Bow hunting is a popular alternative to rifle hunting. Whether you hunt for sport or shoot at a range, using a rangefinder can help you fine-tune your skill.
While rifles have scopes that can help measure distance and aim at your target, bows don’t have that luxury. That’s why there are rangefinders designed to help you determine distances, wind, and slope.
Of course, there are several brands and quality rangefinders on the market. You need to know what to look for before making any final decisions.
You can get an overview of the best hunting rangefinders in our article, Best Hunting Rangefinder for the Money.
We’ll discuss in this article the best cheap archery rangefinders on the market.
There’s no reason you should have spent over $200 on a quality rangefinder, and we hope this article will convince you why.
Rangefinder
Features
Price
- Range: 1,000 yards
- Magnification: 6x
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
5 best cheap archery rangefinders
- Range: 1,000 yards
- Magnification: 6x
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
The AOFAR HX-1200T is a quality bow hunting rangefinder that can measure up to 1,200 yards. It is a high precision rangefinder designed for archery.
It has a bow and hunting mode that measures the horizontal distance and angle and comes with 6x magnification.
You’ll easily be able to find your target, detect any obstacles, and account for elevation with the AOFAR. And it vibrates when you lock onto a target, followed by the reading.
It can detect accuracy within +/-1 yard from 5 to 300 yards and +/-1 yard from larger than 300 yards. This accuracy comes from its updated pin sensor technology.
The AOFAR is also a durable rangefinder. It has protection against dust, fog, and water. It has camouflaged siding and non-slip rubber to help prevent you from dropping it.
It also comes with a carrying pouch, CR2 battery, high-grade portable rope, a microfiber cleaning cloth, and manual.
The AOFAR is a lightweight, durable, and accurate, easy to use rangefinder.
- Range: 540 yards
- Magnification: 6x
- Weight: 6.6 ounces
This cheap archery rangefinder is another one of TecTecTec’s pioneering affordable bow rangefinders they’ve been putting out for golfing and hunting since 2014.
The ProWild S measures targets up to 540 yards with an accuracy of +/- 1 yard.
You can measure the line of sight and angle to your target, giving you a true ballistic distance for accurate shots.
The ProWildS also has continuous scan mode, which allows for speedy, instantaneous feedback.
It also comes with 6x magnification and gives a crisp, clear view through its multilayer coating.
A lightweight, pocket-sized rangefinder, the ProWild S will work in sun or rain.
TecTecTec designed a portable and reliable rangefinder you can take with you hunting or to the range.
It only weighs 0.41 lbs!
They also give you a pouch, CR2 battery, wrist strap, microfiber cleaning cloth, and quick start guide to get you up and going in no time.
For under $150, you will be hard-pressed to find a more reliable and accurate rangefinder.
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- Range: 700 yards
- Magnification: 6x
- Weight: 9.6 ounces
For those looking to spend under $100, the Wosports Hunting Rangefinder is an excellent cheap archery rangefinder.
This rangefinder measures up to 700 yards with 6x magnification.
It has multifunctions, giving you a scan mode, range mode, flag lock, and speed function.
Excellent for hunting or golfing, this is a flexible device that works whether you prefer the woods, a range, or golf course.
The golf mode allows you to lock onto a flag at 150 yards. The device vibrates after it locks onto the flag.
The unique function of this device is its speed function. This function allows you to detect the speed of a moving target.
The Wosports Hunting Rangefinder is fog and rainproof, although the weather might cause the measurements to report an error or decrease the accuracy.
Unlike some of the other best cheap rangefinder for bow hunting we’ve listed, this one does not have angle measuring capabilities.
But for less than $100, this rangefinder will do just about everything you need.
- High Accuracy up to 800 Yards: This hunting rangefinder can measure 5 to 800 yards with the latest...
- 3 Mode Range Finder: This laser range finder is perfect for hunting, sporting three mode options:...
- Fast Focus: The rangefinder for hunter provides easy focus eye piece, allowing you clear visibility...
- Range: 450 yards
- Magnification: 6x
- Weight: 5 ounces
The Halo Rangefinder XL450 is a budget bow hunting rangefinder for $100.
You can best compare the Halo Rangefinder XL450 to the Wosports hunting rangefinder. Both are cheap archery rangefinders.
The Halo rangefinder has a shorter range than the Wosports, measuring up to 450 yards for a reflective target, like a tree, and 350 yards for an animal.
You can also scan multiple targets with the click of one button.
But unlike the Wosports, the Halo Rangefinder XL450 can calculate the angle on any terrain. It also has an adjustable eyepiece that lets you bring it into focus.
It is a lightweight bow rangefinder, coming in at only 5 ounces. You’ll barely notice it around your neck if you choose to use the lanyard, or in your pocket.
Like other standard bow hunting rangefinders, the Halo XL450 has a continuous scan mode to receive immediate feedback and has an accuracy rating of +/- 1 yard.
It comes with a CR2 battery, a lanyard, and a one year warranty. It has an ergonomic design that allows it to be held comfortably in your grip.
- Range: 600 yards
- Magnification: 4x
- Weight: 8 ounces
The Bushnell Laser Rangefinder Bone Collector Cam is Bushnell’s affordable version of their high-end rangefinder. It’s versatile for use either bow or rifle hunting.
The Bushnell Bone Collector ranges up to 600 yards with an accuracy within +/- 1 yard.
It has a crystal-clear LCD display making it easy to read and has optics that provide clear images even in low light and 4x magnification.
