Fixed Pin or Moveable, 1st Time Elk Hunter

[Catahoula]

Fixed 5 is my set up, however, it’s personal for anyones shot routine.

 

[mtluckydan]

According to Primos you only need one pin...the top pin. I have only hunted with a moveable single pin as most shots are 35 or under and you can cover that with one pin anyway. If you have time to shoot further you have time to range and move the pin. I have never had to move my pin and haven't any issues with shooting elk. If you set up properly they will be plenty close. Good luck.

 

[TX_hunter]

I've been using a 3 pin hogg father. Added a 3rd pointer so I can dial any pin to any yardage. When hunting Ieave the top pin on 25, and end up with the pins 25/37/46. Been pretty happy with that setup. Tried 5 pins but hated the cluttered sight picture. Just got a new bow and went with the fast eddie double pin on that setup to save some weight. I like it so far but need to shoot it some more to decide if I'm going to prefer that over the 3 pin.

 

[Stache Attack]

Multi pin, 3-5 on a mover. I’ve seen too many single and double pin mover guys who have missed opportunities because they couldn’t move the sight.

There are some guys who can shoot 20-50 with a single pin because they know their drop and their setup is good for it. That takes a lot of time and trust in equipment to know though.

 

[Sizthediz]

No elk hunting experience but i did my first out of state hunt this year and realized that although my single pin slider is great for hunting florida swamps (no long shots) I would be in a bind trying to range and adjust my slider for anything past 33. I realized in that if a deer walked in and suprises me I would not be prepared. I came home did some research and bought an option archery 6, a little steep, but Best of both worlds and well built . They both have their pros and cons.

 

[bozeman]

So to answer the OP, it doesn't appear anyone has had first hand experience of missing an elk based a fixed or moving sight........or maybe my reading comprehension is off.

I tried a single pin moving sight last year, will not use it again....too much to think about. I will be trying a 3 pin moveable, but only have to move in dire circumstances (in my mind).

 

[Marble]

I've read here on rokslide several times of guys missing an animal because they were using the single/double slider.

I've also seen it on YouTube a few times.

So I wouldn't choose anything less than a 3 pin for Elk .

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Scoot]

No right answer as to what is best. But... Shoot what you're comfortable with. If you make a switch to a slider, do it with LOTS of time available to get totally comfortable with it.

 

[WCB]

Thanks for all of the quick responses everyone.

I’ve hunted with a two pin Fast Eddie XL and/or an HHA tetra the past several years and have settled on the two pin as my “go-to” so far so I think I’ll stick with that since mine is 20/36 and I can gap anything in between and out to 40 comfortably. Hopefully anything over 40 won’t be a quick shot and one I could range and adjust.

Thanks again.

multi pin moveable...I sight my top pin dead on at like 27 yards...technically my pins are 30, 40, 50. I see no need to sight in at 20 yards and I am not shooting a fast bow at all with my sweat 26.5 draw length.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

spot hogg triple stack is the perfect sight in my opinion. I switched back and forth from single pins to fixed pin and settled on the triple stack last year and absolutely love it. To me it's the best of both worlds, no sight clutter but also have 3 different yardage references with the ability to dial to exact yardages if needed.
To each their own !

 

[npro04]

I run a fast Eddie double pin. If I set my top pin at 30 it puts my second around 52 and I can pin gap for 40. It’s all personal preference but I think a 3 or 4 pin slider would be the best compromise. Give you 20-30-40 or 30-40-50 and then let the bottom pin be the slider if you have to stretch it out for a follow up shot.

 

[ATL]

I did not read every comment, so I apologize if this has already been recommended.

I have found the "Trick-Pin System" to work very well for Elk hunting. I use it with a fixed 3-pin (20, 35, 50 yards), using the 50 yard pin as my trick-pin. It would work with a single pin as well. At 270fps it allows point blank to 42 yards no ranging required.

The "Trick-Pin" System

The Trick-Pin System – Quit Your Range-Finder Habit Darin Cooper – Rokslide Senior Editor This may be the coolest damn thing you never knew about your bow! We have all heard somebody say something ridiculous like, “This new bow is so fast you probably only need one pin out to 50 yards!” And to...

www.rokslide.com

 

[Firestone]

I use an option archery sight and as mentioned above it's kind of the best of both worlds. I have used it plenty on animals but have yet to dial, it's nice to have the option if I ever need to though.

