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Pin Settings

B

Bach55

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
231
Location
Indiana
After some disappointing hunts the last two years, I have recommitted myself to practicing my shooting as much as possible. As I shoot more and work towards tighter groups, I’ve noticed my pins at the lower distances creeping together. I hunt in the Midwest; typically in thick woods. Most of my shot opportunities are 10-20 yards realistically. Due to this, I’ve traditionally had 10-20-30 yard pins. I’m not comfortable over 30, and I don’t practice out past that due to the opportunities I get.

Here’s my question - does anyone shoot one pin for 10-20 yards? Who has separate 10 and 20 yard pins? If you do have two pins, are they darn near touching each other?? Curious to hear about setups for people who hunt in similar conditions.
 
With compound I’ve never felt much need for having separate 10 and 20 yard pins, if it’s under 20 I may aim an inch or so lower but the difference between the two pins wouldn’t be enough to make it worth it. Don’t get too set into having 10 yards difference between your pins either, especially if you’re only shooting out to 30 with a 3 pin sight. Set your pins at distances that work for you and what you’re trying to accomplish and not get set too much into norms
 
If you are not gonna shoot past 30 yards you only need 1 pin.Set it at 25 yards and you will be a couple inches high at 10 and a couple low at 30.Dead deer and simple.I shoot one to 40 on a moveable but don’t move it unless its over 40.Try it and it will work very well for you
 
Mmmmmm. While I highly respect the opinions, I will not take a shot basing it all off one fixed pin. “Unethical” and “guesswork” comes to mind. I have shot a 20, 30, 40, 50 setup and that’s what works best for me. I have not seen good results from my buddy who shoots 10, 20, 30 as he is constantly distracted by the top pin since there is virtually no arrow-flight difference between 10-20 yards with compound over 50-lb. draw. I have tried, with some success, a 15, 25, 35 setup as well, but I just didn’t like the false sense of range and vitals I was personally experiencing. I know that setup works well for many, though. The most I would do in terms of aiming high or low, or “guesswork” to use my term, is gap-shooting my 25 and 35 distances, centering vitals in the center of the gap and quickly making sure the 20/30 or 30/40 pins are still within the animal’s fur in my sight picture. Honestly I barely look at the sight once it’s settled, I am confident in my pins so once they’re settled on vitals I look past them to the target itself, and focus on my shot sequence while the pins are sort of fuzzily overlaying my target. That’s a long-winded way of saying: cut the 10-yard, and don’t start guessing your distances based off one fixed pin, cuz then you’ll start shooting arrows you have no business releasing at an animal. But then, some people need to wound a deer before they change what they think is okay, and I guess that’s okay for them, but not for me.
 
If they’re close enough together that they’re “darn near touching” I’d say you’d be best to get rid of one. My suggestion would be 15 and 30 yards based off your info. Or 10 and 25 might be better. I’d also HIGHLY recommend practicing outside of 30 yards. I try to practice twice as far as the shots I want to take. If you’re practicing at 50-60 yards those 20 yard shots become so easy. Your confidence will go through the roof.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If your shooting modern archery equipment then loose the 10 pin...you will have less sight clutter when you draw down.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
Mmmmmm. While I highly respect the opinions, I will not take a shot basing it all off one fixed pin. “Unethical” and “guesswork” comes to mind. I have shot a 20, 30, 40, 50 setup and that’s what works best for me. I have not seen good results from my buddy who shoots 10, 20, 30 as he is constantly distracted by the top pin since there is virtually no arrow-flight difference between 10-20 yards with compound over 50-lb. draw. I have tried, with some success, a 15, 25, 35 setup as well, but I just didn’t like the false sense of range and vitals I was personally experiencing. I know that setup works well for many, though. The most I would do in terms of aiming high or low, or “guesswork” to use my term, is gap-shooting my 25 and 35 distances, centering vitals in the center of the gap and quickly making sure the 20/30 or 30/40 pins are still within the animal’s fur in my sight picture. Honestly I barely look at the sight once it’s settled, I am confident in my pins so once they’re settled on vitals I look past them to the target itself, and focus on my shot sequence while the pins are sort of fuzzily overlaying my target. That’s a long-winded way of saying: cut the 10-yard, and don’t start guessing your distances based off one fixed pin, cuz then you’ll start shooting arrows you have no business releasing at an animal. But then, some people need to wound a deer before they change what they think is okay, and I guess that’s okay for them, but not for me.
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Everyone should definitely use what works for them. As long as you pick one and stick with it and build confidence you’ll be good. In defense of the single pin you aren’t doing much guessing. If you thing he is standing 20 yards or under aim at the top of the heart. I can put my pin at the top of the lungs at 35 yards and still be good. I have no businesses shooting at a deer past that based on my personal performance on game while bow hunting. I have had as many as six pins in the past shooting slower bows. I have also used the wrong pin in the heat of the moment. With my bow set with a single pin at 25 yards any compensation out to 35 yards is measured about 4 inches. Every miss I have had at 30+ could be measured in feet. I have been working on my form and release a lot this summer. If I feel like I am able to shoot effectively at 45 yards this year I’ll switch to a slider. The only real advantage with multi pin sights for the average bowhunter is being able to see mid range trajectories when shooting over limbs between you and the deer. That only works at longer distances and most hunters just don’t need to shoot that far.
 