While 4x magnification is lower than the 6x magnification that many of the other best cheap rangefinders for bow hunting have on our list, the Bushnell Bone Collector works well in low-light where many of the other ones listed dip in performance under low-light conditions.
If you are someone who plans to hunt at dawn or dusk, this feature probably means more to you than distance and magnification.
It doesn’t much matter if you can spot something 1,000 yards when you can’t see it on your display.
This is a durable, rain-proof rangefinder built to last. Simple to use with a single-button to push, you’ll soon find out why so many hunters trust Bushnell’s products.
- Quality optics with stunning HD clarity; 100 percent quality materials used and tested extensively
- Beautifully designed with durability built to last; Simple single button operation in a compact,...
- Displays exact distance to target from 10 to 600 yard with +/- one yard accuracy
Things to consider when choosing the best archery rangefinder
To make it even easier to decide on the best cheap archery rangefinders, here are some things for you to consider:
Durability
You don’t want to buy something and have it break instantly or not work how it is supposed to work.
Besides reading reviews to determine how durable any given rangefinder is, you can also check and see if there is a warranty.
A few of the rangefinders we listed come with a warranty.
This does not mean or guarantee something will not break, but it does, however, mean the Company is confident that you will be satisfied because they are willing to replace it for free if something does go wrong.
Lighting and clear imaging
Something to consider is the time of day you most often hunt. If you are shooting at a range, chances are it is during daylight, but many animals are most active at dawn and dusk.
If hunting in low-light conditions is a known factor that you will be dealing with while hunting, then you need a rangefinder that can still provide a clear image and measure in those conditions.
Even if you lose some distance on the overall range, a clear and accurate reading is more important than taking an unsure shot.
Features
The main features you will be looking for in a budget rangefinder are scan mode, angle compensation, and speed functions.
Pretty much every rangefinder will provide a continuous scan mode.
However, some will have a few different features, such as measuring multiple targets or a speed function which measures the speed at which a target is traveling.
Others will provide the angle to help determine the true distance and not just the LOS (line of sight) distance. Check out this article on Understanding Treestand Trajectory to have a better understanding of how a rangefinder which can measure angle and not just LOS can make an impact.
If you’re not sure why you might want the ability to read the angle, check out this video by hunter Michael Waddel explaining how ARC (angle range compensation) is a game changer.
Rarely will you get all of these features in a cheap bow hunting rangefinder, so you need to decide which features are most important to you.
For archery, the speed features don’t matter since the targets don’t move, but if you’re a hunter, this might be something you wish you had.
Do you plan hunting from a short or long range?
The final thing to consider is the range at which you plan to shoot, whether hunting or for archery.
If you do not see yourself shooting from long ranges, then buying a rangefinder whose main appeal is measuring targets 1,000 yards out will not do you much good.
It is easy to think a 1,200 yard rangefinder is better than a 450 yard rangefinder, but this isn’t necessarily true.
A 450 yard rangefinder might have better optics or a more accurate reading, or, as the Bushnell rangefinder discussed above, it might have a clearer image in low-light settings.
The distance a rangefinder measures is only as important as the distance you plan on taking a shot. The best cheap archery rangefinder may only measure up to 600 yards and that is okay.
Frequently asked questions about the best cheap rangefinder for bow hunting
1. Is a rangefinder necessary for bow hunting?
Is rangefinder necessary? Well, that depends.
Is an electronic tuner necessary for a guitarist to tune his or her instrument? Of course, a tuner isn’t necessary, but it certainly is advantageous for a musician to own one.
Similarly, a rangefinder isn’t necessary, but it will prove to be to your advantage. You can check out our review, best rangefinder for bow hunting here.
A rangefinder will help you judge distances better, provide a base so you can build muscle memory, and, not to mention, help you have more humane kills by killing your prey with the first shot.
Check out these tips on using a rangefinder for bow hunting and make sure you get the most out of your gear.
2. Can I use my rangefinder for archery?
Yes! You don’t need to feel as if you are overdoing it by using a rangefinder in archery. Hitting a target on a range and hitting a target in the woods call for precision and muscle memory.
Using a rangefinder will help you with your aim and precision under any circumstance. The point is that you’re not leaving it all up to a guess.
We review more rangefinders designed for archery in Best Rangefinders for Archery. Check it out for more things you might want to consider.
3. Are cheap archery rangefinders really that accurate?
Look, cheap doesn’t mean the rangefinder has to be a piece of junk.
We’ve provided what you need to look for to make sure you buy a quality affordable rangefinder.
The best archery rangefinder doesn’t have to be the most expensive rangefinder on the market.
Every rangefinder listed in this post is accurate and will help you become more accurate. The price differences will often just be the differences in features.
More expensive rangefinders will have more features, but not everyone needs or will use those features. Someone buying a rangefinder for the first time doesn’t need to spend more on features that they may not ever use.
It is better to buy a bare-bones rangefinder for an affordable price than spending more. You may just decide this cheap archery rangefinder is all you really need.
4. What’s a good budget archery rangefinder?
The best cheap archery rangefinder will be accurate and adjust the distance for the angle. It’s not all about the distance a rangefinder will pick out a target.
You’re probably not going to be hunting from over a thousand yards out with a bow.
That’s why we would recommend the Bushnell Laser Rangefinder Bone Collector Cam for a multi-use, durable rangefinder for both novices and experts.
This Bushnell rangefinder is affordably priced and delivers a clear image even in low-light. The optics on this rangefinder will be something you are grateful for when all is said and done.