How to Estimate Hunting Distance with Reticle

Today, many hunters use rangefinders to determine the distance to their target. 

Here is some of our rangefinder, if you are interested in. 

Paragon 7x25 GenIII Digital Ballistic Laser Rangefinder 2400 Yards

Paragon 6x21 Digital Ballistic Laser Rangefinder 2000 Yards

Paragon 6x25 LCD Rangefinder GenII 2000 Yards

Paragon 10x42 Rangefinder Binocular

However, for those who prefer a more traditional approach, a reticle can be used to estimate the hunting distance. You will need to know your targeting distance to adjust your scope for an accurate shooting.

Here is the scenario, you carry your ammo with our Continental SCOL-TE52 and with the bullet of .308. You see a coyote somewhere in front of you. 

You don't know the distance and don't have a rangefinder. You will need to estimate the distance before taking a precise shot. 

Here is the reticle. 

Before, explaining the reticle, one thing you should know as a newbie, is that as a qualified hunter, you should have a general idea of the size of your prey. 

For example, an adult coyote typically stands 58-66 cm (22-26 inches) tall. However, it may be better to know the height from the belly to the back, as your prey won’t always be standing—they could be sitting, sleeping, or proning.

The upper part of the coyote (from belly to back) is 25-35cm (9.8 - 13.78 Inch). 

If you’re using the height of your prey, align it with the vertical line of the reticle. If you prefer to use the length, then use the horizontal line of the reticle instead. You need to count the mil dot to put it in the formula.

Here are three formulas you can use to estimate the distance with different units. Watch out the unit!!!

Distance to Target (Yards) = Length of target in real (Inches) / Length of the target on the reticle (Mil) x 27.78

Distance to Target (Yards) = Height of Target (Yards) / Height of the target on the reticle (Mil) x 1000 

Distance to Target (Yards) = Height of Target (Inches) / Height of the target (MOA) x 100

In this case, you are more familiar with the yard, inch unit and you scope is with MIL unit. You can directly use the first formula to calculate the hunting distance.

Distance to target (Yards) = 9.8 Inch / 2.25 Mil x 27.78 = 121

After estimating the distance, you will need to check the ballistic table and adjust the turret based on your zero point. Check our blog post, if you don't know.

Let’s consider another example where you want to use the length of the target to estimate the distance. The calculation logic is similar to using height. However, it’s worth noting that using length is often less reliable because the target (or prey) may be in different positions or facing various directions, making it difficult to measure accurately. That said, if the target is in a standardized position and facing to squarely right direction, you can use its length to estimate the distance effectively.

Distance to Target(Yards)= Length of Target(Inches) / Length of the target(MOA) x 100 = 42 /  14 MOA X 100 = 300(Yard)

With the same ballistic table of .308, at 300 yards, the bullet trajectory is -8.7.

The click value is 1/8 MOA, therefore, you will need to adjust 8.7 / 1/8 MOA = 69.6 times or 8 MOA with 5 more clicks or 6 more clicks based on your zero point.

After you understand all of these, the calculation became quite simple! But in real situation, things become complicated. You will need to take tons of shot to practice and gain experience to take a precise shot.