Ok guys I plan to go on an elk trip in Colorado this year so I'll be blitzkrieging the forums with misc questions/opinion requests all year till September. I should also say this is my first time to do a hunt of this kind so these will all be newbie questions. My question today is about sight pin settings. I have a 4-pin sight that I don't plan to upgrade due to all these other gear purchases. I've been using: 20-30-35-40, but my buddy proposed I plan for a farther shot. He proposed 25-40-50-60. I'm not worried about my ability to hit "bullseye" as I plan to practice constantly in the months leading up. My thoughts are more along the lines of what is the "max effective range" of a compound bow (70 lb draw, 100 gr broadhead). I'd love to hear some thoughts on this subject and/or shared experiences. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I would definitely add another pin. That is not where you want to save a dollar when you are laying out all the other money for an elk hunt. That is a huge gap between 25 and 40 yards and you'll be sick if that causes you to miss or wound an elk. Add a pin to your sight or get a used sight that is less expensive. Not sure what you mean by "max effective range" for sure. How far are you comfortable shooting? You can kill an elk at 100 yards with a 70 lb bow and 100 gr broad head but please don't be trying that. I have 5 pins at 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60. I personally feel if you can't hit a 6 inch circle consistently at 60 yards, you shouldn't be shooting that far.
Hmm yes a 2 pin setup sounds easiest.... it would really clear up my sight picture with so much room for activities! Actually I'll just take my sight off and learn to shoot instinctively, lol. Yeah I thought that gap would turn out huge but I haven't tried it yet. I know my limits so obviously I won't take a shot I can't even hit a consistent grouping on a target! Wondering if 60 yards is even necessary - I'm thinking to go to 20-30-40-50 unless I get a new sight. What I meant by max effective range was how far should I be comfortable shooting at an elk (not talking about marksmanship since I know my limits). Elk will be the biggest game I've tried taking a shot at so I don't know what to expect with arrow penetration at say 60 yards. Also for whitetail I've read in a few places that 40 yrds is the max I should want to shoot because of them jumping the string... which happened to my buddy this year on a 40ish yard shot except he luckily got it because the deer ducked and turned into a fatal spine shot. The longest kill I made was 34 yards on a coyote followed by 28 yards on a deer. The area I hunt is so dense I doubt I'll ever setup in a place that offers more than 40 yards for a shot. Just don't know exactly what to expect on Colorado hunt, despite the hours upon hours of research I will do between now and then. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Ha! I reread and I see what you meant. lol I hadn't had my coffee yet. Yes 25-35-45-55 is also a possibility I haven't even thought of. Thanks for the input. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Your ok with your 4 pin sight. I’d go 20-30-40-50, you could still shoot to 60 just know how far your arrow drops for a hold over. Maybe like 6inches or something? I went from a 3 pin sight to 5 pin when I started going, honestly it’s a little to cluttered for me and am thinking about switching back. It depends where your hunting too, I was in heavily timbered area in Colorado, I’ve got 2 elk and both have been less than 20yds. My biggest tip is if your not used to seeing elk is to make sure you range them, my distances where off on a few, they’re a lot bigger than deer and it messes with your head.
Thank you all for the feedback. I'm considering either 20-30-40-50 or 25-35-45-55. I gotta change my bowstring before any of this so I'll be messing with sight pins in the next few months. I used to practice hold-over from 40 to 50 quite often (but not last season). From memory, my frame of reference was something 1/3 arrow length (10"ish) holdover. When I practiced this, I was really good at estimating on a target but not sure if I'd do this in a hunting scenario. Regardless of how my sight pins fall, 5-10 yard holdovers will be practiced quite alot to have a frame of reference.