 

[svivian]

3 pin fast Eddie XL set at 30,40,50. Anything over 50 either I’m not shooting or I have time to range and adjust.

 

[commandoNate]

I use a 5 pin slider, the spot hogg fast eddie and I love it. I don't understand having just a single pin. In my experience an elk standing still long enough to let you range, dial, draw and shoot is the exception more than the rule.

 

[kbone]

I roll with a 5 pin slider. Pins 1-5 cover yardage from 20-60. That fifth pin is the slider and covers any yardage over 60, where you usually have time to make adjustments.

It's a Black-Gold sight and it hasnt done me wrong.

 

[Southforkguy]

Multi pin moveable is the best of both worlds. I think it's mostly personal preference. Taking myself as an example I can't use a multi-pin sight, I constantly forget which is which when under stress, so for me a moveable single/double pin is the best.

Dude totally agree. I went to a single pin slider. I set it and hammer. Best thing I ever did. I can't guess yardage for shit, always over shoot. No way in hell am I using a 5 pin fixed and remembering what's what in the moment.

 

[AaronMColeman]

5 pin fixed is what I used in the past: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60. I think that is fine, but I don't like the clutter and thinking about which pin is which.

2 fixed with a slider is ideal for me: 25, 40, slider (or 20, 30, slider set at 40 most of the time). To me this allows me to be fixed under 20 and slide up to 80+ for practice and 3D. So a 3 pin with slider is the best compromise I've found.

What I use more than anything is measuring fixed distances when I set up. I'll pick a few spots and measure the distance, then pick the furthest spot I think the animal may move through and set my slider there. Nothing is ideal, it's sight clutter versus speed...I like a 3 pin with slider because it is a nice compromise of those two things.

 

[Holocene]

5-pin fixed for your first elk hunt if you can shoot 7-8" groups at 60 yards any day of the week. If you are still working to that level of accuracy, shoot a 3-pin fixed, prepare to shoot elk 40 and in but know your 40, 45, 50 yard drops off that 40 pin. A 3-pin slider could be nice for starting to practice at distance as you prepare.

I started with a 3-pin fixed since I'd moved west to Oregon from the whitetail woods of South Carolina.

Graduated to a 2-pin Fast Eddie, which was awesome for recreational shooting but looking back an annoyance in the elk woods. I killed bulls, but lost a few shot opportunities along the way in those crucial seconds it takes to look down and adjust the sight.

I shoot a 5-pin slider now so that I can shoot at distance during training. But for pure elk hunting, I'd be happy with a 5-pin fixed or even a 3-pin fixed.

Why not a 4-pin? Well, the symmetry of a 3- or 5-pin sight is comforting in those heated moments a bull is in your life. My pins are all configured GGRGG or GRG with .019" pins at the top and .010" pins at the bottom. Those smaller pins at the bottom will be optimal for shooting the 50-60 yard range. The centered red pin gives me a reference -- and it's also my "too dark to shoot" indicator. Once I can't see the red pin, I know to shut it down -- even if I can still sorta see the green pins. Through a lot of dusk shooting, I realize that accuracy plummets once that red pin goes out.

Best thing to do is experiment and see what fits for you. Some people have a higher tolerance for "busy sight pictures" than other people. I like simple, strong, and logical.

The new Axcel Landslyde has removable, indexable scopes -- you could try a 3-pin one and a 5-pin one and see what you like?

Good luck on the first elk hunt!

 

[Holocene]

One more thought...

Again, everyone has different mental systems for remembering stuff.

To me, I read the trick pin article a while back and even thought about setting my bow to "max point blank range of elk" which would be around 27 yards for example.

But my mind wants to think in 10-yard increments -- maybe that's from playing football all the way through college, quarterback for some of the early years. Or maybe it's because archery ranges are set up in 10-yard increments? I don't know.

And, sometimes a shot does not develop like you plan. The bull could sneak around and be at 48 when you thought he'd come in to 20. What do you do then with a single pin? Or a trick pin? I don't want to estimate holds past 30-40 yards. Arrow is starting to drop quite a bit at that distance.