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15 yard pin?

I shoot a fast arrow, so most of this doesn't apply to me (I can hold my 25 yard pin pretty much dead on from zero to 30 yards and hit within inches of it) but I'll second this:

Shoot your bow at all yardages, even really close. At very close yardages, your arrow will often hit low. At 5 yards, you might find that your 40 yard pin shoots better than your 20 yard. I wouldn't advocate shooting with the 40 yard pin at that range, but just understanding the parallax involved with the aiming angles (the arrow is being shot upward at an angle and has not risen yet enough at very close yardage). My brother missed a nice buck by assuming that the closer the animal the lower you aim. The deer was at 5 yards and so he held at the bottom of the torso and the arrow shot even lower and he missed.

For the most part, any pin you have will hit dead on at the range at which it was sighted in at and also another closer range. At yardages closer than that second, closer dead on range, your arrow will hit low.
 
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I've shot a single pin site for years. I start at five yards to make sure it is hitting within the 6-8" vitals of a deer and keep backing up until the arrows start to group below the 6-8" vitals. Measure that distance and now you know from 0 to X yards you can hold on to the point of the shoulder and be within the kill zone. Super simple and effective. Before I switched to a heavy arrow this year, with my balanced arrows at 373 grains I was good from about 0 to 32 yards. With my current 532gr. heavier arrow, I now am good from 0 to about 26 yards. If you're a western hunter you could even simplify your sight pin picture using this method and reduce from 5 or 7 pins down to 3 or 4. So in my example above with my heavy arrow, at 26 yards I would start shooting so that at point of aim, my arrows are all impacting in the upper 3rd of a 6-8" vital zone. Keep backing up and shooting until your arrows are impacting in the lower 1/3 of the kill zone. So now your second pin is "good" for a hold on point of shoulder distance of from 26 yards to 52 yards (hypothetically speaking) And then if you're that good of a shooter, at 52 yards you would start with your third pin impacting at the upper 1/3 of the kill zone and back up until your arrows are impacting or dropping no more than the bottome1/3 of the killzone at say 78 yards. So now you have three pins that cover you from 0 to almost 80 yards. If the deer is within 0-26 yards I use the first pin. If I'm out west and stalk within 56 yards of a muley buck, I would hold dead on point of shoulder with my 3 pin. So a much simpler system with less pins to minimize confusion at the moment of truth. If you're pursuing elk you could increase the diameter of the kill zone even more and theoretically increase your overall maximum effective range.
 
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Don't know why nobody is mentioning pendulum sights. I've used one for 40 years now and never have a problem out to 30 yards.
Hadn't heard of them...but seems like a flatlander sorta thing if i understand tha concept.
 
Hadn't heard of them...but seems like a flatlander sorta thing if i understand tha concept.
What do you mean Flatlander thing. You sight it in at 20 yards yards and when you are in a tree it swings freely and it compensates for distances out to about 35 yards depending on how fast you bow is.
 
Don't know why nobody is mentioning pendulum sights. I've used one for 40 years now and never have a problem out to 30 yards.

Showing your age, and mine lol.
My buddy used one many years ago and at the time I didn't have money so never got one. Does anyone make them these days?
 
Showing your age, and mine lol.
My buddy used one many years ago and at the time I didn't have money so never got one. Does anyone make them these days?
A couple of different companies still make them. HHA I think has one and I use a Tru-glo that also is a one pin slider that you can use for ground hunting. I like the Tru-glo because it accepts a light to help my old eyes at very last light.
 
Actually I just remembered the last time I missed a deer. It was last year :tearsofjoy: Missed her by 3 Ft. It wasn't the sights fault though.It was my first sit and I made a rookie mistake and dropped my bow arm at the shot. I made up for it though because the doe I shot at gave me a second chance and I smoked her on the second shot. You rookies take note here. It happens to the best of us even when you have been at it for a lifetime.
 
What do you mean Flatlander thing. You sight it in at 20 yards yards and when you are in a tree it swings freely and it compensates for distances out to about 35 yards depending on how fast you bow is.
Compensates...by swinging freely. Seems like it'd really underestimate range and shoot high shooting downhill. And the opposite uphill.
 
Showing your age, and mine lol.
My buddy used one many years ago and at the time I didn't have money so never got one. Does anyone make them these days?
I have one for sale in the classified's right now. It is a brand new COBRA pendulum with two pins. I bought it brand new and never used it. Its still in the original blister pack. Many moons ago before I settled on my one pin system, I used a Keller Pendulum bowsight and liked it but I didn't like it in the summer for 3D shooting. Pendulum sights are excellent for hunting though.
 
Keller pendulum, now that is a blast from the past. That's the one I lusted for back then.
 
I don't know the fairy guy, but I sight my pins 15, 25, 35, 40, 45. Close deer will be missed or shot high with a 20 yd pin in my experience.
 
I hate to admit it but I've been bowhunting since 1982!
Since 79 here so i don't believe in fairies or heavy slow arrows for Whitetails... My bow shoots a 400 grain arrow @285fps so my 25 yard pin hits 1"high at 15 and is dead on at the base of my tree. I've been poking two holes through deer with fast 1 1/2" OTT flappers for over 20 years now.
 
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Since 79 here so i don't believe in fairies or heavy slow arrows for Whitetails... My bow shoots a 400 grain arrow @285fps so my 25 yard pin hits 1"high at 15 and is dead on at the base of my tree. I've been poking two holes through deer with fast 1 1/2" OTT flappers for over 20 years now.
Yeah I hear ya but I'm telling you, the VPA 150's I went with this year once you shoot holes through the deer you can just pull them out of the ground, clean 'em up, sharpen them all in 20 minutes and use the dang broadhead again and again. You can't do that with any flapper I've ever used.
 
Yeah I hear ya but I'm telling you, the VPA 150's I went with this year once you shoot holes through the deer you can just pull them out of the ground, clean 'em up, sharpen them all in 20 minutes and use the dang broadhead again and again. You can't do that with any flapper I've ever used.
Yup the VPAs look good, i've been using Carbon Express Torrid SSs and NAP Shockwaves for the last 10 years, they are about $5 a piece so one and done.
 
Did anyone try anything after Ranch Fairy talked about having a 15,25,35 pin set up?
As much as I can’t stand to listen to the guy, the message seemed to hit home. I have hit high on deer before with my 20 pin when they 12 yards or less. Thinking this will help me be lower 1/3 at 20 as well.
Looking for experiences and thoughts?
Know what 20 yard pin does at 15 yds and 30. Know what 30 yard pin does at 40. That helps
 
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