Afield: Which style of bow sight fits? Best to find out yourself

PILLAGER, MINN. — On a sunny afternoon late last week, Brent Beimert, owner of Beimert Outdoors, and I stood outside his shop and discussed the latest in archery equipment available to the bowhunter. Bows are shorter and faster, drop-away arrow rests are more reliable, and the price and dependability of trail cams are better than ever.

We also hashed over the pros and cons of single moveable-pin bow sights vs. multiple fixed-pin sights.

Archers who use multiple fixed-pin sights usually attach between three and five pins, with each pin representing a certain yardage. For instance, a bowhunter using a four-pin sight might set the top pin for a 20-yard zero, the second for 30 yards, and so on. This is accomplished through practice shooting at the various distances. When a target appears -- a deer for example -- at a distance the archer determines to be 30 yards, he or she simply settles the 30-yard pin on the deer where the arrow should strike. If the distance to the target is between pin settings, say 25 yards, the archer aligns the target between the 20- and 30-yard fixed pins.

Conversely, a moveable-single pin sight is adjusted before each shot. The moveable-pin sight uses a system of levers to smoothly slide the sight housing up and down. At the rear of the sight bracket is a graduated scale along which yardages are marked. Each mark represents a known yardage predetermined by practice shooting.

Using a moveable-pin sight, if your target appears at 30 yards, you simply slide a lever or turn a knob until the pointer is at the 30-yard mark, then aim and shoot. The archer can utilize as many yardage marks as he or she chooses.

Beimert showed me the latest models of moveable-pin sights, and with each one the pin could be adjusted for various distances easily and within seconds.

Some archers prefer a single pin sight that is affixed. Those bowhunters usually set the pin for what is called maximum point blank range. Maximum point blank range is the longest distance you can hold dead center in the kill zone and not be too high or too low for a hit in the vital area. If the target appears farther than point blank range, the archer adjusts by holding the single pin higher on the target.

Beimert also introduced me to the latest hybrid bow sights. The Optix XR and XR 2 from G5 Archery incorporate one or more fixed pins along with a moveable pin. The design is intriguing. I like the idea of one pin set for point blank range and a second moveable pin. "This will be my bow sight this fall," Beimert said of the Optix XR2.

So, what's a bowhunter to do?

"The trend around here is toward the single-pin sight," Beimert said. "Hunting whitetails in the woods usually involves ranges of 20 to 25 yards. Out west, it's different. Bowhunters often take shots out to 50 yards at antelope, elk and mule deer."

The advent of the small and portable laser rangefinger has boosted the popularity of moveable-pin sights. When an animal appears, a bowhunter uses the rangefinder to determine the distance and then dials in that figure on the bow sight. Of course, fixed-pin sight users can do the same, but without the capability of setting a sight pin, the "exact" yardage if the target distance falls between fixed pin settings.

Tony Peterson, formally an associate editor for a popular bowhunting magazine and now a freelance outdoor writer, recently switched to a single moveable-pin bow sight.

"I'm shooting better than I have ever shot before," Tony said. "I'm not immune to buck fever, and at the moment of truth I like the idea of less clutter with the single-pin sight. In the past I've used a seven-pin sight and I messed up a lot."

My two cents worth?

I like a fixed-pin sight. My sight utilizes four pins set in 10-yard increments from 20 to 50 yards. Admittedly though, I have not tried a single moveable-pin sight, and I'm not an expert archer. However, the idea of having to take my eyes off my target -- an edgy buck, for example -- while I adjust a single-pin sight doesn't make sense to me.

Ultimately, only testing and experience will determine which style bow sight works best for you.

According to Tony, "You have to try a single moveable-pin sight to appreciate them."

Bill Marchel, an outdoors columnist and photographer, lives near Brainerd.