Jumping The String- Questions

[Cable]

Alright guys and gals. I am not ashamed to admit that I am in my first season bowhunting. Next weekend I will be embarking on my first attempt to harvest a buck with that bow I have been practicing with for months now.

I feel fairly confident in my ability to hit where I am aim. BUT I was recently reading the August edition of North American Hunter and came across an article that got me wondering...what if the buck jumps my string?

My questions are:

Should I expect that the buck will indeed hear the sound of the string and therefore duck the arrow as he crouches to load up before leaping? The author of the article claims that most bucks will indeed crouch when they hear the string and therefore he aims 4-6 lower of the vitals than he would otherwise.

Is this just something we all have to figure out via trial and error- OR should that first shot be purposely aimed a little lower on purpose.

The author also mentioned he has yet to find a bow that an alert deer cannot hear. So he recommended a faster arrow and louder bow.

I shoot a 55lb Maniac. Victory graphite arrows and Slick Trick 100 Magnums.

[AGAF]

It really depends on the bow and speed. I don't care what you shoot, a deer will crouch some to "load up" before taking off, but if the shot is within say 20 yrds, most set ups will hit the deer. You may want to aim a little lower than what you expect to hit or set your pin so that you arrow hits around 2 to 4 inches higher when shooting at a target. There is a lot of trial and error involved. It can also depend on the "state" of the deer before you shoot. Is it a buck that is really alert and looking for fight around pre-rut or rut time? Is he calm and eating? Etc...

Several factors really.....

[Texastaxi]

Aim low, for the heart.
If he don't duck, you hit him in the heart.
If he does duck, you hit him in the lungs.

Shooting a live target is a little different. Be prepared for the shakes!

[mhbaseball]

I now aim low because i had one last year jump string on me(last year was first year). Make sure your bow is quiet and all pieces tightened.

[EarleyBird]

If they hear your shot they will usually "load up" to take off running. That's the lightning-fast crouch you see. No arrow in the world is faster than the speed of sound, so just be confident with the setup you have. You've already been practicing with it. I usually aim about 2-4 inches lower, or at the top of the "lower one-third" of the deer's body. Especially on mature bucks and spooky does. Good luck.

[agvet2004]

Aim low, for the heart.
If he don't duck, you hit him in the heart.
If he does duck, you hit him in the lungs.

Shooting a live target is a little different. Be prepared for the shakes!

And the sudden inability to come to a complete draw. It may seem like someone cranked it down without your knowing

[jerp]

I've had some not flinch till the arrow hit them and some practically swap ends before the arrow got there. Most extreme example - I had a doe at the feeder who was twitchy-nervous. The shot I took was at her right side, slightly quartering away. At the sound of the shot she had time to duck and whirl around enough to where the arrow entered the LEFT side just behind the ribs. Still killed her but it taught me something about shooting at nervous deer. I did the math and computed that my arrow got there in around 1/5th of a second - but the sound got there faster and she had time to turn. I think the best advice is as mentioned above - aim a little low in the kill zone so if they crouch you still get lots of lung.

[quarterback]

Aim low, for the heart.
If he don't duck, you hit him in the heart.
If he does duck, you hit him in the lungs.

Shooting a live target is a little different. Be prepared for the shakes!

This. But you can do it! Get mad when the deer comes in. Get bone crushing, stark raving mad and get that buck/doe killed! Then, after the shot you can get the shakes. And you will.

[Texastaxi]

And the sudden inability to come to a complete draw. It may seem like someone cranked it down without your knowing

Well, I didn't want to sound like a wuss ... but yeah, I've had that happen too!

[AGAF]

And the sudden inability to come to a complete draw. It may seem like someone cranked it down without your knowing

Especially if you've been sitting in 25 degrees for two hours before you draw and your muscles are stiff. Almost didn't think I was going to get my 60 lb bow drawn last year on a spike. Took all I had to get it drawn. Glad I took those 70 lb limbs off of it!!!! Normally, the 60 lb draw is like butter. But when its cold and you have a deer 15 yards away its a little different.

[bowhuntntxn]

The key is the word ALERT. If you have a deer that looks a nervous and skittish, then hold off until he/she calms down. All bows will shoot fast enough to hit where you are aiming, provided the animal is not alterted and ready to dash any way.

[agvet2004]

Well, I didn't want to sound like a wuss ... but yeah, I've had that happen too!

Wasn't actually trying to point you out Kevin. I was just quoting the "shakes" part.

[BIG D]

Aim low, for the heart.
If he don't duck, you hit him in the heart.
If he does duck, you hit him in the lungs.

Shooting a live target is a little different. Be prepared for the shakes!

Yep, Yep, and Yep

[Shiner]

Divide the deer in thirds. Shoot for the lower third

[Codie]

Good luck and have fun!