Nikon 550 Prostaff

I used the Prostaff 550 over the weekend for hunting from a boat. I tried to range birds sitting on the water at about 220 yards. The only way I could range it was to range the nearby shore. Is this a condition of product quality or a combination of a small target on the water's surface not being condusive for range finding? Or is there something else I am missing?

Hi,

The most likely cause for this is the small target in combination with the water reflecting the laser in the wrong direction. It is very difficult to get a reading to a small target on water with any laser rangefinder.