I learned on the first morning of my NM Elk hunt this year that I really needed a 5 or 7 pin site. I've been using HHA single pin adjustable sites forever but they don't seem to work in the real world of Elk hunting for me. I took at shot at an Elk I thought was 60yd only to see my arrow shoot right underneath him. We called him right back in to 25yd but my pin still set on 60yds I couldn't do the math quick enough and so he spooked and ran off Moral of the story, I need more pins on my site and so I've just started the search. Questions: I'm thinking of just going with a 5 pin site but I've also been told 7 pin are good for Elk. Just not sure I'll be able to find which pin while suffering elk fever. I'd like a site with micro adjustments for the pins rather than unscrewing each pin and sliding it up and down....I think. I'd like a site that extends out enough for 80+yards practice shots. Is there anything else I may not be thinking of? I'm sleeping with my boss so cost it not a real issue
Get a 3 pin with a slider on the bottom. This should fix your problem that you had elk hunting. Black gold has a 3 pin with the bottom one that is adjustable. Set two permanent pins and the bottom one adjusts. I'm sure other companies have these too. IMO, you aren't going to take a quick shot on something at a long distance anyway. I use a one pin adjustable black gold and I always have it at 30 yards. I practice shooting my 30 yardage at 10 or 40 yards. It isn't a big difference. Do it enough and it becomes somewhat natural to aiming high for a longer shot. Anything under 30 for hunting purposes I don't adjust where I aim.
I know lots use them, but I've never been a fan of the slider sights. I have enough going on and through my head to have that to think about moving and re-moving, etc. With that said, how fast is your bow shooting? That may help determine how many pins you need. Now, I don't hunt elk, but I have a 5 pin sight that I removed two pins from. I can easily cover out to 40 with only two pins really, but like the 3 pin setup to be a bit more precise. If you are comfortable out to 60yds on an Elk, 5 pins would work out fine, probably even 4 if you do your homework/math and set all of your pins accordingly. Simple is always better. Don't over complicate it and make sure your sighting system is as simple as you can make it without compromising hunting accuracy. As for sight features. I don't know; everyone has their "thing" they must have. Personally, micro adjustability in a sight isn't very high on my list at all. Think about it, you set all of your pins at given yardages and lock them down. You don't move them again. I haven't touched a pin on my sight since getting my current bow setup last summer. Again, simplicity. Usually simple sights, etc., are very durable and rugged. They're able to take the abuse you dish out from season to season, etc. I personally shoot a Spot Hogg Hunter Hogg-it. I have had it for 10 years now on several different bows and its never, ever left me down.
Been there, done that. Cost me an elk one year as well. I have an APEX Covert 4 pin. Pins are 30 - 60. The bottom pin is the floater but the other three adjust along with the bottom floater to match the distance scenarios you may be in. Have a MBG 3 pin as well and works the same.
I have a MBG Ascent set up this way too. My thought is that beyond 40 yards I am going to have a little more time to dial things in. The key is always remembering to set it back to zero.
Thanks. The other problem is I'm shooting 536 grain arrows at 63# so they drop real fast. Got a pass through on the Elk at 40 yards though. I felt the same on adjusting a site at 60 yards but when your out in the open and a bull and his cows are staring you down you really can't move. Right now I leave my HHA at 30 yards and hold it 6'' low for 20yds or 7'' high for 40yds.
Thanks. Not sure what my fps is, maybe 280. I'm shooting Easton FMJ's with 75 grain inserts which may be to heavy. I was trying to get the FOC % higher. I may remove the inserts and just use a 126g broad head in the future. Agreed, I always tell myself KISS. ( Keep It Simple Stupid )
Switched from my HHA to a Spot Hogg Hogg It 5 Pin....great sight and very well made! Didn't think I would like the pin clutter but with all honesty I don't mind it one bit. If I ever got a new sight it would be a spot hogg hogg father slider with the 3 pin housing. set my 20, 30, 40 and then use the 40 yard pin as my floater.
