2 pins
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Will
14-Apr-20
Looking for some opinions. I have been shooting for about 40 years and at the range with a RF I am dead on. I can comfortably shoot out to 60 yards and have shot 5 western MD with the closest being 45 and the furthest being 66. I have killed but I have missed 3x as many. Same thing happens every time. Brain goes crazy and who knows what pin is settled on the deer. Off into the prairie goes the arrow. I have been experimenting with using a short range pin 0-25 and mid range 40 yd and maybe(?) a 60 yard. 0-25 is the same pin. 30+/- is in the middle and 40-45 is holding the 40 a little high. For hunting a miss 2 inches either way doesn't matter if i get the arrow in the ballpark. I kind of feel like it is going to get my brain out of the pin game and just get me settled on the close pin and the far pin. I might bury a 60 yard pin but that is a maybe. Do any of you have experience with this and what do you think . Less pins less to think about, less shots into the grass.
From: GLP
14-Apr-20
I don’t like a lot of pins also. I use 3 pins. For whitetail I have a 20, 35, 50 setup. When going out west I use a 25,40,55 setup. Works for me. Hope you get it figured out in your mind. That is where my problems start. For me first pen is the no brainer. 2 nd is get a good range estimate. 3 rd is use rangefinder or don’t shoot
From: JohnMC
14-Apr-20
So you have missed 15 animals? Maybe get closed than 45 yards or don't shoot?? 45-66 yards is a long ways IMO
From: Will
14-Apr-20
Maybe not 15. OK I will add them up. Western MD stalk hunting is the GREATEST for a PA Treestand guy. Most exciting hunts ever. We always try to get close but situations happen. Never had a wounded deer run off though.
From: Brotsky
14-Apr-20
Get yourself a 3 pin slider. Problem solved.
From: Ucsdryder
14-Apr-20
2 pin slider. Love mine.
From: Hh76
14-Apr-20
Ive got 3 pins. I set for 20,40,60 when I need extended distance. I shoot 30, 50 by holding between pins.
I almost like shooting between pins better. Certainly won't get pinpointed accuracy, but close enough for hunting. Quick to aquire target, and takes the pressure off of having the pin perfect.
I don't know that reducing the number of pins is the way to avoid dumb mistakes, though. Either way, you have to choose which pin, and think things through to get a correct shot.
From: Ambush
14-Apr-20
Yup, three pin slider.
From: Medicinemann
14-Apr-20
Are you sure that you identified the variable responsible for your misses? Are you getting "buck fever"? Are you so rattled, that your pin is all over? In your excitement, are you punching the release?
From: Will
14-Apr-20
MM yes yes yes, just trying to switch things up and get some edge
From: GDx
14-Apr-20
i shoot 3 pins as well. 10, 30, 50. most of the deer i have shot have been between 30 and 10 yards. 10-30 yards is fairly east to judge, beyond that it can be tricky. Out west, most every shot i have taken at elk have been around 30. i have a buddy who does great at the range but is lousy at judging distance. spend more time shooting at targets of unknown distance (stump or clump shooting) and then walk it off. this should create distance memory for you.
From: Jaquomo
14-Apr-20
Appreciate your honesty. More hunters, especially who come West, should be so honest with themselves.
A single vertical pin set at 30 and keeping all my shots inside 40 fixed pretty much all of my problems after switching to a compound (from a lifetime of trad and instinctive-peripheral gap aiming). Before that, with multiple horizontal pins, I developed all sorts of bad aiming and shooting habits. I rushed shots, did drive-bys, forgot to pick a pin. So maybe think about something like a Spott Hog with two vertical pins if you need to shoot at animals way out there?
From: Ucsdryder
14-Apr-20
Jaq you and I are on the same page. I went with a single pin and just upgraded the pin on my hogg father to a double pin. In previous years I’d leave it at 30 and could shoot to 40 very well without adjusting. I’m not sure where my second pin will be when I’m zero’d at 30. Probably around 42-45 yards. I will either leave it at 25 and hope I’m around 40 or leave it at 30 and hope I’m around 45. I need to do some testing. Seems to be the best of all worlds for me.
From: jjs
14-Apr-20
Try an EZV sight and problem solved with pin.
From: BigSkyHntr
14-Apr-20
I’m with Ucs, I had the original Spott Hogg Fast Eddie single pin, but just bought a new bow and bought the double pin. I think it’ll be perfect to set it at 30 and @ 45... I really like the ‘uncluttered’ sight picture
From: Empty Freezer
14-Apr-20
I use a verifier on my peep, getting old, and having the double pin spott hogg is the deal for me. Now if i can just get those dang mule deer to quick sneakin up on me...
