A bow site mounts to the riser of your bow and is used to “pinpoint” a target or the exact location your arrow will impact when you fire your bow. Although a sight is not necessary, it will greatly improve your consistency and accuracy. If you are new to archery or bow hunting, you may want to try a peep-sight and/or kisser button along with your bow sight for ease of use and many experienced archers use them for increased performance. There are different types of archery sights available with some more advanced than others. Some are designed specifically for target or tournament archery but most sights are built to use for bow hunting.

Choosing the right bow site can be difficult. If you are buying a sight for your hunting bow, will you be hunting from a treestand? Will you ever need to shoot in low light conditions? How fast is your bow? Will you need more than one pin for different yardages? These are just some of the questions you will need to answer to get the right fit for your archery needs. The following explains the different types of bow sites and the different features available.

• Fixed-Pin Sights

  A fixed-pin archery sight has multiple pins with each pin being set to a specific yardage. The top pin is set to your closest shooting distance and each pin below will represent a longer distance than the pin above. For example, your site has three pins with the top pin set for a 20 yard shot. The middle pin may be set for 30 yards and the bottom pin set for 40 yards. Your arrow speed will help you decide how many pins you need and the yardage increments each pin represents. It is recommended to set the pins in increments of 5 to 10 yards. Once the pins are set, they are tightened and remain in a fixed in position during use. The pins are usually different colors to help identify the right pin needed for a successful shot.

  The fixed pin is a popular hunting sight and most common. If you are shooting a faster bow, you may only need one pin that will be suitable for all your yardage needs. If you normally will not take a shot less than 30 yards, one pin may be good from 0 to 30 yards with a faster bow. When hunting from a treestand it may be difficult to determine the yardage of a shot. You may want to practice from an elevated position and set your pins accordingly as shooting down at your target is not the same as shooting from even ground.

• Moveable-Pin Sights

  A moveable pin archery sight usually has a single pin, which can be adjusted to a specific yardage before each shot. The moveable pin sight has a gear or a bracket that allows the entire sight housing to slide up and down, so the pin can be adjusted for any distance in just a few seconds. A small pointer at the rear of the sight bracket indicates the different yardage settings along a graduated scale or a series of handmade marks. Like the fixed pin site, it is recommended to have settings marked in 5 to 10 yard increments.

  The moveable pin site is a great choice for target or tournament archery as it allows for only one pin in your site view but can quickly adjust to different distances. It can also help to adjust for shooting from an elevated platform but it is not a popular choice for archery hunting because there may not be enough time to adjust the sight and the extra movement required may spook the game you are hunting.

• Pendulum Sights

  A pendulum archery sight is primarily designed for hunting from a treestand. As mentioned earlier, it can be difficult to determine yardage from an elevated position and arrows tend to drop less when shooting “downhill” therefore missing the target high. The pendulum sight is designed to eliminate the guess work. The pendulum sight has a single pin which is mounted on a hinged pendulum swing. As the bow is tipped forward, the site pin swings out and up, automatically compensating for your downward shot angle. The steeper your shot angle, the more the sight compensates for you.

  Pendulum sites can be difficult to sight in or calibrate and tend to be accurate or “best” for short yardages up to 30 yards and from a specific elevation. Long rang shots and hunting from the ground can be difficult so some pendulum sites have an additional fixed pin that allows for different shooting conditions when hunting.

• Competition Sights

  Competition, or Target archery sights, are designed for use in competition and are the most accurate archery sights available. They are large in size and provide an elaborate system of windage and elevation adjustments. A single pin, scope or laser sight can be mounted to a competition bow site depending on the shooters needs. Target sites can cost quite a bit more compared to other archery sights and their larger size make them unfavorable for archery hunting.

Additional Site Features:

Fiber Optics

Fiber optics is a strand of glass or plastic that absorbs light into the strand and traps the light in the core of the fiber optic cable. The light escapes the cable through the end where the core is exposed making the tip of the cable light up. The small bright tip of a fiber optic cable makes an excellent aiming point on a bow site. Fiber optic site pins have become very popular for archery hunting because of the increased visibility while hunting in low light conditions of early morning or late evening. Like fixed pins, they are usually available in multiple colors.

Bubble Levels

The bubble level is a feature available on some archery sites and is located in the site window just above or below the sight pin(s). The bubble level assures you are holding the bow straight up and down when shooting. The bubble level is usually filled with alcohol or chloroform so it will not freeze when hunting in cold weather.

Sight Lights

Sight lights are designed to illuminate the site pins in low light hunting conditions. Some archery sites come with the light already installed and others offer a light as a separate option to be added on to the bow site. Site lights are usually powered by a small watch battery and must be turned on and off manually when needed. Although the light will make your site pins visible in total darkness, it makes it very difficult to identify your target and hunting in the dark is not recommended or legal in most states.

Most compound bows are pre drilled and tapped to allow a wide variety of bow sites to be attached directly to the bow riser. This type of application makes the bow site more fixed and if it is removed, it may need to be recalibrated after the sight is installed back onto the bow. As an alternative, some bow sites are made to be easily removed and installed. This is done by using a separate mounting plate with a dovetail groove that attaches in a fixed position to the bow. The main sight body has a bracket or arm in the same shape as the groove to allow the sight to slide into and is held in place by some type of set screw or retaining nut. A bow site that is often removed and replaced may have to be recalibrated often. A bow site that stays mounted to the bow will tend to be more reliable and better suited for archery hunting.