Fixed Pin or Moveable, 1st Time Elk Hunter

[Hindsight2020]

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).

A couple years ago I was visiting with a friend who had a bad experience with a single pin.
Nice bull came out of a water hole. Buddy ranged it at 20 yards. The Hunter drew his bow, the bull spooked and ran a short distance and stopped broadside.
Buddy ranges it, 50 yards. The Hunter had to release his draw, adjusts his sight and draws again, by this time he lost his opportunity and the bull ran off. With a multiple fixed pin sight the Hunter could have stayed drawn and as soon as the bull stopped and his buddy ranged it, he could have let the arrow fly. I know it’s just one case of a bad experience but it definitely sold me on staying with my fixed pin sight.


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[Steven Hendrickson]

I recommend either fixed pins (5, 6, or7 pin) or a hybrid (fixed/ moveable) set up with no less than 3 pins.


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[406RoadToad]

If it’s your first time bow hunting I’d say stick with a fixed. With you being a bow hunter I’d say a 3 pin movable would be just fine if you were leaning towards a movable.

One thing to keep in mind is terrain. I am a DIY guy and do my own calling so I’m not even going to bother hunting spots where visibility is 60 yards. An elk can always see farther than I can shoot an arrow so I need him in bow range before he can see me. Because of this I am rarely if ever over 40 yards per shot so a setup with pins all over just doesn’t fit my hunting style.

Could be different if I had a caller or was in more open country. Goodluck!

 

[Grizzly83]

I use a 5 pin MBG slider. I like not having to think out to 60 yards, and I can shoot a holdover with my 60pin and hit a 6” target at 70 yards by holding the pin right at the top of a bulls back. I can also use the pin spacing as a “range finder” IE - if the elk perfectly fills my pins from top of back to bottom of belly, he is exactly 40 yards…. And if he’s beyond 40, I know I need to range. If he’s inside 40, my pins running from 20-40 typically encompass the vital area and I don’t have to pull the range finder out.

 

[Southforkguy]

A couple years ago I was visiting with a friend who had a bad experience with a single pin.
Nice bull came out of a water hole. Buddy ranged it at 20 yards. The Hunter drew his bow, the bull spooked and ran a short distance and stopped broadside.
Buddy ranges it, 50 yards. The Hunter had to release his draw, adjusts his sight and draws again, by this time he lost his opportunity and the bull ran off. With a multiple fixed pin sight the Hunter could have stayed drawn and as soon as the bull stopped and his buddy ranged it, he could have let the arrow fly. I know it’s just one case of a bad experience but it definitely sold me on staying with my fixed pin sight.


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Heres the thing with a fixed pin and new bows that shoot flatter than Nebraska.. you have to learn how to hold over/under for most of your shots between 20 and 40 yards. For example. I shoot a 25-35 yard range on most of my whitetail stands. I set the pin at 35 if it's less I hold low, probably only 2 inches at 25.. but if the buck stops out at 49 like my last one did I had time to range and adjust

 

[MallardSX2]

Fixed

 

[wweaver]

Hybrid all day long !! I use an HHA four pin with a dial. 20/30/40/50. Dial after that using the top pin. With elk ( especially during the rut) the distances are always changing you need to be able adjust while at full draw after you range.

 

[Tony2000]

So I decided this year to play around with a moveable sight (spot Hogg fast Eddie xl double pin). My other sight is the hoggit 7 pin. I really like the sight picture with a single up pin which is way less clutter. The downfall to that is having to move the sight and on an animal that may me moving towards or away making those range adjustments on the fly is a nightmare in my head with the moveable fast Eddie. I really think the best thing for me is to get the 5 pin housing for the fast Eddie which will give me pins 20,30,40,50,and 60. I don’t foresee a shot on an elk over 60 but deer and goats it is possible. If needed I would then go to the dial on the fast Eddie and use my bottom pin as a moveable reference. My thought is that any target past 60 should be completely relaxed which gives me time to range and adjust. Just my .02

You literally took the words out of my mouth as far as my personal experience goes I have always shot a fixed pin sight until this year when I switched to the five pin slider I have several friends who shoot single or double pin sliders and had the problem you mentioned of the animal moving and they forgot in the heat of the moment to readjust there sight

 

[Fullfan]

Fixed all the way. Called this bull to my son last Sept. Son was hunting w a single pin slider. Bull was on a course that would have offered a perfect shot at 33-35 yds. Bull turned and came to 9 yds befor offering a shot. Son did not shoot before bull spooked. Son cow called and bull shopped at 53ish. He had to move his pin for the 53 yds shot. Bull did not stick around. He had his pin set at 34 and never got a shot.

 

[IdahoHntr]

You probably have enough answers by now, but for yet another point of reference, my last three archery bulls have all been shot at a different distance than they were when I drew my bow. They went from 10 to 35, 40 to 55, and 45 to 38. I might have killed one or two of those bulls with a single or double pin, but I feel fairly confident that I wouldn’t have killed all 3 if I didn’t have at least 3 pins.

Current setup is 3 pin adjustable at 30-40-50 and have yet to move it in the field. I practice from 10-60 without touching the sight and feel confident to those distances. I would personally never hit the elk woods with less than 3 pins. Elk are just constantly moving. If a person were to go with less than 3 pins I would definitely learn the trick pin system and consistently practice shooting distances you aren’t dialed for. You will lose opportunities if you have to let down and redial.

 

[rclouse79]

I have an ezv sight in the mail right now. I know this will probably draw some flak, as people either seem to love them or HATE them. My opinion isn't worth much at this point because I have not yet tried it. Below are a few reasons I am going to give it a try over my single pin.

