Bow hunters, I have a pin question.

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SoonerMedic

SoonerMedic

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I'm looking at buying a new sight for my bow and was wondering if anybody here uses a single pin sight setup? Are there any significant pros vs cons between the single and multi pin setups? I like the idea that I can dial it in to 5 yard increments if I choose to do so. Is it a pain in the butt to adjust on a spur of the moment shot? What brand do you use and would you change your brand for any reason?
 
Well, for hunting there is that have-to-adjust it thing. A 3 or 5 pin setup doesn't have that. I have seen guys with a single pin hit targets at long range (over 100 yards), but having to adjust it first. I have a 5 pin Micro IQ sight on my bow, I really like it; The only way I'd change is if I took up competition again, and then it would be IQ's target version. (Pro XT)
http://iqbowsights.com/sights/
 
I shoot a 3 pin set at 20, 30, and 40. Its pretty nice for hunting, requires no adjustments and isn't too cluttered, very easy to see. Most bows shoot flat enough that going to 5 yard increments would have the pins smashed together. I would consider going to a 5 pin so I can have a pin for longer shots when shooting targets, but would keep the 10 yard increments.
The single pin sights look great for the range, with their ability to dial in exact distances, but I wouldn't want to deal with one hunting. It's hard enough to judge range, draw without being seen, and make the shot in time without having to adjust the sight.
 
I also use a 3 pin... If you want to do single. the Hogg Father is likely the best option.
 
Only one guy i hunt with uses a single pin. He does ok with it but ive never actually seen him shoot so i dont know how he works it.

I shoot a 5 pin, cant remember what brand but a cheaper one. I havent had my compound out since last year, its a little rough on my target. Coming up to archery season again tho, probably time to take it out and see if I need to make it new strings.
 
I always used a 3 pin set-up, 20, 30 and 40 yards and it worked really good. The fewer moving parts the better. Now I use a recurve bow and shoot the gap method. I have been shooting a bow for so long that my onboard computer judges distance without me even thinking about distance. When I shoot I see the target and the tip of the arrow as I come to full draw and move the arrow up or down to adjust for distance. I sure enjoyed bowhunting more when I got rid of my compound bow and all those gadgets. I began to notice that every deer I took with a compound could have just as easily been taken with a recurve.
 
I am also in the 3 pin group (20-30-40). On the range I hold between 20 and 30 for 25yd shots. With my eyes, I don't even consider 40yd+ shots.
 
Single pin is definitely nice for peripheral awareness as well as more simplicity. I Hate counting pins after getting a yardage.

Trophy ridge makes a a single pin in the react line up. It goes out to 70y or something like that.
I use the react pro 7, so 7 pins, first zerod at 20 yards for my target bow. It would be a pain to hunt with, especially if there was a small window of time for the shot.
 
I shoot a 5 pin on my Matthews. 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. Don’t understand the reason for a single pin. You have to wait for the deer to stop to range him, adjust the pin, then draw and shoot. And pray he doesn’t move (much). It’s extra movement (and time) that shouldn’t be wasted. When the moment comes, I want to just range, draw and shoot. Eliminating extra steps just seems smart.

I had a friend last year get spooked by a big buck. He forgot to adjust his pin before he drew due to buck fever. Had to let his bow down down to adjust his pin. The buck busted him when he did. He sold it the next day and went back to a 5 pin.
 
I use a single pin on my Mathews Monster, and a vertical 5 pin on my Bowtech Destroyer. Both work. Single pin lets me see more, but not really much more compared to the vertical pin sight. I do get more range out of my sight, and can pinpoint every 5yrd increment I want.

I do practice hold overs for different ranges, since I don’t have any extra pins for reference. I compare it to dialing long range shots with a plex reticle against holding over with a milling reticle in a rifle. A guy can mess up on either, and there are advantages to both. My V5 goes 30, 40, 45, 50, and 55yrds for hunting season. My single pin is marked to 75yrds. Wouldn’t shoot a deer that far any more - have in the past - but I’m happy to send one after a rabbit or coyote that far.

Strokes for folks. I like both, so I own both.
 
I grew up shooting recurve bows. I played around with some old hand me down compounds, never hunted with those. I purchased an old Mathews UltraMax a few years ago. It came with a three pin sight on it. Through the archery shops recommendation I eventually replaced it the a single pin Impact Archery sight. I'm no great archer, but I have harvested four deer with that bow and that sight. All have been taken from 25-30ft in a tree stand. Shots have ranged from 5.5 yards to around 25 yards. Three lung shots and one spine shot, things happen, not happy about that one.
This sight isn't adjusted without hex keys. I have shot thousands of arrows with this set up at targets. Learned the hold over/under shooting targets from 10-45 yards. Sight is zeroed at 25 yards. I also practice from elevation, out to about 35 yards. My self imposed restriction is ~30 yards on a deer. Where I hunt that works. I range reference points with a rangefinder when I get in my tree.
The single pin may not work for everyone, I understand that people shoot much farther distances than I wish too. If your hunting is limited to shorter distances, you may like a single pin.
That's my limited experience using a single pin. As always, YMMV.
 
I've never shot one, but a couple companies make a hybrid sight with two fixed pins for 20 and 30 yards and a third pin that you dial for 40-100 yards. I know trophy ridge has offered one of their react sights in this setup, think it was the react trio. If I was in the market for a new bow sight, I'd look into them.
 
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