I have the G5 Optix XR sight that is in line with what was mentioned above to have 3 fixed and one sliding. It is a dial though and in the heat of the moment I could see it being a little bit of an issue as you have to mark on the tape for the longer yardages. I have never hunted for elk though and even though I shoot out to 80 yards with that sight I don't see myself taking a shot at a whitetail over 40 yards or so. I have it simply to make those closer shots seem like slam dunks after shooting the long distances. As for a 5-7 pin sight I would say maybe something along the lines of a Spot Hogg sight where you can customize your colors and your pin diameters where you can have larger for close, mid size for maybe out to 40-50 and then .010 for anything further. That may help you pick up on the distances faster if you know 60-70-80 are all the smaller diameters. After that then it's just practice, practice, practice at those unknown yardages until you throw up the range finder and try to make a quick accurate shot.
I had Spot Hogg custom-build me a sight... I had been running four Spot Hogg Hunter Hogg-its with 20, 30, 40, 50 & 60-yard pins. After hunting out West a few times, I decided I wanted a 70-yarder too. Spot Hogg had to take a Cameron Hanes "7 Deadly Pins" model to accomodate the extra pin, even though I only wanted six. They put that sight housing on the body of the Hunter Hogg-it, which has micro-adjust (the 7 Deadly Pins model doesn't), and I feel I've got the perfect elk-hunting sight.
In that case. A multi pin might work better as you originally asked. I still like the adjustable for longer shots. If I'm shooting a long shot I'm ranging it either way. If I have time to range then I can adjust pin in most cases. I know if I were you I would be looking for something different since something went wrong while out in the field. All about confidence. Maybe try multipin and multipin with bottom sliders. Should be lots of options and either should work. Nothing wrong with your weight for elk though. I shoot 439 grams and feel light for elk.
I don't understand how so many guys need multiple pins under 30yds. On my 5 pin, My top pin is dead on at 35, I only have to hold a touch low at 10-25. On my 3 pin, the top pin has maybe a 1-2" variance from 10-30. Anyway, for hunting out West, I loved the TR Alpha V5 in my sig line. Rock solid, easy to set up and adjust. Good visibility from dawn to dusk. Used it in Idaho last year to take a cow elk. Settings for me are 35/45/55/65/75. At 80 all I have to do is hold about 6" high and it drops right in the X. I already had and really liked my TR V3 on my whitetail set up so when I got my elk tag I just went with the big brother. A 5 pin is a little overkill for woods hunting but for more open areas I'd not use anything less. Another nice thing about 5+ pins is if you're a little iffy on the range accuracy on a big bodied animal like an elk (is it 50? 55? Maybe almost 60?) all you have to do is shoot between the pins.
It all comes down to what and how you are hunting. I have 3 pins set 20-30-40. The woods are thick enough that I would not get a good shot any further. Sure I could use 1 pin at 30 and aim high or low for 20 and 40 but my accuracy will be better with a pins. A single pin is more complexity which brings in more opportunity for error. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is what I told people a few weeks ago on this forum about sliders and was scoffed at. During crunch time it is one more step to have to adjust a slider for different ranges. It's not that it's a big thing to remember, it's just that it's another thing to remember. I'll agree that sliders are great for target shooting but it can become problematic in situations like you endured. I like my multi-pin because I know each time exactly what my pins are dialed in to. I don't need to switch or move or adjust anything during that knee shaking, heart pumping, monster buck moment. I use a three pin site. Here's why. 3 pins... 25, 35, 40... First pin from 0-30 and it ranges from about 2.5" high @15 to 1.5" low at 30, pins drop quickly after 30 and I'm only comfortable to 40 maximum range hence the other two pin ranges. Micro adjustable windage and elevation... make minor adjustments without risk of a major move. Decreasing down range pins.. 1st pin is .29, second pin .19, third pin .10. Helps keep the sight picture clean on further downrange targets Lost camo finish matches my bow It's not the most notable brand, but it's been good to me so far. I have no complaints. If interested, the sight I described is TruGlo Rival Hunter FX. Bought from Lancaster Archery I paid $70. It also comes in five pin.
Thanks, I've was thinking of a set up like that but set them 25-35-45-55-65. I hear good things about Spot Hog as well.
Others have mentioned it but I really like the idea of the different pin sizes. I use .19 now but I like your set up. Thanks
I got the tru glo rival hunter, micro adjust, decreasing pin size and doesn't break the bank. $120 2015 Matthews Z2 28in draw at 60lbs with truglo Rival Hunter sights Carbon Express with Montecs Ripcord cord red rest USMC Semper Fi Remingtion 887 and 770 Marlin 30-30
