Sight pin in low

[Jbiehn]

Was listening to the recent Wired to Hunt podcast with Mark Dury. Great info in that episode on recovering deer. But anyways, Mark mentioned sighting in his pins low to combat when deers drop down. His 20yd pin hits an inch or two low and 30 hits 3-4” low.

My pins are set true but this is interesting and something I may consider.

What are your .02?

Cheers,

John

 

[EricS]

Mark has killed a lot more deer with a bow than I have. That said deer don’t always react to the shot especially if they are relaxed and not spooked. I say know where it’s going to hit and aim for the top of the heart. If the deer reacts enough to miss the vitals it just wasn’t meant to be.

 

[Kurt]

Considering deer don't always duck, I would think being sighted to zero would be best. If the situation dictates the deer may jump then aim accordingly. If a deer is feeding easily then the possibility of them jumping appreciably is less than if a deer is coming in all ramped up to a call., or on high alert for some other reason. If he's sighted in 3-4 inches low at 30 and the deer don't jump? My 2 cents.

 

[Jbiehn]

I just listened again. He sights 20 2.5” low, 30 3” low and 40 4” low. Said if it’s calm or the deer is on edge, he will aim low too. Especially for deer out beyond 22 yards.

It’s interesting but I think I’m staying zeroed in.

 

[kbetts]

I feel like too many bow hunters shoot for center of mass. If they duck, yes you are going to be high. If, however, you bury the pin low as you should, I think you will end up in the boiler room.

 

[Jbiehn]

Totally depends on how steep the shot angle is too, right? If I’m 20’ up and the deer is 10 yds out I’m going to aim higher to double lung

 

[Kurt]

Totally depends on how steep the shot angle is too, right? If I’m 20’ up and the deer is 10 yds out I’m going to aim higher to double lung

That's right.

 

[kbetts]

Shouldn’t you be shooting lower? Arrow impact will be higher.

 

[Kurt]

You have to hit the animal higher in the body to catch both lungs. If your shooting a 20 yd pin you aim lower because at ten it'll hit high.

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[kbetts]

Twenty yard pin is high at 10......got it.

 

[Goldentriangle85]

I think it’s a good idea. It can sure be hard to rmr to aim low to compensate during that moment of truth. How many times do people shoot over the back/spine shoot a deer or hit no mans land vs shoot too low? I mean if Mark Drury says it works I say go for it. Anyone here think they know more than that man about killing big bucks? I sure don’t.

If your putting them down consistently now and have your methods figured out then leave it be. I agree that stopping them and putting them a bit more on edge may play a part in the likelihood of a jumped string but I don’t shoot at moving deer. Maybe i should. Maybe that’s what this all comes down to. Stop them and aim low or let em keep walking and let it eat. But then what happens when they just stop on their own and it’s calm conditions and they hear that string go off?


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[shwacker]

I prefer to stay dialed in and try to heart shoot them. If they drop you’re good, if they don’t, you’re good (as long as you had distance right)


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[DelaWhere_Arrow]

Sounds like it works for Mark Drury but not for me. I like the answer above and those before. Not just deer, but all animals are unpredictable. Why plan for an animal to follow your plan? That’s planning for disaster on the land most guys hunt. I have a lot of respect for the Drury crew but this is a strange bit of advice. Zeroing and hitting 9’s/10’s/11’s on the range builds confidence IMO, and I also aim for just above the heart if the animal is 10yds or further. There’s a lot of forgiveness on accuracy/reaction by the deer, and IF I should make a bad shot or have that deer jump, I’d rather miss low and potentially nick something vital than miss high and hit the spine. My 2¢.

 

[Gamover06]

Works for him BUT setting your sight like that can induce target panic also. If you want to play for the deer to drop put you pin low. I wouldn't want to think about my pin shooting low when shooting targets leading up to the season. Also thinking about what to do on a up hill shot or a down hill shot. I would rather hit behind my pin.

I like to aim for the heart it if he doesn't drop I don't have to worry and if he does drop I am hitting lungs.

 

[Jbiehn]

Good stuff everyone. Thanks for this discussion. I’m new to all of this and it’s really helpful.

Cheers

 

[Kurt]

I think it’s a good idea. It can sure be hard to rmr to aim low to compensate during that moment of truth. How many times do people shoot over the back/spine shoot a deer or hit no mans land vs shoot too low? I mean if Mark Drury says it works I say go for it. Anyone here think they know more than that man about killing big bucks? I sure don’t.

If your putting them down consistently now and have your methods figured out then leave it be. I agree that stopping them and putting them a bit more on edge may play a part in the likelihood of a jumped string but I don’t shoot at moving deer. Maybe i should. Maybe that’s what this all comes down to. Stop them and aim low or let em keep walking and let it eat. But then what happens when they just stop on their own and it’s calm conditions and they hear that string go off?


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For me it boils down to my effective range. It's my effective range not because I can't hit the target 30, 40, or even 50 yds out. It's my effective range because I've been hunting deer with a bow long enough to know that they are fast and they can jump, squat down more like it, but when they go down sometimes they turn, they twist in funky ways that makes my back hurt just thinking about it. I shoot em close. I don't want to try to figure out what that deer's going to do in the time it takes my arrow to fly 30, 40,50 yds. For me it's 25 and in. IMO it just takes most of the fiddle factor out of the equation. I sight in dead on at 20.