1. A number of years ago I had the battery in my range finder die on a multi-day hunt. It made me realize how dependent I had become on it, and how little confidence I had in accurately judging distance after using it as a crutch for so many years.
2. When I had an elk coming in I was constantly ranging things and trying to set my pin to the average position I expected to shoot. It added stress and lowered my confidence.
3. Last year I had an elk broadside long enough for me to look at it, range it, adjust my dial, come to full draw, and get the stationary elk centered in my sight before it bolted. I feel like if I had been able to draw right away I would have had a shot opportunity. I had a similar experience with a big mule deer and a bear later in the season.

I came to the realization that had practiced to become an expert at killing dots in my backyard at known yardage, but could use a lot of improvement as a hunter. The ability to stack arrows into a dot has NOT translated into making me a better hunter in a lot of hunting scenarios. Please note I am only talking about myself, as I know a lot of guys are very proficient using pins. When guys talk about preferring a multi-pin sight in case the animal moves, they are still judging distance with their brain only. Some are good at this, I am not. I watched a youtube video of probably the most famous elk hunter botch a shot because the animal moved from the time he initially ranged it. This elk was within 35 yards.
I realize this sight will be a learning curve, and I am prepared to put some work into trying to master it. Some of what I have seen online gives me hope that great results are achievable. The thought of being able to draw on an elk at a reasonable range without feeling like I am tied to my rangefinder and being able to make adjustments while at full draw has me very excited. The sight seems like shooting instinctively with training wheels. I need training wheels for sure.

 

[AaronMColeman]

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.

I like the max point blank setup too. I think 20-25 works on most hunting set ups. So I set mine (now, I've had several different itterations) 25, 35, and the floater at 45. that gives me most of my elk hunting ranges, and allows for potential shots further than that. In rifle shooting we talk a lot about max point blank and that is a big deal in hunting, why not take the same idea for archery.

 

[Deepwoods]

I have never personally elk hunted (man i hope to soon!) but on whitetail and other game I have never had an issue with a single pin spott hogg. I put a white mark on the blade below the illuminated dot for 30 yards. I can now set my sight for 20 and be ready at any moment for 30. This works pretty well for 30-40 as well. I like to setup in areas and range prior to a shot opportunity, even if it's a quick check. As one that usually solo hunts, I would have to come off draw if an animal proceeded outside of my known range area. Sometimes the shot is not meant to be, you can plan ahead but being prepared for ANY possible scenario is difficult in the heat of the moment. I may take some flak for that but it's true. I have passed on plenty of game that moved beyond my range and I did not feel comfortable shooting. All part of the chase. Having said all of that, use what you are most comfortable with and what you are accustomed to using.

 

[mavinwa2]

whichever sight you choose, fixed, single pin or slider, PRACTICE & DEVELOPE THE DISCIPLINE!
Know where your pin placement shoots at specific yardages, to your tuned bow & hunting arrow set up.

I love my HoggFather sight for 12 years now. Added a double pin housing 3 years ago.
In hunting situations, my 1st pin is dialed in at 35-yards. My 2nd pin hits @50yards on that setting.
Any game under 35 yards, I make adjustments with lower aiming points. Based on practice at the range, and field practice up & downhill shot scenarios. And shoot on windy days too.

Rarely do I adjust sight wheel when elk hunting. Mule & Coues deer is another story.
With a bit smaller vital area, will adjust sight wheel on those longer shots. My max limit being 80 yards in ideal conditions, 60 yards day-in-day out.
Buck in my avatar, taken at 67 yards in 2020. No wind, hour b4 dusk, slightly downhill. Dialed in sight and shot placement was heart shot. Buck sprinted 80 yards out into open field, collapsed in a heap within eyesight.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6RCLnTyEgP5ek42WUVgs5g
see video: ARIZONA OVER THE COUNTER ARCHERY MULE DEER BUCK

My HoggFather sight has transitioned to 3 different bows. If I ever purchased a new sight, it would be SpottHogg Fast Eddie XL. The Fast Eddie, lighter weight version, wasn't available when I purchased the HoggFather.

 

[Nicklesgv]

I'm a noob but here's a handy trick from my father, 5 pin fixed 20, 30, 40, 50 60.

"If all 5 pins fit on fur, put the top 3 on vitals, if they don't put the bottom three on."

Worked on my first elk, snuck in on us after some cow calls and I didn't have time to range but obviously a very rough estimate.

 

[FireNelk]

I shot a fixed 5 for a very long time. Switched to a 3 pin slider a few years ago and will never go back to a fixed. Its the best of both worlds.

 

[Dennis]

EZV Sight is working well for me. A simple and quick for a hunting sight that allows some quick rangefinding.

 

[Pocoloco]

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.

That is exactly why I switched to single pin.

 

[Pocoloco]

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.

Takes about 1 second to dial… now if bull moves and you are at draw requires a third hand or Kentucky windage.

 

[Pocoloco]

A couple years ago I was visiting with a friend who had a bad experience with a single pin.
Nice bull came out of a water hole. Buddy ranged it at 20 yards. The Hunter drew his bow, the bull spooked and ran a short distance and stopped broadside.
Buddy ranges it, 50 yards. The Hunter had to release his draw, adjusts his sight and draws again, by this time he lost his opportunity and the bull ran off. With a multiple fixed pin sight the Hunter could have stayed drawn and as soon as the bull stopped and his buddy ranged it, he could have let the arrow fly. I know it’s just one case of a bad experience but it definitely sold me on staying with my fixed pin sight.


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That is definitely the downside of a single pin. Switching from hha this year to landslyde single pin with two yardage ticks on tap you can see while at draw. Will set top of bubble or add nail polish for second “pin” that is whenever I actually get the sight I ordered as no one has inventory