3D Hunting

jmez

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Deer hunting is different IMO. I rarely have a WT just show up out or nowhere and need to make a quick shot. Most of the time they are traveling on a known trail coming from a known direction and you have plenty of time to get ready for the shot. Hunting elk much more common to have a quick shot scenario.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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True...but if you practice its right on. Thats the way EVERYONE shot those long targets decades ago- stacking.

No doubt a slider is a more accurate system at the long ranges. i have buddies that like to shoot 120yds...and its the only way to go for stuff like that.

Ya, the gap just widens and widens the further out you try to gap. I've shot 130 gapping pins using my 80 yard pin, and I can tell you that the 80 pin is well above where even my 20 pin was with the 80 on target in order to get it right. So basically........not even gapping at that point. It's just a swag holdover without the target even visible in the sight ring. But that's an extreme example.

The point was.......you have to test it out, because putting your 60 where your 40 was to shoot 80........is going to hit low. How low is dependent on the weight and speed of your arrows.
 

MattB

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Multi-pins are generally lighter, less expensive, and more idiot-proof - and a 7 pin model will cover far more distance than I will use in the field. This is one instance where I have come to the conclusion that more is not better.
 

Sodbuster

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Where I hunt, Whitetail trails are just general travel routes. I watch the trails but expect to see deer from any direction.
Hunting along crop fields does not necessarily mean a 15 yard shot.Bucks may circle by at any distance and sometime you see them coming and sometimes action is quick.A shot across a soybean or corn field can be 800 yards.
Started out with a multi pin and then got lucky. In the mid 80's I stumbled across a Sight Master single pin slider.These were, I believe, one of the first "dial a distance" sights. Moved on to HHA then to Spot Hogg Tommy Hogg three pin.30,40,50 with the 50 as the floater. Three different colors for the pins and size .019 for the top two and .010 for the distance pin.
From reading the other posts, it look like I am in pretty good shape for Elk hunting too.
 

Beendare

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It seems to me this is something many guys don't want to admit; shooting very long shots at animals....there is an advantage to the slider over fixed pins.

There is also an advantage at tweener distances....... if you want say 12 ring accuracy on say a 3D range. For example, on a 47 yd shot, instead of gapping your pin you can set that distance with the slider.

Personally, I don't shoot the long stuff [anymore!] and I'm not that picky about a couple points on the 3d range, so I shoot fixed pins. I've seen too many hunting situations that are fluid.....elk coming to the call for example....where I don't want to be dicking with my sight but instead keep my full concentration on the animal and just gap pins.

Many times I've been at full draw on a bull elk coming in and been counting down the yardage until he is clear for a good shot...in those cases you have would have to gap off of your single slider pin anyway. For me, it comes under KISS principle....but for some bowhunters I see the advantage.
 
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It seems to me this is something many guys don't want to admit; shooting very long shots at animals....there is an advantage to the slider over fixed pins.

There is also an advantage at tweener distances....... if you want say 12 ring accuracy on say a 3D range. For example, on a 47 yd shot, instead of gapping your pin you can set that distance with the slider.

Personally, I don't shoot the long stuff [anymore!] and I'm not that picky about a couple points on the 3d range, so I shoot fixed pins. I've seen too many hunting situations that are fluid.....elk coming to the call for example....where I don't want to be dicking with my sight but instead keep my full concentration on the animal and just gap pins.

Many times I've been at full draw on a bull elk coming in and been counting down the yardage until he is clear for a good shot...in those cases you have would have to gap off of your single slider pin anyway. For me, it comes under KISS principle....but for some bowhunters I see the advantage.

Been, I use a 5 pin slider that never moves during hunting season. I got it purely for long range practicing and agree completely with your assessment of guys dicking with their sights.

I have used it one time on a follow up shot on a deer at 82. I was very thankful to have the extra yardage available as the first hit was not a good one. I've had a tommy Hogg for 10+ years now I want to say, and that's the only time hunting I've ever touched it.

Now I probably could have held over but I was very confident in my ability to make that shot, which that slider afforded me because it allowed me to make that length of a shot hundreds of times. Every body misses and makes bad shots, but the ability of extending my range for follow up shots is where sliders values lie to me.

On the same note, I've actually witnessed guys air mail a deer by 20 ft because they were messing with their sight and didn't set it back to zero properly.


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307

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On the same note, I've actually witnessed guys air mail a deer by 20 ft because they were messing with their sight and didn't set it back to zero properly.

I've done that with a fixed pin sight! It was at that moment I realized that I was really bad at estimating distances in the dark timber. Played a lot of "how far is that tree" with my rangefinder after that. I'm less bad at it now.
 

