Best type of bowsight for elk hunting
Equipment
Eveyone,
I am an eastern hunter, and have been shooting a single pin HHA sight on my compound bows for whitetails for awhile. I love the simplicity of one pin, and the accuracy that results. However, I am headed to Alberta for a spot and stalk mule deer hunt this fall, adn then to Colorodo for an elk hunt. Do you think a single pin sight like the HHA is a suitable sight for that type of hunting, or should I consider a 5 or 7 pin sight?
Thanks for your help.
Mike
Keep the 1 pin and set it for 30 yards. You will be dead on from 10 to 35-40 depending on your bow speed. Mark settings for 40 and 50 yards as you may have to shoot at those distances. Biggest reason I can give you for the 1 pin is since this is your first elk hunt you will really be excited and possibly a real mess when you have your first bull coming in. Your heart will be beating and you will be shaking and the last thing you want to worry about is picking the right pin.
I use a 7 pin for hunting although I do have a 1 pin sight as well. IMO out of a tree stand the 1 pin works awesome. But on the ground I prefer the multipin. I dont like a 1 pin for hunting out west. Too much to move and less things to hassel with when it becomes crunch time.
But its personal preference. There are alot of successful hunters here on bowsite that use the 1 pins.
I have a 1 pin vertical cobra slider. I love the sight increased accuracy, and much better field of view. I shoot what works for me. I always have my sight set on 30 yards. I practice shootin at 10, 20, 40, with the sight set @ 30. I figure if a elk is at 50 yards I should have time to adjust.
Planning on switching to the HHA this spring for turkey.
whatever sight you use for out west it is a good idea to have 2nd and 3rd axis adj. on it, treestand hunting doesnt really need it but out west where you could have some steep shots it could make a big difference.
Montana Black Gold Ascent! 4 pins and its adjustable to allow for long distance follow up shots. Whats not to like? Mike
Multi pin or single pin, it really doesn't matter. shoot what you shoot best. I prefer my 5 pin Spott Hogg because it s what I am used to. I know many who prefer the single pin sight. Just remember that things can happen fast elk hunting and you most likely won't have the time to adjust a single pin sight, so as said above be profficient at 10-40 yds with it.
I will ad that a durable sight is important to me. I have seen some not so strong sights in pieces after a trip and fall.
THE BLACK GOLD IS A GOOD SIGHT FOR THE HUNTS I DO. I GOT 4 PINS IN .10 GREEN. I HAD AN HHA SINGLE PIN UP UNTIL LAST JULY. I THOUGHT THE BLACK GOLD SIGHT HAD BRIGHTER PINS. I LIKED THE FACT THAT I NEVER HAD TO MOVE MY SLIDER WHEN HUNTING. I ALSO HUNTED ALBERTA FOR MULE DEER LAST YEAR AND WAS GLAD I HAD THE MULTI PIN SIGHT. ON QUITE A FEW STALKS THERE WOULD BE LARGE GROUPS OF BUCKS BEDDED TOGETHER IN THE COULEES. I WOULD GET ABOUT 20 YARDS AWAY AND SIT FOR A COUPLE HOURS FOR THE BUCKS TO GET UP FOR A SHOT. IF THE ONE YOU WANT ISNT THE FIRST ONE UP YOU GET BUSTED AND THEY ALL RUN OFF. USSUALLY THEY WOULD STOP AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES AND TURN AROUND AND LOOK BACK SINCE ONLY ONE OF THE DEER ACTUALLY SAW YOU. THEY USSUALLY SEEMED TO STOP SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 35 AND 60 YARDS. IF I HAD A SINGLE PIN SET AT 30 I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO HOLD ABOUT 15 INCHES HIGH AT 45 YARDS, IF YOU HAVE TARGET PANIC THEN STICK WITH THE SINGLE PIN.
I would suggest to go with a multi pin just because they are big animals and can close in fast! Having a multi pin sight with all the yardages laid out makes for a big advantage when they are in tight and you can't adjust your sight. I have used a Trophy Ridge 5 pin and now a Fuse 5 pin for elk, mule deer, javelina, bear, you name it here in the west. It is just one less thing to worry about and possibly blow an opportunity. With that said, I know two very successful elk and muley hunters that have only one pin. Good luck on your hunts!
i personally use the spott hogg 7 deadly pins and love it, it is a very tough site and there is never any guessing on where to hold your pin
I wouldn't want one fixed pin unless I was only going to shoot at one distance. I also wouldn't want to be fooling around with a movable pin when I should be aiming and shooting. I use a BG Flashpoint 4 pin sight. Never had a problem counting down to 2 or 3 which is the longest distance I'm likely to need.
I think keep with what you are used too, but practice with longer shots in mind. Season before last I got a new bow and didn't need a 10 yd pin anymore, shot 3d all summer and practiced a lot and when it came crunch time, I reverted back to menatally having a 10 yd pin again and counted pins wrong and hit high, used 30yd pin instead of 20yd pin, still stoned the cow, but was lucky.
I prefer a multi pin. It doesn't take a lot of time for an elk to cover 10-20 yards even at a walking pace. Its just easier for me not to have to readjust my sight everytime the elk takes a couple of steps.
I prefer a single pin slider, im curently using a sure-lok and its the best sight ive ever used. I dont understand why you would want a sight filled with pins, I typically have mine set on fourty yards and never have to worry about using the wrong pin.
