"yarn balls" rather than "yard balls". sorry

I can't remember whose it was, but I shot a longbow with no silencers on it a year ago. It was dead quiet. I didn't like the handshock of the bow, but it was quieter than anything else I have ever heard shot. I was impressed to its silence and its accuracy, but not the handshock.

Heavy arrows will silence a bow too. I don't have any string silencers on my 42# bow. It's shooting a 657 grain arrow.

I didn't see another bowhunter in the woods till about 1970 or so. The ones I started to see at that time were using those propeller looking silencers. If I hear more than a whoosh of the string slicing air its too much noise for me so I use catwhiskers made from lure skirting. Its alot cheaper. I can buy a foot of it for less than a set of commercial catwhiskers. My D longbows I've had didn't need anything to quiet them so I didn't use anything on them.

And, why didn't they wear camo, or use climbing tree stands or any of the thousand other things we do today?  

They killed more than their share of animals without all this crap. In my view, it demonstrates how little of the paraphernalia we use today is of any significant value.

Swamp Donkey,
It might have been from you but I picked up the lure skirt idea on TradGang. I bought a bunch at Bass Pro and they work great!

I certainly think there are many unnecessary gadgets available these days but I sure like several that I've acquired over time. I can think back to some of the stuff we used back in the 60's and today's gear is better.  

Remember the Kwikee Kuiver that had no hood? A friend introducted a Super Hibre broadhead to his knee using one of those. The Baker Climbing stand -- I killed deer from it but I'm surprised it didn't kill me.

Back when I started deer hunting here in the Midwest (Indiana but my current state of KY was no better) deer herds were 20% or less than today. Success rates in those days for bowhunters were in the 2-3% range. The increase in success rates these days to 10-30% (depending upon your state) are mostly to do with higher deer populations and longer seasons. However, some of the improvements in gear surely have a small role.

I'm a sucker for the new high tech camo clothing. I just spent enough money to buy new limbs for a custom bow on Sitka Gear clothing.  I know it won't make me less visible but I hope it will increase my comfort level a tad.

Wow!! Someone dug deep for this one. Here's a pic of Fred Bear's personal bow. I suspect between brush buttons and whatever, Fred was always tinkering with string silencers.
 

I'm not a pro but I don't use silencers myself. To my ear, a twang and a thump are equally audible. Either way, stickbows sound quieter than compounds to me. Clint

We get are bows real quiet and our arrows are telling the animal here I come. I use fur balls but like what was said the animals are going to here it any way but they just might not get spoked by a woosh thang a BOING.

Because our bows don't shoot at 300+ fps!

QuoteOriginally posted by Bowwild:
The Baker Climbing stand -- I killed deer from it but I'm surprised it didn't kill me.

Now that really was a killer product. I never needed a safety belt with a Baker stand, though... I knew better than to let go of the tree!

Back then you used to see guys with climbing stand rash on their chest and arms from bear hugging the tree all the way down when that thing decided to let go.