Beendare

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Been, I use a 5 pin slider that never moves during hunting season. I got it purely for long range practicing and agree completely with your assessment of guys dicking with their sights.

I have used it one time on a follow up shot on a deer at 82. I was very thankful to have the extra yardage available as the first hit was not a good one. I've had a tommy Hogg for 10+ years now I want to say, and that's the only time hunting I've ever touched it.

Now I probably could have held over but I was very confident in my ability to make that shot, which that slider afforded me because it allowed me to make that length of a shot hundreds of times. Every body misses and makes bad shots, but the ability of extending my range for follow up shots is where sliders values lie to me.

On the same note, I've actually witnessed guys air mail a deer by 20 ft because they were messing with their sight and didn't set it back to zero

Yeah, long range= advantage slider.

I had to shoot a followup on a mulie buck i shot in Nev, pinwheeled him at 92 yds stacking pins- i had been practicing- grin.

To the airmailing with a slider... that can happen with pins too.... who HASNT mispinned a target.... nobody i know. I do think eff ups are probably more likely with a slider in a pressure situation as it can get bumped.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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It seems to me this is something many guys don't want to admit; shooting very long shots at animals....there is an advantage to the slider over fixed pins.

For any known distance a single pin slider would be the best option if that was the only consideration. But quite frankly, all I need is a good yardage and I'm good with fixed pins. My problem is I don't always estimate well. There have been many times I'm within a yard, even out to 60........but there have been some real mess-ups as well, like 10-15 yard miss-guesses. Doesn't matter what kind of sight is on the bow then. For whatever reason.......I'm either pretty darn close, or not even close. Not much in between for me on estimating. I think the trees, the slopes, and the valleys really throw me at times. But sometimes it doesn't. That's why I always hike with my RF........always practicing.
 

Sodbuster

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How much travel do you have in your slider for the 800 yard shot?

:) I have to spin the dial many,many times..

The old Sight Master had a cool option.A threaded metal rod screwed into the bottom of the sight housing and it had a ring on the bottom of it.
I modified (bent) the rod enough that with the tip of my index finger, I could change the yardage while at full draw.I liked the way it worked.
 

jmez

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I do the same as tipsntails. I don't move mine once the season starts. Beyond 60 is for practice only. I don't shoot long range during the season as I'm hunting more than just out shooting the bow. Also learned a lesson the hard way.

First year I had a slider I missed a big whitetail broadside at 20 yards because I didn't put the sight back to the home setting. Didn't see where the arrow even went and couldn't for the life of me figure out how I had missed that shot. Got home and shot my bow at 30 yards, arrow sailed way off into the wild blue. Started checking over the bow trying to figure it out, shot another one, same thing. Finally looked and had the sight dialed for 110 yards. That won't happen again.
 

Sodbuster

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jmez
I do the same as tipsntails. I don't move mine once the season starts. Beyond 60 is for practice only. I don't shoot long range during the season as I'm hunting more than just out shooting the bow. Also learned a lesson the hard way.

First year I had a slider I missed a big whitetail broadside at 20 yards because I didn't put the sight back to the home setting. Didn't see where the arrow even went and couldn't for the life of me figure out how I had missed that shot. Got home and shot my bow at 30 yards, arrow sailed way off into the wild blue. Started checking over the bow trying to figure it out, shot another one, same thing. Finally looked and had the sight dialed for 110 yards. That won't happen again.

That has happened to more than one. Why I like the three pin slider.If the animal is over 50 yards I have plenty of time to set up for the shot.
 

Brendan

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Haven't jumped in on this thread yet, but here's what I'm doing.

I use the Spot Hogg Hogg Father for my bows. Currently I'm using their "Double Pin" scope and leave it set at 30 yards for the primary pin and ~47 for the second pin. So far this is what I'm most comfortable with, and can dial or hold over as needed. Inside 50 yards - I don't need to make any adjustments for a target the size of an Elk, but dialing will allow me to be more accurate if I have time.

But, I bought a full second sight complete with the dovetail that has a custom 5 pin slider. I can pull off the double pin dovetail and put on the 5 pin in a matter of seconds. So, I'm going to do a bunch of testing with each and trying to replicate hunting scenarios best I can through the summer.

As of now - I'm most comfortable with the double pin, but if I'm shooting equally as well with both by the beginning of August, I'll probably switch to the 5 pin because it will be more accurate if I'm not dialing for exact range. Then again - I've picked the wrong pin before and shot under targets when I've shot quickly... Goes both ways.
 
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