pedulum sights?

[Drizzu213]

I don't really have the $ to buy a range finder, so I was wondering If anyone out there knows of a pendulum sight that you can shoot out to say 35 to 40yds and if so what's the best and easiest to set up for the $. THANKS

[stalkingbear]

I would NOT feel confident using ANY sight with 1 pin out to 40 yards. I've tried pendelum sights before and found-at least for me-they wasn't good for longer shots. There's still a few things you can do that won't break your budget. One is to get a "rangefinder" that goes on your current sight and will give a guesstimate based on bracketing the deer's body within lines and looking at range represented by which lines the deer's body just fits. It's a clear plastic flat piece that has lines and corresponding ranges on it. Another method is to learn to estimate range simply by breaking it down to 10 yard intervals. It's easier to estimate 10 yards at a time and adding them up. My favorite method I used before I got a laser rangefinder was to put range markers out (by carefully pacing them off) anywhere the game animal could possibly appear where you would have a shot and going by them when the animal showed up. This method is very reliable HOWEVER you MUST make SURE not to leave human scent spread around as you do this.

[OHbowhntr]

ORIGINAL: Drizzu213

I don't really have the $ to buy a range finder, so I was wondering If anyone out there knows of a pendulum sight that you can shoot out to say 35 to 40yds and if so what's the best and easiest to set up for the $. THANKS

A GUN comes to mind.....

Even at 300fps, you're not really going to get a set-up that will shoot ONE PIN at those distances. Pendulums are really a thing of the past with the speeds of today's bows, and you're really mainly benefiting from the pendulum at shorter yardages, not the LONG ones. If you don't have a rangefinder, then learn to judge distances. I practice in the field, then double check with my rangefinder. Set your pins a distances that allow more room for error, and learn to shoot them at varied distances. I do this even with my rangefinder. My pins are set at 24, 32, 40, and 48 yds, these distances give me the best likelihood of a kill on a deer, because the gaps are large enough that there is some space, but small enough that if I have a "tweener," I'm usually pretty good with either pin.

[rybohunter]

I'm a big fan of pendulums, but I've never seen one that will reach out to 40 yds. Barely over 30 is what I've always got when I used them.

Put more effort into getting closer than being able to shoot farther may be your best option.

[Crowkilla]

...My favorite method I used before I got a laser rangefinder was to put range markers out (by carefully pacing them off) anywhere the game animal could possibly appear where you would have a shot and going by them when the animal showed up. This method is very reliable HOWEVER you MUST make SURE not to leave human scent spread around as you do this.

I am amazed that so few people actually do this. Stepping off yardage to trees or other natural markers is just another part of the process in setting up a new stand. Stepping off yardage is actually more reliable for me than a rangefinder because I have sighted in my bow at 20 and 30 and so on steps, not yards. Each step is a little longer than a yard. Therefore, using the stepping method, you are ensuring an exact unit of measure for all setups from the backyard target range to the stand.