Speed of Sound

[MPSNIPER]

It makes a huge difference if the deer is calm and unaware of you, or if it's wired for sound. I personally love having the deer up so close and unaware, that your afraid they're going to hear your heart beat through your chest. To me that's what bow hunting is all about.
-Michael.

[mikej]

i was told the only way to make a bow so quiet that a deer won't hear it is to not pull the trigger

[DuckHunt]

I had two deer jump the string last season. I still put a tag on both of them.

DuckHunt

[Grizzly Adam]

I won't comment on the noisy vs. quieter bow controversy, as I don't have anything worthwhile to say about it, and I don't want Bob to belabor me with his ball bat!

I'll say this about "wired" deer, though:

I garontee (as our late friend Justin Wilson used to say) that our deer down here are both jumpier and quicker than those immense sloths y'all hunt up there in northern climes. I've hunted both. Shooting at those big ol' things is like shooting at a steer compared to arrowing one of our little Speedy Gonzalez bucks. It's like shooting the elk target at the 3-D range.

Of course Woody's never had one jump the string!

Those behemoth bucks he sticks just ain't fast enough.

How could ya miss?

[one shot scott]

it appears that some of the ol' timers have been down this road before Being a newbie, its the first time im reading some of this stuff. The horse is still breathing slightly.

[Big John]

Well Scott:

If you feel the horse is still breathing slightly let me add the last whack.
No matter what is said, to each his own. If one feels something will help him or her out, do it. If someone wants to dress up there outfits (rigs) more to be different, do it. Everyone has an opinion, whether good or bad, about a product, and we all make up our own minds. As long as it makes us feel better, that's all that matters. True this topic has been beaten around alot. But your are right, some are new to this and are impressionable somewhat. Your job is to take whatever you can from these topics and make a sound judgement as to whether it will do what you want, or is it what you need, or maybe what you want is not out there.
I will say this though, if you can find anything, with respect to hunting whether guns or bows, that will quiet them down, stop or hinder vibration, or kick-back, your body and ears will thank you down the road some day.

[Boo]

Well Scott:

If you feel the horse is still breathing slightly let me add the last whack.
No matter what is said, to each his own. If one feels something will help him or her out, do it. If someone wants to dress up there outfits (rigs) more to be different, do it. Everyone has an opinion, whether good or bad, about a product, and we all make up our own minds. As long as it makes us feel better, that's all that matters. True this topic has been beaten around alot. But your are right, some are new to this and are impressionable somewhat. Your job is to take whatever you can from these topics and make a sound judgement as to whether it will do what you want, or is it what you need, or maybe what you want is not out there.
I will say this though, if you can find anything, with respect to hunting whether guns or bows, that will quiet them down, stop or hinder vibration, or kick-back, your body and ears will thank you down the road some day.

Well done John!

[one shot scott]

Well Scott:

If you feel the horse is still breathing slightly let me add the last whack.
No matter what is said, to each his own. If one feels something will help him or her out, do it. If someone wants to dress up there outfits (rigs) more to be different, do it. Everyone has an opinion, whether good or bad, about a product, and we all make up our own minds. As long as it makes us feel better, that's all that matters. True this topic has been beaten around alot. But your are right, some are new to this and are impressionable somewhat. Your job is to take whatever you can from these topics and make a sound judgement as to whether it will do what you want, or is it what you need, or maybe what you want is not out there.
I will say this though, if you can find anything, with respect to hunting whether guns or bows, that will quiet them down, stop or hinder vibration, or kick-back, your body and ears will thank you down the road some day.

Thanks, John. I beleive you killed it. I enjoy shooting my bow equiped with a wiskered boo string and sts so much, now I know its all for me. I already suffer hearing loss due to my job. but the sound of my bow now compared to the sound it made when it was stock is music to my ears. The down side is my hunting buddy the next patch of woods over cant tell when I arrowed a deer now

[wabi]

One of the first deer I managed to miss with my first Excalibur was definitely a "string jump" example. I was shooting heavy arrows (2219s) from a Vixen and had chrony checked it and was getting around 260 fps. I had killed a couple deer with that setup at close (under 15 yards) range, but when a buck came in and held up just beyond a tree I had ranged at 28 yards (I estimated he was at 31 or 32 yards) I decided to try him. I have a habit of "following through" by watching the arrow flight through the scope (and it was easy to see at 260 fps). I was using an older model scope (drop zone) so the yardage marks weren't 10 yard increments but worked out to something like 12 - 20 - 27 - 34 - 41 with that setup. I held the 34 yard mark on the buck's kill zone (it would have been a slightly high hit with that hold, but only an inch or two) and squeezed the trigger. I watched the buck drop and the arrow sail barely over the top of his back!
I was watching carefully and the deer DID drop while the arrow was in flight! Yes, my hold would have been a slightly high hit - but the deer still had to drop 6 - 8" while the arrow was in flight for the results to be the clean miss (thankfully!) it was!
With the new Excalibur (Exocet 175 then a Phoenix 175) and arrow speeds closer to 300 fps I have not witnessed any "jumping the string" on shots out to close to 30 yards, but I also take the majority of my shots much closer than that! I will guarantee there is no string jump at 6 or 7 yards.

As has been stated - a deer WILL hear the shot! How it reacts is up to the deer! I have taken my crossbow along when I was simply observing deer at the food plot and shot into the ground (from a tree stand) just to watch reactions. Some deer (within 60 yards) will jump and bolt a couple steps at the sound and others have simply continued to feed and not even looked up! I can't predict which deer will do what, and I doubt that anyone can. Within reasonable range (depends on arrow speed, but for me I consider 30 yards with a 300 fps arrow MAX) the deer will still be hit before it moves.

About the only advice I can give is to get close - the closer the better! At less than 20 yards it's more a matter of your shooting ability than the deer's reactions.

[Norlander]

I saw an archery show recently where Chuck Adams offered a tip. He said he always aims for the heart. That way if the deer jumps the string his arrow will usually still hit the lungs.
Makes sense to me.
Jerry

[fuzzy]

...

[one shot scott]

I saw an archery show recently where Chuck Adams offered a tip. He said he always aims for the heart. That way if the deer jumps the string his arrow will usually still hit the lungs.
Makes sense to me.
Jerry

Ive heard that too Jerry, but i think if the deer jumps, its a clean miss. If it ducks, its a lung shot. You win either way.

[globemountain]

[quote="bstout"]"The deafest deer can hear the quietest crossbow" Dan Miller

That Dan Miller is hillarious!

[globemountain]

That Dan Miller is hillarious!

Not only does Dan have a great sense of humor, he forgot more about archery hunting and crossbows than any of us will ever know about the sport.

In the Excalibur Crossbow video he said "It'll feel better when it quits hurtin'"

And also the line about "singin' saprano in the Vienna Boys choir"......

Hillarious!....

[aerostarp]

I saw an archery show recently where Chuck Adams offered a tip. He said he always aims for the heart. That way if the deer jumps the string his arrow will usually still hit the lungs.
Makes sense to me.
Jerry

+1 -I heard that a while ago. I wish I had followed that advise over the winter when a completely relaxed doe at 42 yards (lasered) who was totally unaware of my presence miraculously jumped the string. She moved so abruptly and violently that I thought I had knocked her down but it was a complete miss. I could not believe it. Had I aimed for the heart as I knew to do I would have hit her properly.