had ever known.  I was a young boy, I broke things, I smashed things, whisper was not in my volume range!  Walking through the woods was about splashing in puddles, kicking rocks down the hill, ripping ferns from their roots, smashing beetles, looking for the elusive four leaf clover (I'm still searching...), and playing with salamanders.  Little did I know I was being "trained".  This "training" was the gateway drug for the rest of my life!

     My father is a very patient man, he put up with my puddle splashing, rock kicking, fern ripping, and who knows what else.  For years he brought me to the rainforest that is the Coast Range of Oregon on our annual father and son hunting trips.  On our way to camp we would stop at the Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area where we would look at the elk and deer, these might be the only animals we would see on our trip (thanks to the 4 year old hulk).  It started as a camping trip that evolved to me carrying a play rifle through the woods, because I wanted to be just like dad.  I started to learn the way, I started to follow his mannerisms, his footsteps, his every move.  I was becoming addicted to the outdoors.  The play rifle evolved into a BB gun, the camping trips became longer, the hikes became harder.  I started to appreciate nature more, I was trying harder and harder to become the silent ninja in the woods like my father.

     Fast forward 26 years, I am now the husband to an amazing wife and the father of three wonderful kids.  I am now tasked with "training" them just as my father did me.  Training them to love the outdoors, to love what God has made for us.  The camping and hunting trips with my dad taught me so much more than how to walk in the woods, they taught me confidence, responsibility, work ethic, respect, they molded me into who I am today.  There will never be enough of the outdoors for me.  I will constantly be striving to see what's over the next hill or where the creek will lead.  This was the start of my addiction to the outdoors, my perpetual search for more.