Last year I shot a 260" elk. I spotted him through the binos @ 4oo yds. He moved into the willows and I plotted an intercept course. I got into the willows and was closing the distance when I see his antler tips above the willows. I duck behind a pine and get ready. He's headed for a clear lane through the willows and I laze a couple of reference marks. It looks like he'll step into the shooting lane at about 30 yds. His angle changes and he steps into the clear a little further than I expect, then he starts walking straight away from me. He gets to the end of the shooting lane and turns broadside. I stop him with a cow call right in front of a bush that I lazed @ 60 yds. I put my 60 yds pin on him and release. I never would have got him if I had to adjust a moveable sight.
Whitetail stand hunting and ground sneaking are two entirely different things. When moving around, you need multiple pins. Shots are quick lots of times. If you are screwing with your pin instead of shooting, you are going to miss opportunity’s and game when you start holding over due to not having the time to adjust things.
This is my experience. Put a 5 pin sight on your bow. Sight number one at 25. It covers most of the tree stand stuff. Number 2 at 40. Number three at 50. Etc...... That should cover you good.
Most of us eastern guys simply do not posses the ability or knowledge to be launching arrows at the ranges most western guys do. So, in my mind, there is no need for a pin set that covers that ability. 5 will work good and when sighted in like this, leaves enough room between them it doesn’t confuse me. Good luck and God Bless
One pin slider for me. Used a multiple pin for years but single pin last 10 or 12. Find the single pin slider to be nicer. It's whatever you like better and are comfortable with. Both work just fine.
Dang!
Gonna have to figure out how to tape a sight on my longbow to be able to get an elk:-)
Guess some of us have just evolved further, Tavis! :-) Difference between a forester and an engineer!
never been elk hunting but have been killing whitetails with a bow for 37 years & 13-14 years ago I removed the bottom 2 pins from a 6 pin sight so my top pin is in the center of the ring (like your single pin) this becomes AUTOMATIC the peep is center your eye the sight ring center the peep & the pin center the ring. with my bow this pin is dead on at 20 & 2" low at 30 then I have 40-50-60. I'd keep what ya have set at 30 or go with something similar to what I use. just don't go with a sight with a bunch of pins & the top pin is not center the ring good luck
Treelike: My Dad used a Match Stick so give that a try first:)
3 pin slider for me. Best of both worlds.
I am the wrong guy to ask.
Everyone is going to have their personal opinion my feelings are that I stick away from a single pin, the animals change yardage in an instant. There is also always the possibility (probability) of setting your pin for a specific situation/setup and then forgetting to change it back...
Last year the elk I took was at 5-8 yards but I couldn't get a shot. I had to let down and he knew something wasn't right and trotted off, I cow called with my mouth and he stopped at around 42ish - with very little window to shoot through and only a split second - I put my 40 on him and let it fly... Another story was a good friend of mine put on a single pin a number of years ago when they were really starting to become popular... He was out hunting antelope and had another buddy beside him ranging... He draws on an animal that was 16 yds, goat lifts his head up and trots off, stops and looks back, then away - at 46, perfect broadside shot - he now had to make the decision to either let down and adjust slider or guess 30 yards of pin gap.... He took the sight off soon as he got home...
Also, in hunting situations people aren't generally as accurate so I want my pin as close to the actual yardage as possible -I don't like one pin trying to cover 4" of surface area on my target because if you are off 3-4" on your shot, now you could be off 8" on the target...
Whatever you pick, practice a lot. Different yardages, weird in-between distances not just at 30 and 40... Shoot 35, 34, 26 44, etc...
For me I don't want to be messing with moving pins on a elk hunt. There's just no time to be moving pins. I like just to range, if time allows my distance and draw, put what pin is need and shoot. Being that you maybe shooting up or down at some steep angles, like miller1 stated. Make sure you got your axis adjusted.
X2 with Chip T....hunt with what you are used to. Very sound advice. Set your pin at 30 yards as suggested and shoot a target at various yardages...if it`s not acceptable to you....go to plan "B".
My advice as a single pin hunter myself, do not jump to a 5 or 7 pin sight. It will not be an easy adjustment for you without a lot of practice.
My question is why did WV Mountaineer resuscitate an 8 year old thread...? ;^)
^^^^ Ya, was thinking the same dam thing! Lol
^^^Yep, it kinda raised my eyebrows too...especially since it was a thread about sights for elk hunting. ;-)
I love my single pin hha sight. I hunt elk and deer in Utah. The old saying keep it simple stupid works best for me. Also very nice when you make a stalk to be able to range and dial in for perfect shot. I usually set sight for 35 yards when still hunting and works very well when I need to take a quick shot. I always struggled with a multi pin sight in the heat of the moment and would often choose wrong pin, or just plain screw up.
Nah Charlie, tried it but doesn’t work when I cant my bow:-)
My point is that if a guy can successfully and consistently kill elk and other critters on the ground with a stick bow and no sights, any kind of sight on a compound is an advantage!
Keeping it as simple and consistent, whatever you choose is going to put more critters on the ground.
Although elk are big and you are hunting in more open terrain than back east, most elk are shot at pretty close range - say under 30 yards.
Don’t overthink it!
Certainly no need to "re-invent the wheel"...just because you're going on an elk hunt.
Go with what you know...one less thing to have to think about, when he's screaming in your face!
Yep, stay with what works.
