With the rise of more accurate bowhunting gear, the popularization of long-range 3D tournaments, and social media hype about shooting far, the single pin sliding sight is trendy right now. But for most whitetail hunters, bowhunting is still a close-range game. If we take most of our shots at 30 yards and in, what’s the point of a fancy sliding sight anyway?
It turns out that there are some real pros and cons in the single pin vs multi pin bow sight debate. To make things more interesting, multi pin sights are now available as sliders as well, which blend speed and long-range precision. So whether you’re an aspiring long-range shooter or you’re a deer hunter who won’t shoot beyond 30 yards, it’s worth reevaluating which sight is best for you. Here’s a breakdown of each sight style.
Multi Pin Sight Basics
Photo by Alex Robi
Multi pin sights feel old school, and they’re the way that most of us learned how to aim with a compound bow. They utilize horizontal pins, each of which is set for a different yardage.
Multi Pin Pros
- Fast and simple aiming at all ranges
- Easy sight-in process
- Also available as “sliders”
Multi Pin Cons
- Less precise aiming (must learn to shoot gaps)
- More cluttered sight window
- Most aiming for close shots occurs at the top of the sight picture (not the middle)
Single Pin Sight Basics
Photo by Alex Robinson
Single pin sights typically have one vertical pin that is able to move up or down with the turn of a knob. You simply spin the knob to the correct yardage on your sight tape, then aim, and release.
Single Pin Pros
- Precise aiming at all ranges
- Clear, uncluttered sight picture
- Adjustable to extreme long ranges
Single Pin Cons
- Takes time to adjust before shooting
- Must remember to adjust during a hunting scenario
- More complicated sight-in process
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Multi Pin Sights for Deer Hunting
Like a lot of whitetail hunters, I hunt from a treestand and most of my shot opportunities come in the woods during the rut. A buck will march through my area, either chasing does or searching for them, and I might have seconds to field judge the deer and get to full draw.
Sometimes I’ll have time to hit the buck with my rangefinder, but more often I’ll have to estimate range based on objects around my stand that I’ve ranged previously. Many times I’ll go to full draw without knowing exactly where (or how far) my shot opportunity will end up being. But, the shots are usually all close ones — 40 yards and in.
For this type of hunting scenario, I prefer a multi pin sight. No matter where the buck goes after I come to full draw, I have pins to aim with, or at least reference. For example, if the buck ends up at 35 yards, I simply bracket his heart with my 30- and 40-yard pins. My top pin is dead on at 10 yards and 20 yards, and it hits about 3 inches low at 25 yards. This gives me wiggle room for error on range estimation. Plus, I’ve shot this way since I was a kid, so it comes naturally to me.
I instinctively know that my top pin is for 20 yards, second pin is 30, third is for 40, and so on. This deer season I’m shooting a Black Gold Pro Hunter, which has five pins on a slider (like a single pin). So at longer distances, for example 55 yards, I have the option of either shooting the gap or dialing. This sight style also allows me to practice at extra-long distances, whereas a fixed, five-pin sight would max out at 60 yards (assuming I set a pin for every 10 yards). These features make for a versatile sight.
But for hunting whitetails, I’ll realistically only be using the top three pins and never touching the knob to dial. This is just the way I want it. I do not want to be fumbling with one more thing — like the dial on my sight — when a rutting buck comes charging in.
Single Pin Sights for Deer Hunting
This summer, I mostly shot a CenterMass Dual Trac single pin sight from Bowtech. I have to admit that with a single pin and an uncluttered sight picture, it was easier to shoot more accurately at long ranges (50 yards and beyond).
Even at close ranges, it’s nice to have your pin in the middle of the sight window. With a five-pin sight the top pins sit at the top of the sight picture. For me, it was also just a little bit easier to see the single in lowlight conditions, which is critical for deer hunters.
Plus, many single pins offer a second aiming reference point on the single vertical post. For whitetail hunters, this means you could easily avoid having to dial at close and middle distances.
Executive gear editor Scott Einsmann will be shooting a single pin sight this year and he sighted in so that he won’t have to dial for any shot between 0 and 40 yards. Here’s how he does it:
“For my bow, when the main pin is at 20 yards, the secondary fiber on the post is on target at 35,” Einsmann says. “So that covers me for 99 percent of my whitetail shots. I just know how much to aim high or low for any given range. For example, at 25 yards I aim 2 inches high. At 30 yards I aim 4 inches high. At 35 yards I use my second dot. And to hit at 40 with my 35-yard pin, I aim 6 inches high. At any distance beyond that, I’ll dial.”
This method requires a bit more thinking during the moment of truth, but it’s not much different than shooting the gaps with a fixed-pin sight. The key is to practice with your sight-in method at a variety of ranges (like 22 yards, 34 yards, and 37 yards instead of the traditional 20, 30, and 40). Ideally you’ll do this on a 3D deer target. With enough practice the correct holdover for any given range will become second nature.
The only real downside to a single pin sliding sight these days is that it does take a little more time to sight in properly. You’ll see a lot of stories and videos talking about how you can simply set aimpoints for 20 and 60 yards, match your sight tape, and then be good to shoot at any range on the tape. But you also have to verify all yardages with your hunting arrow and broadhead (at long ranges some broadhead designs tend to drop more). With a multi-pin, you can simply move a pin lower. But with a single pin, you’ve got to find a new sight tape to match your hunting arrow’s long-range trajectory.
Final Thoughts on Single Pin vs Multi Pin Sights for Deer Hunting
Single pin sights make perfect sense for Western hunting where the shot distances are farther, but there’s also time to range and dial. I will admit that the clear sight picture with a pin always in the middle of the sight housing also inspires confidence while holding on target.
For the close quarters of the deer woods, however, the old-school three-pin fixed sight works just as well as ever. If that’s how you grew up shooting, know that you’re not missing out in the world of fancy single-pin sliders. And if you want the best of both worlds, a three pin slider is the way to go.
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Remember that our job as bowhunters is to hit the 8-inch vitals of a deer under field conditions. You do not need extreme precision to do this, but you do need a consistent, unflappable aiming process. In the end, it all comes down to what sort of aiming system and reference points make you feel most comfortable when the pressure is on and time is limited to make a good shot. The sight and the bow can’t make the shot for you, but they can make it easier for you.
