[irish1169]

i dont worry about this. I am curious as to how many of ya have actualy had this happen with a xbow. What the range was. did the deer know you were there. It seems to me like some folk worry about this to the point of making me wonder if they ever pull the trigger. I believe the closer you are the faster the deer reacts to the sound based on reflexes, the farther away, they turn to see what that noise is. Not trying to start a debate, just curius about other hunters personal experiances, oh yea, just what you have seen, no scientific data please.

 

[Highlander]

A buck jumps the string in this video at 22 yards. Put a pointer on the spot you would shoot the buck and see how much he drops. Looks like the arrow stuck in the backbone. Perhaps a better broadhead would have penetrated better and dropped him.

I had this just happen to me on a buck I shot at 25 yards a week or so ago. I had a lumenock on my arrow and could see it happen. Luckily I hit him at the base of the backbone and he dropped on the spot. The buck had no clue I was there.

 

[Tim50]

I do my best to keep all my shots under 30 yards & I have never had an animal jump the string. My bows are shooing in the 330fps range.

 

[aimo61]

I have SZ 380...chrono 377..but i m always afraid of missing up the shot.i always aim a little lower just in case..but in speed 377 fps it give the deer less than 1/4 secound to react..I m not a pro, but i think 1/4 secound won't give much time for string jump.

 

[Ronnie]

Highlander, great video, I'm a newbie at bow hunting, but have watched elk jump the string on hunting TV shows. I was conserned of this myself, since watching the hunting show. My wife inherited a Barnette Commando,150lb draw with 225 fps.,. I'm waiting on a new limb so I can join in on this exciting sport. The Barnett SC said because the exterior lining was cracked the bow was unsafe to shoot.

 

[bowriter]

Can they jump or duck a string? Yes.

Do they? Yes.

Do I worry aboutit? no.

Personally, I think they avoid the sound of the approaching arrow more than react to the sound of the bow or crossbow. Just listen to an arrow in flght somtime.

 

[happytroller2]

I thaught that the speed of most new corssbows was to fast for a deer to jump the string my bow is shooting at 365 fps i had a friend shoot it the other day so i could see the arrow in flight and to tell you the truth i could not see it.hope this helps

 

[hanglide4life]

Deer reflexes are unbelievably fast. It happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFSijTocXVg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_B9yrgee5o

 

[Tim50]

The shorter the distance of the shot the less chance the deer will have to jump the string. Quick bows & shorter shots off set the jump IMO.

 

[Stillhunter]

Try standing behind a large tree or other protective object close to your target, and have a friend shoot and listen to the sound of your bow and arrow from downrange as it gets to the target. The arrow or the sound of the fletching whistling is what I hear most often before impact. Farther out/ slower velocities are worse for string jumping/ducking than close, faster arrows.

 

[Highlander]

I have SZ 380...chrono 377..but i m always afraid of missing up the shot.i always aim a little lower just in case..but in speed 377 fps it give the deer less than 1/4 secound to react..I m not a pro, but i think 1/4 secound won't give much time for string jump.

For an arrow traveling 377 fps 30 yards to deer:
----------------------------------------------------------------


Arrow takes: 0.24 sec
Sound takes: 0.08 sec
Reaction Time: 0.15 sec (generally stated between 0.12 - 0.15 sec)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time left: 0.01 sec

Gravity drop is 32.2 fps X 0.01 sec left = 3.9" drop by deer theoretically and this does not account for the arrow slowing down a bit in 30 yards or if the deer reaction time is a bit faster.

So even an arrow traveling 377 fps can allow a deer to drop 3.9" at 30 yards.

An arrow traveling at 300 fps can allow a deer to drop 23" at 30 yards which is most likely more than they would drop, so you could get some backward or forward movement before the arrow hits in addition to the drop. You can see this happening in the above linked videos.

 

[irish1169]

i was just curious about other peoles experiances. I have zero concern about this issue, killed two at 40, one at 30 and one at 20, they never moved til the arrow hit. Killed two at longer range last year, same thing. I know how fast they can move, i dont disbelieve that they can duck. But, i sure dont worry about it. I have heard the arrow and believe that would be what would make them move at longer range, we shoot out to 70 yards on my home made range and i hear 4 different bows going off. All at different speeds. My sz 350 is my slowest xbow and thats what i used to kill all 4 deer. highlander is the only one so far who has had it happen to him personaly and still got the deer. Remember, this a just curious question. I think a deer completely ducking a quick xbow at close range is a rare thing

 

[RuntCX2]

I had a doe last year to drop on me at 35 yard's. I stopped her with a bleat and she was looking directly at me. The crossbow I was shooting was 330 fps. I've never had one to jump the string if they was calm.

 

[Thunderbolt]

Yup had 2 bucks duck my bolts the first two years of hunting with a xbow....first one was 18 yards(Big 8 called Bruiser) and a year after...(King Big 10 pointer)..never got to lay my hands on either one...and i know both lived..cause the neighbor got one and King was seen 2 miles away a week later...made me sick.Thunderbolt

 

[bigharry]

I read an article by Chuck "It's like throwing an axe through an animal" Adams many years ago. He stated that a bow would have to shoot @ 900fps to totally defeat the deer's ability to jump the string. On his first kill, a doe, he hit the deer on the opposite side that he was aiming for. The shot was 40 yards IIRC.

 

[gary1970]

I have'nt had one duck the bolt altogether but I shot a doe at 35yrds and she dropped 8 to 10 inches instead of a heart shot I got the top of her lungs.

 

[Gabowman]

I had 'em duck my verticle bow. I once shot one right in the back of the skull that ducked & whirled to get away.Dropped her in her tracks. When my son came over after that morning hunt I didnt say anything.....................but he knew I wasnt head shooting either.LOL

 

[irish1169]

think i might have just experianced this, doing some back 2 track walking along some thick pines i had 5 deer come out of the pines ahead of me, big doe a couple deer back, she spots me, stops and i shoot, here the arrow hit, but through the scope i see her drop down and move sideways as she spins. I think its a dead deer. Walk over, no blood, hmm, walk back into the woods a bit, no blood, look for a hour or so, go in circles, still nothing. I figure she ducked, problem is, at that range i know i aint missing, she was only 40 yards away. Go get the car and park where i shot at her and grab my headlamp and flash light, lock everything up and go looking farther back. Its dark by now and low and behold, blood. Just a drop, i spent the next 3 1/2 hours tracking that deer drop by drop and lost her when she crossed a field, i believe that i gave her a hair cut, cause it was a very small amount of blood to find, based on her tracks she didnt look wounded. Prints were even on ground, no tore up spots, no bedding down and big blood marks. Will never knw for sure, but i think i just met the womder woman of the deer world.

 

[Old Longhair]

Personally, I think they avoid the sound of the approaching arrow more than react to the sound of the bow or crossbow.

+1
I've been saying it for years. Even did vids from the target's perspective to illustrate it, and show that arrow component choices matter.

 

[briarpatch]

I've seen this topic debated om several forums. The speed of sound is roughly 1125 fps......the sound of the arrow being released will always reach the deer before the arrow does. I'm a firm believer that the state that the deer is in is critical to whether or not they duck the arrow. The more relaxed the deer is, the better.