Thanks fellas. All good insight. It’s definitely helpful to hear the different ways people do this! I’ll keep tinkering. I think my first move is to drop the 10 and find a pin placement that I can shot 10-20 with.
 
https://saddlehunter.com/community/...ly-with-only-one-fixed-pin-in-my-sight.16152/

A single pin for a bow shooting 35 yards and in, with a bow shooting faster than 250fps, is far superior to any other option. If you can “bracket”, you’re doing the same thing as a holdover or under. But the fact is, you’ll hit within a 6” circle between 10-30 yards if you aim where you want to hit with one pin set at 26 yards(thereabouts, your bow will vary 1-3 yards). There’s not an archer in this world that can shoot accurately enough to overcome all the variables that come into play bow hunting, specifically the animal moving.

If shooting multiple pins inside 30 yards make you feel like your warm fuzzy teddy did when you were a kid, fine. But it will also likely distract you in a high pressure situation(did mom and dad ever tell you that’s the point of the teddy?)

If you shoot slower than 250, or further than 30-35 yards, this does not necessarily apply. Having said that, with the issues you’re experiencing, I highly recommend keeping your shots inside 30 for a long, long time! Most folks should be anyway.

Remember - no matter how accurate you are, critters move before during and after you release your arrow. In unpredictable ways.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
Mmmmmm. While I highly respect the opinions, I will not take a shot basing it all off one fixed pin. “Unethical” and “guesswork” comes to mind. I have shot a 20, 30, 40, 50 setup and that’s what works best for me. I have not seen good results from my buddy who shoots 10, 20, 30 as he is constantly distracted by the top pin since there is virtually no arrow-flight difference between 10-20 yards with compound over 50-lb. draw. I have tried, with some success, a 15, 25, 35 setup as well, but I just didn’t like the false sense of range and vitals I was personally experiencing. I know that setup works well for many, though. The most I would do in terms of aiming high or low, or “guesswork” to use my term, is gap-shooting my 25 and 35 distances, centering vitals in the center of the gap and quickly making sure the 20/30 or 30/40 pins are still within the animal’s fur in my sight picture. Honestly I barely look at the sight once it’s settled, I am confident in my pins so once they’re settled on vitals I look past them to the target itself, and focus on my shot sequence while the pins are sort of fuzzily overlaying my target. That’s a long-winded way of saying: cut the 10-yard, and don’t start guessing your distances based off one fixed pin, cuz then you’ll start shooting arrows you have no business releasing at an animal. But then, some people need to wound a deer before they change what they think is okay, and I guess that’s okay for them, but not for me.
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Leave ethics out of it. It does not belong in a conversation where you have the ability to shoot deer with a gun, or shoot every carnivore that feeds on them and makes them suffer.

What guesswork is involved knowing the exact trajectory of my arrow, and using simple math to create a high percentage shot, without extra clutter to distract me?

In what way is “bracketing” not guesswork? In what way is a pin that is a pin’s width away from another pin useful in a hunting scenario?

I encourage you to drop your reasoning in the thread I just posted on how to set up with one pin. I’m curious of why you think it’s unethical, and guesswork, framing it with your methods and logic.
 
kyler1945 said:
Leave ethics out of it. It does not belong in a conversation where you have the ability to shoot deer with a gun, or shoot every carnivore that feeds on them and makes them suffer.

