HeviShot Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 What actually causes a deer to jump the string and what are the best ways to prevent it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedicast Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string A loud bow is the main culprit...It spooks the deer. They don't really jump the string, they actually drop down as they start to jump. Getting your baw as quiet as possible is the main thing you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string and aiming for the low vitals will help also---if the deer doesn't jump the string then you've probably just pierced the heart---if the deer does duck then you've got a double lung shot. todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string I'd say it's a reflex to a sudden noise, and they actually "duck" the string. Pure physics, in order to jump, you have to coil and load a muscle, you typically have to dip a bit in order to jump. Best solution IMHO is to try and shoot a deer when it's totally relaxed. If it's on alert, you might want to aim a bit low to anticipate the duck. Try and quiet your bow as much as possible helps too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeviShot Posted July 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string I was just wondering why I see guys on video stop the deer when it is slowly walking along.I can understand doing it if the deer is not going to stop,but why do it when they are just walking.Iput the video's in slow motion and compare the deer reaction's.It seem's alot better if you just shoot or be at full draw when you stop the deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddhunter Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string I seen on a show(when I had satelite) that at 20yrds a deer can move 8 inches before an arrow traveling 300fps can get there. Now that's impresive!!!!!!! I had a spike jump my shot and hit him in the tenderloin. Killed him dead at 30 yards from where I shot him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] What actually causes a deer to jump the string and what are the best ways to prevent it? [/ QUOTE ] 1. Noise and movement 2. You can't. They don't make a bow that is so quiet a deer can't hear within 20 yards. Although some bow owners/manufacturers would try to make you think that. Just aim lower..............And that doesn't guarantee anything. Quiet when drawing is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] and aiming for the low vitals will help also---if the deer doesn't jump the string then you've probably just pierced the heart---if the deer does duck then you've got a double lung shot. todd [/ QUOTE ] Good advice...I try and get my brother in law to do just this but he always just shoots for the double lung. Whether it is 5 yards or 30 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string I agree with Tominator. I don't buy the whole loud bow deal. Until fairly recently, bows were loud. My HCA Excallibur was very loud and I killed my biggest bow kills with it. Look at the early days of compounds, they were not only very loud, but also very slow. They killed many critters before today's technology was invented. When the deer is relaxed, its much easier to kill. When they are alarmed on high alert, and the hunter forces the shot, often they just react instinctively. The result is jumping the string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string All the above post are exactly it, and all good advice. One last little tip I've picked up, and I don't hear a lot is consider the distance too. If a deer is in less than 20 yards it's not going to have enough time to flinch and "jump the string", if it's out over 30 it won't react either, because it's far away. So between 20-30 yards is the most likely time the deer will react to your string, for those shots, aim low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string Everybody has pretty well covered this. I especially agree with Tominator and AJ. From personal experience though I do have to disagree with muggs. I've had relaxed deer duck an arrow at 20 yards and I've also had relaxed deer duck them at 30+ yards too. Missing the closer deer was my own fault for aiming for a double lung shot as opposed to a heart shot. Every deer has it's own unique personality. Some are just more wary than others to unfamiliar sounds they hear even when the sound is relatively quiet. For example a few years ago I had 3 does feeding just inside 40 yards by my rangefinder. I was hunting with my High Country compound and had a perfect slightly quartering away shot at the biggest doe. They were starting to feed away so it was now or never. When I shot at the big doe she ducked and whirled around to make a 180 to go back where she came from. My aim was perfect but when the arrow arrived she had just turned to her right so it passed right by her. The other 2 does just raised their heads and stared in my direction while the bigger doe trotted off. When she disappeared they moved away about 15 yards, looked back again and after staring in my direction for a short period of time, they went back to feeding. I do agree that a quieter bows has less chance of being heard by a deer especially if there are other noices like wind, etc. to cover what little sound is made by your bow. Certainly there is less chance of a relaxed deer ducking an arrow as opposed to an alert deer so I prefer not to put them on alert by stopping them. Like Tominator said, aim for the heart and if your arrow is on that mark and they duck, you'll still get lungs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] Everybody has pretty well covered this. I especially agree with Tominator and AJ. From personal experience though I do have to disagree with muggs. [/ QUOTE ] Well I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion...I just don't have to like it. j/k If your deer ducked at 20 yards, that would be agreeing with me. It's under 20 yards that they won't have time to react. IMHO I'm not talking 19 1/2 yards, more like those 10 yard chip shots. With the speed the arrow is covering that amount of ground, the deer is hit before it will hear the string. As for your big doe ducking and whirling at 40 yards, I'm sure that's not that unusual, but I wouldn't recommend aiming low for the vitals on a 40 yard shot, or I should say I wouldn't feel comfortable with my own abilities to do that, for the chance of a miss...or even worse, poor shot placement. JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string When a deer jumps the string, it is their natural reaction of getting startled or scared. Has anyone ever scared you when you walk around a corner. If thay have you flinched. when you do this you muscles contract and get you body in a position to jump or run away. The quieter your bow the less chance you have the deer to jump the string. The farther away the deer is when you shoot the less chance he has of hearing your bow and the less chance you have of the deer jumping the string. Unless you bow is loud. They say to aim two inches above the bottom of the rib cage. But all situations are different. If the deer seems nervous, the deer has a greater chance of jumping. Ultimately, you need your bow to shoot as qiiet and as fast as possible, as long as you shoot accurate and feel comfortable pulling the bow back!