We continually see remarks about quieting down bows. There always seems to be the utmost importance tied to having a whisper quiet shooter. Some brands are even labeled as being loud and I see people warn others to stay away from them. Which by the way...I'm suprised Widow's ever kill anything. :D
I'm just curious, how many guys here have their bows so quiet that a clean miss on a calm day will get them another shot at an animal? Is that the ultimate goal?
I can understand not wanting an obnoxious TWANG, but really...if you're doing your part as far as accuracy...at our close ranges why so much fuss. I've yet to see any bow that a good ol pair of catwhiskers wouldn't hush enough for hunting in my opinion.
Is anyone here regularly getting second arrows on game? I've had the opportunity on a few occasions when the wind covered my shot, but rarely otherwise.
Widows Noisy?? Mine are quiet :confused: :confused:
Quiet bow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwkLroScPT4 That should be a hyper link
i have been posting about my widow and geting it toned down a little, but its more for "jumping the string". I wouldn't expect another shot per say, but if need be....why not? i dont think its loud, but why not try to makeit quiet? cant hurt?
I don't stress too much about bow noise, other then a TWANG. My current go to bow is very quiet as it is. I wouldn't say I get second shots regularly, but have had my share when some thing went wrong the first shot.
Second shots don't concern me as much as string jumping. I do prefer the animals to not know what happened though. My bows are very quiet. I have had them practically run over me after the shot. Other times I can shoot more than one in a group, because the others don't spook. Many good things to say about a whisper quiet bow.
Apex,
Yes, I tried your recent Wool-Ease technique and it worked magnificently. For less than $3, I've got enough stuff to probably silence all the bows I'm likely to own for the rest of my life.
Proper Brace Height
Arrows 8-10 grains per lb
Heavy Catwhiskers on the TS-1 Bowstring
Very Quiet......yes, I have gotten off a second shot on deer a few times. Thanks to my bows being quiet. My Groves Spitfire, dacron string and Whiskers is one of the quietest bows I own.
I obsess about a quiet bow.That's why I don't have any more Widows.I'm totally dedicated to my Toelke Whips because of quiet and how they shoot.
I love a quiet bow, but the only deer I've needed a second shot on was my first doe. I looked at the whole deer and dropped my candy in the dirt, lol. Shot right between her legs, the fletching tapped her in the side. She took a jump, stopped, and looked back to see what it was. Next arrow went right in the crease. Couldn't have done that with a loud bow, IMO.
I killed my first deer on the 3rd shot with a longbow. :bigsmyl: Quiet bows mean a lot more when hunting highly pressured whitetails than most other animals.The deer around here turn inside out when you drop the string on a noisy bow.Quiet as possible is the only way I hunt deer.A loud bow just causes grief in my woods. :D
I agree with catwiskers , they work the best of every thing I have tried . Also heavy arrows ( 11 to 12 grains ) make a diffrence as do string material . BTW I shoot a treadway longbow due to the fact that by its design it is the most quite bow I have shot . Mike Treadway make his strings with FF and dacron combo which cuts down on noise and still gives you the speed . Try one of Mikes strings , you will see a diffrence in your bow noise no matter what bow its on .
Mike
I am with James and Preditor on this one a quiet bow is a must for hunting pressured Whitetails on public land in Wisconsin -- not so much for second shots as it is for "string jumping" speed of sound is way faster than any bow will ever be and a whitetails reaction skills are very good. Put it this way -- reaching a quiet bow combination certainatly can not hurt. Apex I may have to have you make me one before to long!!!
Ok I'll bite. Apex what is the wool-ease treatment? RP
I've gotten a couple second shots, both with my Horne's Brush Bow. I have better luck with yarn puffs than rubber cat whiskers.
2ndxarnd, PM sent.
I just got my hush puppt's and bow hush in the mail yesterday and put it all on my zipper last night all I can say is WOW! best pruduct I have ever used I even triede other wool yarns nothing I mean nothing copares I have used them all on wheelies, long bowand recurve.
My Bear Montana is extremly quiet, I just need to practice shooting.....a lot.
Bakes
I work on getting my bow quiet in the basement. When it's fairly quiet down there, it's almost silent outside. Hap
Bow Hush and Hush Puppies are two very good strings for quiet bows. I have tried them and liked them. I just started making my own because that's the way I like to do things when possible. I did a build-a-long titled "how I silence a bow string". Do a search, and it will come up.
QuoteOriginally posted by blueline:
Quiet bow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwkLroScPT4 That should be a hyper link
Crappy shot - that should be the title of that one. Sheesh - someone needs to get out to the range and put in some practice time.
Given the speed of sound is apparently about 1,129 feet per second at sea level and that is somewhat faster than your arrows or mine will shoot, the sound (if any) from your bow *will* reach the deer you are shooting at before your arrow will.
It seems to stand to reason then, that a quieter bow is less likely to spark a significant reaction than a loud bow will. Second shots are nice but first ones (at undisturbed deer) are important too.
Im glad to see someone else thinks widows arent that quiet, I was afraid to speak up. They arent that loud either though. And Im comparind a recurve to a longbow. So nuff said on that.
About the Widow's. I shoot them myself, never really thought they have a noise issue, though many say they do. I just put a couple wooly whispers on each end and call it good. As long as the twang turns into a dull thud, I've always felt that worked fine.
Another consideration on a "quiet bow" is that a quiet bow is an efficient bow. Noise is created by wasted energy. That is energy that is not on the arrow. If a bow is quiet out of the box, it is going to give you better performance throughout.
Small string silencers should be all that is needed to quiet the string vibration.
Mike
Quote"Another consideration on a "quiet bow" is that a quiet bow is an efficient bow. Noise is created by wasted energy. That is energy that is not on the arrow. If a bow is quiet out of the box, it is going to give you better performance throughout."
Very true, and a very good statement of explaining why it's important to take care of your BH, and tune your arrow.
Since I've purchased a whisperstik it doesn't seem to be that much of an issue.
Pastor Carl
I hate to admit missin. but I guess we all do, I have killed 3 or 4 over the years with a 2nd arrow, it has more to do with how keyed up the deer is to begain with I think, but I also shoot a widow PSA and feel it is one of the quietest recurves I have shot, but it took some tuneing to achieve that. Bow noise is diffrent when ya are in front and down range than behind the bow.(shootin it)
Getting the brace height right, which is a personal issue as each bow even of the same model reguires it's own attention, and 10 to 11 grains per-pound of draw weight will go a long way toward getting a bow silent. I use the Widow Spider Silencers.
I have people comment all the time about how silent the bow was. Widows are all I shoot right now, and I have not had a string jumping incident since 2001, when I got my first Widow.
Seems like faster bows, lighter arrows, lighter strings and poor releases (plucking) can all help make more noise, but some bows are by design quieter than others. My Widow and Morrison recurves aren't what I'd call noisy, but they are louder than my Super Shrew, and all three are louder than my Hill Big Five and Abbott. Aside from proper arrow spine, using heavier arrows and adding more weight/mass to the string (via a heavier string or higher mass silencers) can help turn loud to dull. Silencer location can also help. I use tied-on catwhiskers alot and like their water resistance, movability and performance, but a thick yarn puff may be the quietest overall particularly when left large and wrapped around the string for an inch or three. The thing I don't like about the large puffs though, especially in lighter colors, is how visible they are as the bow moves...sort of like floating tennis balls. They tend to flash a bit, not unlike a bowquiver full of bright fletching waving around. Not always critical, but definately a potential problem for close-range shot opportunities.
Lots of stuff contributes to loud bows and blown shots. The devils' in the details.