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new to bow hunting and have some general questions

Discussion in 'Bowhunting Talk' started by corjen, Jul 11, 2009.

  1. corjen

    corjen Newb

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    Hello all, I am relatively new to archery and thanks in advance for any help.

    So I picked up a Browning F5 tornado off of ebay.(and really enjoy shooting it) It had a single pin sight on it.I removed that in installed an extreme 3 pin. I have dialed in the first pin @ 10 yds but have started to wonder what distances i should use for the 3 pins?

    I plan to hunt white tail in my home territory of S central Kansas, however I am currently in panhandle of florida on work TDY.(yes i brought the bow) Also, a friend invited me to Alberta for a black bear hunt next spring.

    Last thing does anybody know of an archery range or bow club near FT Walton Beach FL?

    Thanks again
     
  2. Fitz

    Fitz Legendary Woodsman

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    Welcome corjen! This is a great place to learn.

    What poundage is your bow? If you are in the 50+ range, I'd suggest going with 10-20-30 for starters. If you shoot a lot this summer, you could even swap it out to a 20-30-40 set, if you feel comfortable at that distance. I have a 4 pin set at 20-30-40 and I don't even use my 4th pin.

    There are a ton of great guys with much more knowledge than I on this site, so keep asking questions! Welcome to the addiction (both bowhunting & this site).
     
  3. BOWSPEC

    BOWSPEC Weekend Warrior

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    Depending on your set-up, your bow should shoot pretty flat out to 20 yds and you should be able to use one pin from 10-20yds. You could then set the other two at 30 and 40 yards respectively. This would be a good begining set up as it will be easy to rember your pins. Just keep in mind it may be a while before you feel comfortable taking a shot at a deer over 30 yards. I limited myself to 30 yards the first couple of years I hunted but that depends on the hunter and his equipment. It is still a good idea to have a 40 yard pin to practice with, it will make you that much better and more confident from 20-30.
     
  4. kwilson16

    kwilson16 Weekend Warrior

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    20, 30 and 40 are good positions. You 20 pin should be good from 10-20 yards. As stated above, use the 30 and 40 yard pins for the majority of your practice even if it discouraging at first. When a shot is offered at 20, it will seem easy.
     
  5. WKPTodd

    WKPTodd Weekend Warrior

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    IMO, for a beginner, I would only have a single pin on the bow. I would not suggest shooting above 25 yards your first few years. Until you can really get a handle on "the excitement" that happens at the moment of truth, having to judge distances and make decisions on pins all in that critical few seconds is too much to put on yourself.

    To this day, some 20 years after starting hunting, I still only use a single pin sight. It's adjustable, but I only plan on using my 20 yard pin (which I can shoot out to 35 yards by little compensations). Bowhunting is a close-quarters sport. 20 yard shots or less is what I would be thinking for your first season.

    I practice out to 70 yards, but I only do this for honing my form. I would never-ever shoot at a whitetail over 50 yards, and that would take the stars aligning with moon and having a perfect situation when I would feel comfortable taking this shot. I've probably killed something like 50 deer with a bow, and my average shot distance is probably 15 yards. Longest shot I ever took on a whitetail is 33 yards, and it dropped right into my shot - which is the factor you can't plan on. All the practice in the world won't change the fact that deer drop regardless of the distance. The longer the distance, the farther the drop. These combinations create an uncontrolled situation which isn't good! The feeling of wounding a deer is the worst thing you will ever experience, and you will experience it at some point. After years of hunting, with good and bad experiences, it will teach you quickly that you want to get on-top of these deer for shots. That is when the slam-dunk shots are taken with a FAR greater level of consitency and success!

    Good luck man, it's a rush!
     
  6. in da woods

    in da woods Grizzled Veteran

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    Welcome to the site, you'll definitely find a lot of help here, and guys w/a great amount of experience. like the others stated 20,30,40. Once your dialed in, practice @ 50yds. That'll help hone in your skills for consistency & form. Concentrate on those two, and you should be fine.
     
  7. GABowhunter

    GABowhunter Moderator

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    Welcome to the site and good luck this season. There are many knowledgeable guys here that can help you out. I had my 3 pin sight set at 20, 30 and 40 as well.
     
  8. mnbowhunter

    mnbowhunter Die Hard Bowhunter

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    welcome to the site!

    i agree with all these guys i did have mine at 10,20, and 30. but as i became more comfortable with my shooting i switched to 20,30 and 40 yrds.
     
  9. corjen

    corjen Newb

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    Thanks all, started dialing in the first pin @ 20, going ok so far. I dropped the others to the bottom of the sight in order to just focus one at a time. However it seems that the first pin is so low in the sight, there wont be enough room for vertical adjustment on the other two.(everything is in the bottom 1/3rd of the ring)
    I guess maybe i should have asked what is the best way to start sighting in a new site? I thought you should get the lateral adjustment first then set the vertical for each pin
    Cordell
     
  10. Vabowman

    Vabowman Grizzled Veteran

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    WKP Todd is right on. I have a one pin sight and I have been at this for 20 yrs. I love less confusion..I can shoot very well out to 40 yds with this one pin... from 5-28 yds I just hold it on there and shoot. from 28-40 yds I have to hold high accordingly, of course Im used to doing this...I shoot all my 3D tourneys with one pin as well, it's great practice...I agree that 25 yds is the limit for a new guy, I rarely take anything further than 25 yds anyway.
     
  11. Troutking

    Troutking Weekend Warrior

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    Glad to have you on the forum. Hopefully your bow is set up properly for you. It is worth going to your local pro shop and making sure your new bow is fitted to you correctly. If for some reason some it's not, you are starting out on shaky ground. I agree with the 1 pin theory, like most good things in life, keep it simple, less is more. Good luck.
     

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