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string I know they can duck. I think it is more possible to miss or make a bad shot in an elevated stand. How many hunts on the vids do you see spine shots I hunt all ground now and I still always aim for the heart. There is so much more to be concerned with to keep that deer being natural, and not on an alert mode. You guys and girls know what I mean, scent ect. too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCH Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string In my opinion, a deer "jumping the string" is actually just the deer pivoting. If you've ever seen a cutting horse cutting cattle, then that's what the deer is doing. It takes its first reaction to where the noise came from and pivots to move in the opposite direction. When they pivot, their front legs drop out from under them and land in the opposite direction of where they are headed. The majority of the times, its all four legs that make the pivot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string One thing that I have noticed is that big mature bucks seem to be considerably slower than the smaller, more nervous yearlings. I'm not sure whether it has to do with the additional mass that they have to get going, or just the fact that rut keeps them in a more worn out condition. It may also have to do with the fact that, to them, sounds might mean doe opportunities and perhaps the flight response is partially being over-ridden by curiosity. So, has anyone else noted this or is it just our older bucks that are a bunch of big old fat lazy slobs that can't get out of their own way .... lol. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCH Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] One thing that I have noticed is that big mature bucks seem to be considerably slower than the smaller, more nervous yearlings. Doc [/ QUOTE ] Over confidence...Especially during the rut. I bet everyone's had this happen: Grunting at a smaller buck and it's first reaction is to take off like a bolt of lightening... Somebody's done taught him a lesson... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] So, has anyone else noted this or is it just our older bucks that are a bunch of big old fat lazy slobs that can't get out of their own way .... lol. [/ QUOTE ] Yep, noticed that. I think it's big old fat lazy slobs that can't get out of their own way. I watched a slob of a 9 pt. rise out of his bed not 10 feet from me one day while I was pheasant hunting (of course). He looked like my dad trying to get out of his lazy boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] With the speed the arrow is covering that amount of ground, the deer is hit before it will hear the string. [/ QUOTE ] I guess you have a supersonic bow? Do the math, I have had more deer jump the string under 10 yards than over 10 yards. My hunting bows have been shooting 290 fps or faster for the past 12 years. Even my 305 fps HCA is not fast enough to overcome the duck and pivot, even at 10 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Jumping the string speed of sound > speed of arrow! BTW the speed of sound = 1130 feet/sec I don't even think J.B.'s bow shoots that fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeviShot Posted July 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Re: Jumping the string Thanks for the info guy's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] Even my 305 fps HCA is not fast enough to overcome the duck and pivot, even at 10 yards. [/ QUOTE ] Yes it is. I dare a deer to hear a sound, recognize the threat and move far enough in under 1/10 of a second to avoid getting hit by the arrow. Ain't gonna happen...........not at 10 yards. Even if it's looking right at you. However..........increase the distance a bit and all bets are off. My take on the whole "ducking the string" thing is this: When a deer hears a highly foreign noise, it instinctively "ducks and rolls" away from the source of the sound. Whether it comes from thousands of years of avoiding cougars jumping out of trees or what........I don't know. But a deer will go belly to the ground and roll away at the same time. A blazingly fast reaction time for a human is between 1/3 and 1/4 of a second. I'm sure a deer's is going to be faster than that. But I have yet to have a deer duck an arrow under 20 yards..........even if it knew something was up. On the other hand.........I had a small buck at 35 yards completely move out of the way of a 295 fps arrow. I mean, he was not there when the arrow got there. But he had me busted before I released. But, two years ago, both the does I shot were at 10 yards. Both of them had busted me and were looking at me when the release was touched. Neither one of them had moved more than a hair before the arrow was sticking in the ground on the other side of them. That was at 265 fps. Do your own math and find your flight times for different distances. Just divide your distance (in feet) by your arrow velocity (fps). It'll open your eyes. I actually think a deer that is walking slowly is a better target than one standing still (as far as ducking goes). A walking deer is making its own noise and is concentrating, somewhat, on where it's going. It's reaction time will be a little slower than a standing animal. Like somebody else posted earlier..........there ain't a bow made that a deer can't hear going off from 20 yards............or 40............or 60. Distance to the deer (and increased flight time) is probably the most important factor in the whole equation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Re: Jumping the string [ QUOTE ] speed of sound > speed of arrow! BTW the speed of sound = 1130 feet/sec [/ QUOTE ] Bingo!!!!!!!!!!! Not a bow made that is as fast as the speed of sound. Speed of sound is almost 4X faster (per second) than the average bow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Re: Jumping the string At least someone has my back, thanks Strut. For all you other physics majors out there. True, sound does travel faster than my arrow, buy at a distance of 30 feet or less, there is absolutely no way the deer could jump the string. The speed of sound's adavantage is netrulized by the short amount of distance. By the time the deer hear's the sound. that arrow is already on it's way, probably at least a couple yards into the total of 10 yards it's going to cover. Not to mention the deer has to hear it, it's brain has to translate it, and then send electric signals to the nerves and muscles to cause a reaction. No way that all happens with enough speed to make that deer jump my string. JMHO, but I'm not buying it. Spooky deer...umm maybe The whole addage of under 20, no time to react, and over 30 won't react... is a rule of thumb, there's always exception to the rule, but that rule goes back to the days when 170 fps was smoking, from my experience the only time a deer jump my sting was at 24 yards, he was altered when he heard my draw. My bow's def. not the fastest, 230 fps is the high end. And to this hunters eyes and ears, every shot under 10 yards that I took, the string noise and impact of the arrow happened almost simutaneously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tyshe17 Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Re: Jumping the string I feel that string jumping is seen the most at shots between 25 and 35 yds. After this distance, the sound is quieter, and not so close as to cause such an intense reaction (on one film a shot at 26 yds resulted in a perfect shot catching the deer midway back on the opposite side than was shot at) and any closer than 20 yds the arrow is there too quickly...assuming the archer aims low in the kill zone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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