From: Ermine
15-Apr-20
I’ve done 2 pins before. Worked fine. I currently Use 4 pins. Seems to work the best for me
From: Guardian hunter
15-Apr-20
As my eyesight has diminished over the years I have found that creating space between the pins is important. I have further found out that shooting the gaps between the pins is much easier and more accurate than shooting the pins themselves. There's something about having the pin over the target as your eyesight goes the wrong way becomes more difficult
From: DanaC
15-Apr-20
"MM yes yes yes, just trying to switch things up and get some edge " Equipment change not so important as shooting change.
From: carcus
15-Apr-20
This has me thinking, I currently have a 7 pin on my elk and moose bow and a 5 pin on my deer and bear hunting bow, both are axcel armortech visions, i Iove the toughness and quality of these sights, but maybe less pins would be better, so I'm thinking of a slider, for those who have used many different brands which is best, fastest and toughest? Looking at the axcel and the spot hogg so far
From: midwest
15-Apr-20
carcus, MBG. Outstanding quality and customer service.
From: Castle Oak
15-Apr-20
I shoot a Spott Hogg Fast Eddie 3-pin. I was using a 4 pin Hogg-It but my aging eyes and brain did not like the clutter. It was amazing how much difference dropping just one pin made. Also, I have adjusted my practice regimen. When I get within a month of the season opener and thereafter, I shoot one arrow from a random, ranged distance. As I pick my spot, draw and settle in, I repeat the yardage over and over. This has helped me settle down and pick the correct pin. My bottom pin is set at 40 and since it's my slider, I need only to concentrate on that one pin beyond that yardage. But, with 700 lbs of screaming bull in my face, I may just shoot the moon, LOL.
From: wyobullshooter
15-Apr-20
“Equipment change not so important as shooting change.” My thoughts exactly.
That said, I’ll echo midwest’s recommendation. Can’t beat Black Gold IMO.
From: ki-ke
15-Apr-20
3x on Midwest reco for MBG. I broke my 1st MBG, all on me...and sent it to them for repair, expecting to pay a repair bill. They sent me back a new sight, NC. Can't beat that level of CS...
I use a 3 pin slider, 30,40,50. The 50 is my "floater" for target shooting past 50 yards...I used a single pin for years, but after having several situations where I set the sight for an expected shot distance, the animal turned and came closer. One time it was an elk I was ready to shoot, had set my pin at 40, turned to me and ended up at 12 yards!! I killed him, but the mental math required to calculate where to aim under those conditions at full draw is way beyond my bandwidth!! With multiple, but minimal...pins, I don't need to mentally hurt myself any longer.
From: Eric Lechleitner
15-Apr-20
So i had an older student at bow ed teach me a lesson He sights in a single pin at 50 yards with a modern bow he claims from 5 yards to 45 yards the arrow will remain in the lungs if he aims at the bottom of the body. IT sound correct i have yet to try it. Would eliminate most yardage guessing problems or using the wrong pin.
From: Jaquomo
15-Apr-20
Another vote for MBG. Solid sight, great customer service.
I think many overthink the single pin concept for hunting. We arent shooting for Robin Hoods or 12 rings in a hunting situation. We're shooting at pie plates at unknown distances. (If you have time to range and the animal stays put, never mind. But that often doesn't happen).
Go out and walk around your range shooting only with the 30 yard pin on your multi. You may be very surprised.
From: PowellSixO
15-Apr-20
For elk hunting and western mule deer, I like to run a 3 pin with 30, 40, and 50 yards. I also run a slider, which allows the third pin to be whatever you want beyond that. It really cleans up the site, and makes it easy to understand. I feel most quick shots are going to be within 20-50 yards, so I keep those pins. The difference between 20 and 30 is an inch, so I run the 30 yard pin for both. Any shot beyond 50 usually allows time to dial your yardage on the 3rd pin. Works well for me.
From: Tater
15-Apr-20
apex two dot. I've shot the one dot for 4 years and just bought the 2 dot aperture. Set the green dot on 30 and the red is for 50 . 20 yards is the gap for my set up. slide the green dot down to 80 and red is dead on at 100. Won't shoot an animal that far but it's certainly fun to practice that far.
From: FF
15-Apr-20
Some of you guys might laugh at me but I still shoot the Trophy Ridge 3 pin VERTICAL fixed pin sight. I hate horizontal pins. All they do is get in the way of my target. I'm a midwestern guy from Iowa so I have them set at 20, 40 & 50 yds. Most tree stand shots are under 30 yds at whitetails and the majority are under 20 yds. I would love to hunt elk with my bow but don't make time for it....I do have 18 points for Colorado though!
From: Shug
15-Apr-20
I bought a Spot Hogg single pin... after 6 months of shooting it I slid another fiber into the second hole. It’s exactly 10 yards difference out to 45 yards one fiber to the next. I can keep my setting at 20 yards and shoot out to 40 yards without having to move the slider. At 40 yards all I do is punt my 30 on target see where my 20 lays then put the 30 at that height on the animal...