What guesswork is involved knowing the exact trajectory of my arrow, and using simple math to create a high percentage shot, without extra clutter to distract me?

In what way is “bracketing” not guesswork? In what way is a pin that is a pin’s width away from another pin useful in a hunting scenario?

I encourage you to drop your reasoning in the thread I just posted on how to set up with one pin. I’m curious of why you think it’s unethical, and guesswork, framing it with your methods and logic.
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You don’t “leave ethics out” of a hunting conversation, but I will respectfully bow out of this conversation.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
You don’t “leave ethics out” of a hunting conversation, but I will respectfully bow out of this conversation.
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You signaled your virtues by saying it’s unethical to shoot a single pin in hunting scenarios. Your doubling down now and then walking away seems odd. I would like to understand your reasoning behind you saying that? No need to bow out. We are all big boys and girls.

Share with us how knowing your arrow will hit within 3” of where you’re aiming, regardless of the circumstances, is less ‘ethical’ than guessing where it will hit based on a pin gap?
 
Man just set one pin if your gonna shoot those distances.It is not guess work with bows shooting the speeds that they produce today.Simplicity is the answer my brother.Spent many years in a pro shop as well as competing.It was always easy to pick out a real Killer’s bow.All you had to do was look at the setup.No Gimmicks or Extras.Live by this rule.KISS Keep It Simple Stupid.Your hunting will be more successful and your stress level will be much lower in dealing with your gear.
 
kyler1945 said:
You signaled your virtues by saying it’s unethical to shoot a single pin in hunting scenarios. Your doubling down now and then walking away seems odd. I would like to understand your reasoning behind you saying that? No need to bow out. We are all big boys and girls.

Share with us how knowing your arrow will hit within 3” of where you’re aiming, regardless of the circumstances, is less ‘ethical’ than guessing where it will hit based on a pin gap?
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I shared everything I need to. I’m good man. You’d probably do better understanding me if you read my post again, but that’s only because I’ve detailed what I feel is my contribution to the topic, as is the purpose of this site. I’m not here to tell you you’re wrong, just that I disagree, to which I have my reasons in my post. I wish y’all the best of luck regardless of which pins you sight in.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
Mmmmmm. While I highly respect the opinions, I will not take a shot basing it all off one fixed pin. “Unethical” and “guesswork” comes to mind. I have shot a 20, 30, 40, 50 setup and that’s what works best for me. I have not seen good results from my buddy who shoots 10, 20, 30 as he is constantly distracted by the top pin since there is virtually no arrow-flight difference between 10-20 yards with compound over 50-lb. draw. I have tried, with some success, a 15, 25, 35 setup as well, but I just didn’t like the false sense of range and vitals I was personally experiencing. I know that setup works well for many, though. The most I would do in terms of aiming high or low, or “guesswork” to use my term, is gap-shooting my 25 and 35 distances, centering vitals in the center of the gap and quickly making sure the 20/30 or 30/40 pins are still within the animal’s fur in my sight picture. Honestly I barely look at the sight once it’s settled, I am confident in my pins so once they’re settled on vitals I look past them to the target itself, and focus on my shot sequence while the pins are sort of fuzzily overlaying my target. That’s a long-winded way of saying: cut the 10-yard, and don’t start guessing your distances based off one fixed pin, cuz then you’ll start shooting arrows you have no business releasing at an animal. But then, some people need to wound a deer before they change what they think is okay, and I guess that’s okay for them, but not for me.
Click to expand...

If you picked up your bow for the first time to go hunting and didn't practice or have any experience with one pin and started flinging arrows at deer I guess you could use the terms " Unethical"and "guesswork". I'm glad 20,30,40,and 50 yd. pins work for you. I've been shooting one pin since I started bow hunting 30 years ago, and I'm here to tell you there's nothing unethical about the way I hunt, and there's no guesswork to it. It's called years and years of practice, and years and years of killing deer. You do what works for you, and be careful of the words you use when describing how others choose to do what works for them. Have you never wounded a deer with a bow? If you haven't then just wait. If you hunt with a bow long enough you will. I have wounded deer and it didn't have anything to do with how many pins I have on my sight. I know what my effective range is with a bow and just because I choose to shoot one pin doesn't mean I'll start lobbing arrows at deer out of my effective range. Frankly that generalization and the other negative terms you levied on one pin shooters is ignorant and inflammatory. But your good enough to gap shoot your 25 and 35 yard pins, good for you. I am passionate about my hunting, I have dedicated my life to the outdoors and the wildlife that inhabit it. I am a life long hunter, and I take seriously anyone who with out knowledge would generalize and call into question the ethical nature of how I choose to hunt.
 
