I sure have changed a lot this spring. 1. I have been shooting a top pin for 30 yards for 8 seasons. It was sighted in for 2" low at 30 yards so 20 yards was a couple inches high. Close enough for big game I always figured. Well, some events through last season and into this one have changed my mind. I went back to a top pin of 20 and a second for 30. Both sighted in dead on. disadvantage - I have to range an animal inside 30 yards advantage - given a known distance it is much more accurate and those shots that are just over 30 yards will be a kill now instead of a near miss (this last one is why I changed) 2. Now that I have a 20 and 30 pin, I am not interested in speed that much b/c virtually any bow is relatively flat out to 20 yards. Therefore, I have decided that for my next bow I want a real smooth draw cycle instead of the hard draw that a speed bow has to have to store enough energy. One that will be easy to pull in 15 degrees when I am all bundled up. I have had to struggle to pull my bow back on those mornings and if you want to have a feeling of panic, then try that once or twice. I shot a Bowtech Sentinel after shooting an 82nd at the same poundage. It was amazingly easy to pull for being 60 pounds. The 82nd draws a lot like my old Mathews in the sense that it is all out from the start. It is better than my bow for sure, but I bet if you graphed the pounds of pull along the draw cycle they would be similar. disadvantage - obviously a slower speed will increase the need for accurate yardage judgement, although not by much at most hunting distances advantage - an easier to draw bow will make cold mornings less of a scare 3. 80% versus 65% letoff. I have always been against a greater thatn 65% letoff for myself b/c I didn't want an * next to my name. Well, that was before I ever killed what would be a record book animal. Now, after taking a few, I realize that I will never enter one anyway, so who cares? 80% is a major advantage over 65%. There have been a number of times where I have run out of steam trying to out-wait a buck or elk that is staring me down at full draw. My next bow will have 80% letoff. Anyone else making any significant tech changes for this year?
More scouting for Buck Beds... Link to my recent findings with the help from Gri22ly... http://www.bloodbro.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=6883
I think you are making the right decision going for a smoother draw over a burner for a bow. This coming from a guy who tore muscles in his shoulder trying to draw on a good buck a very cold November morning two years ago. The Sentinel is a fast bow as well. I would put anything on it that no other bow with it's speed is as quiet or shock free. I enjoy shooting it probably more so than any bow I have ever owned and I haven't said that since I was shooting a 2005 Allegiance. I am no fan boy who claims every new bow I get is the best ever because they aren't. It takes a special bow to impress me and the Sentinel does just that. As far as the pin scenario. I generally shoot either a 25 or 30 yard top pin. I seem to do 25 most often for a first pin though. Using a 25 first pin you don't have to really range the yardage until something is past 32 yards.
That is exactly what I always thought, and for big game you are exactly right given a perfect shot. Now, and I preface this with the fact that I am not near the shooter you are so I have to account for such things, if I miss low at 32 just by 2", then I will miss a deer with a pin set for 25. With the pin set dead at 30, even if I am a couple inches low, I will still make a good hit. Now, I will say, if I am stalking something and unsure of the exact yardage but know it is less than or equal to 30, then I am just shooting 25 and knowing it is close enough.
Much of this is dependent on the speed of your arrow as well. If you do get a Sentinel it will be faster than your current bow. If you tell me the specs you plan to hunt with this fall I can figure the trajectory and let you know what your POI would be at different yardages. I would need: bow, draw weight, draw length and total arrow weight to figure it for you.
