Bushnell Yardage Pro Sport Rangefinder Review

Summer has come and gone, and now it’s time for fall. Bow hunting TIME!!! If you’re a decent hunter then you shouldn’t have a problem harvesting a doe during early bow season. That’s what I like to do to keep the herd in check and also I just want to shoot a deer.

Its opening weekend Oct 4. 2004, and I see a doe coming across an open shooting lane at 30 yards. I let the arrow fly and it goes right over her back. I get out of my tree to walk off the yardage and I find out she was only at 20 yards. That next day I immediately bought my Bushnell rangefinder. This is one of those purchases when you say “I should have bought this years ago”. For bow hunting, the Yardage Pro Sport is one of the smartest products I have ever purchased.

The Yardage Pro Sport has a 4 power magnification, a max distance of a reflective target at 999 yards and a max distance of a non-reflective target at 450 yards. This rangefinder has +/- 1 yard accuracy. Its light and compact at just 7.4 oz, and measures 1.75x4x3.13 inches. This is the best valued rangefinder on the market. You can buy this range finder for around 120 dollars but you also get what you pay for. This particular rangefinder is great for measuring shorter distances for bow hunting and anything else out to about a hundred yards. If you plan on going out hunting and need a shot longer than a hundred yards, I do not suggest you buy this product. It is very difficult to find your target in low light conditions and to pin point your target at long distances. You don’t know if your are even ranging the right target past a hundred yards. So bow hunters, bite the bullet, and give this rangefinder a try. It’s worth it. Rifle hunters, you guys need to spend the extra money and buy a rangefinder with a higher magnification.

P.S. If money's not an issue, try the new Bushnell ARC Rangefinder.

Jason Untersinger

Buy the Bushnell Yardage Sport 450 Rangefinder for $119 HERE:
Bushnell Sport 450 Rangefinder

Buy the Bushnell Legend ARC 1200 Rangefinder HERE:
Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Camo Rangefinder

Why are local archery dealers jerks?

I know this might not be the case in your area, but I need to rant for a minute about local bow dealers in my local central indiana area. I feel as though I can see this industry from a beginner's point of view, because I did not grow up bowhunting. I never fired a bow until I was 21. Someone who is new to archery (like I was 6 years ago) should be welcomed and cherished by an archery store. From a business standpoint, they should coddle this customer like a newborn baby. He could potentially be a repeat customer every year. When I was new to archery, I was treated like the cousin at your family reunion that everyone tries to avoid and if they have to talk to him, they are mean and sarcastic. I couldn't ask a question without either someone rolling their eyes or a "duh" sarcastic response. It got to the point where I had anxiety to even enter the building over time, but my passion for bowhunting kept me going.

I have visited many more local archery ranges and stores withing a 60 mile radius since my first encounter with my closest archery store, and I can't say that any of them are any better with customers than the first one. It seems as though when you arrive at a dealer's store for the first time, they look at you as though you are lost. You get that feeling that you're a square that just walked into a biker bar. Everyone is looking at you funny, and the guy behind the counter doesn't ask " can I help you", but instead waits till you ask him a question. What kind of service is that? Not many stores could survive with such animosity for new customers.

I have put up with this crap for too long, and I never let it really get to me until I took my brother into a newer store just a few weeks ago. My brother is 21 and has recently wanted to change his life for the better. I've been counseling him and have tried to introduce him to bowhunting. He is looking to buy a bow so I thought we would try a new shop in the area. There was no one in the store, we were the only customer this dealer had probably for a couple of hours at least. From the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out, this guy acted like he didn't even want us in his store. I asked the guy to measure my brother's draw length for a new bow, and you would have thought I asked the guy to kill his own mother. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly did what I asked. My brother looked at me like "is this guy for real?" We didn't buy a bow to say the least.

So guess where my brother's money is going to be spent on a new bow? Ebay or craigslist. I'm not buying another bow from a dealer until I find a shop that actually wants my business. It's a shame, really. These shops have it bad enough with the internet taking so much of their business, but I feel as if I have no other choice.

Now some of you might be thinking, this guy is probably a problem customer with an attitude. I can assure you that is not the case. I'm in a customer service industry so I know what those customers are like. I couldn't be a better customer to any business that I deal with. I'm a very easy going guy, much more so than most of my hunting buddies. I don't take myself seriously, and I'm not a brand loyal nutjob that thinks mathews or hoyt or bowtech is the best bow ever made. I'm just a guy that wants to buy a product from someone who is decent to me.

Larry Ralph Jr.