I have been practicing with 1 pin set at 26 yards. So far , I like it. If I stick with it, I will aim for the bottom of the heart when they're close and top of the heart at 30. Someone else posted the thread a couple of weeks ago where i got the idea.
 
Kurt said:
If you picked up your bow for the first time to go hunting and didn't practice or have any experience with one pin and started flinging arrows at deer I guess you could use the terms " Unethical"and "guesswork". I'm glad 20,30,40,and 50 yd. pins work for you. I've been shooting one pin since I started bow hunting 30 years ago, and I'm here to tell you there's nothing unethical about the way I hunt, and there's no guesswork to it. It's called years and years of practice, and years and years of killing deer. You do what works for you, and be careful of the words you use when describing how others choose to do what works for them. Have you never wounded a deer with a bow? If you haven't then just wait. If you hunt with a bow long enough you will. I have wounded deer and it didn't have anything to do with how many pins I have on my sight. I know what my effective range is with a bow and just because I choose to shoot one pin doesn't mean I'll start lobbing arrows at deer out of my effective range. Frankly that generalization and the other negative terms you levied on one pin shooters is ignorant and inflammatory. But your good enough to gap shoot your 25 and 35 yard pins, good for you. I am passionate about my hunting, I have dedicated my life to the outdoors and the wildlife that inhabit it. I am a life long hunter, and I take seriously anyone who with out knowledge would generalize and call into question the ethical nature of how I choose to hunt.
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So, fellas, I have to apologize that my post was taken incorrectly, but I also have to tell you that I did not, after reading my post several times, say anything about anyone that I felt was inflammatory other than the fact that I based all of my remarks off of my own experiences. I’m not here to argue with anyone as this is supposed to be a resource for hunters as well as a sounding board for honest opinions. Mine, as they pertain to sights, don’t seem to gel with yours. That’s fine; I’ll no longer allow @Bach55 to get his inquiry jacked by “inflammatory” remarks, mine or otherwise.
Seriously, I think it’s okay to disagree, and even to do so with a certain level of emotion as both I and others here have done. I’m sorry you didn’t agree with my disagreement, and that you feel I pooped in your cereal a bit. I have felt the nausea of wounding an animal, and that’s the only root to my many-stemmed original post.
I really do love this site and the respect the opinions, no BS. I also don’t have to agree as you do not with me in this case. I called nobody into question except for myself, stating that it is not a practice that I personally, solely, feel is ethical to do for my own shooting, based on what I have seen and done as well as the other hunters I have known. Sorry to hear it was taken so personally in return, although perhaps I should have expected as much.
I have seen much more divisive language on this site than what I originally wrote, handled much better and much worse than it is here. and I must now ask you to please move on for the sake of @Bach55 first post. The guy asked for opinions; I gave one like everyone else.
I hope you can now offer yours to him and allow me to exit the conversation.
I hope you all go into the woods with your best version of yourself this Fall and whatever you put on your bow, shoot your best as well. I’m not here to judge you, just to make judgements of and for my own methods.
Best vibes for a good thread and a better season.
 
Bach55 said:
After some disappointing hunts the last two years, I have recommitted myself to practicing my shooting as much as possible. As I shoot more and work towards tighter groups, I’ve noticed my pins at the lower distances creeping together. I hunt in the Midwest; typically in thick woods. Most of my shot opportunities are 10-20 yards realistically. Due to this, I’ve traditionally had 10-20-30 yard pins. I’m not comfortable over 30, and I don’t practice out past that due to the opportunities I get.

Here’s my question - does anyone shoot one pin for 10-20 yards? Who has separate 10 and 20 yard pins? If you do have two pins, are they darn near touching each other?? Curious to hear about setups for people who hunt in similar conditions.
Click to expand...

My apologies for not responding to your original post in the first place. I also hunt under similar situations as you. I hunt thicker areas, and have never taken a shot longer than 25yds. I use a one pin movable sight because I like to practice at longer ranges. I think with my bows trajectory a 10yd pin isn't necessary. For hunting I set my pin for 20yds and that covers me for all shooting opportunities within my effective range.
 
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