Time of Arrow Flight / Animals Jumping the String

[treillw]

How common is it to have animals "jump the string" and move before the arrow gets there? Any bad experiences with it? I personally have not had any, but I'm just curious what others may have experienced.

A lot of people are shooting a long ways at animals these days. Just curious about what bow speeds and shot distances people are comfortable with for longer shots.

Random Facts:
• Time of flight for a 300 fps arrow going 80 yards is .8 seconds
• A humans reaction time (for comparison) to an audible stimulus is .17 seconds. A 300 fps bow can only go 17 yards in that time.

Do your thoughts on the subject change depending on animal? Whitetails can be pretty high strung. Elk seem to be less cagey. Muleys... well, they're muleys.

 

[HuntInWild88]

Umm to me it really depends on the situation. If the animal is cool and calm i really don't think about it too much. But if I know the animal is already alert then I will take it into consideration for how far I will shoot.

 

[5 shot group]

There is a good pod cast by bill, the owner of iron will, in which he talks about arrow and bow noise. He did some testing and if I recall, with the data he collected he said it wasn't an issue to him anymore.

 

[Billy Goat]

Elk I don't worry about it.

Whitetail are a different story.

Still largely depends on how relaxed the animal is. In my experience you get past 45-50 yards on whitetail and they need to be relaxing at the spa.

 

[Laramie]

I have taken over 100 big game animals with a bow. Just about every species will "jump the string" on occasion. It is common if you get busted drawing and an animal is staring you down at the release. It's less common to have a severe reaction if shooting at a calm animal that doesn't know you are there. One exception was a mule deer doe I shot at. She literally fell down at the sound of the shot and the arrow completely missed. Contrary to popular belief, it's common to have alert elk jump the string. They however usually don't react enough to cause a complete miss. If shooting at an alert animal of any species, aim at the lower third of vitals. If they don't react, no big deal. If they do, you still stand a good chance.

 

[pirogue]

If they don’t see peripheral movement at time of shot, I think the only whitetail that ducks is one that has been shot at before and remembers.

 

[Buffalomtn]

Last year one of the guys I hunt with self filmed his hunt. He shot a mature whitetail buck at 22 yards. 440 grain arrow at 285 FPS, Magnus Black Hornet, well tuned and quiet Elite impulse. The deer was not alert or alarmed, he was poking along eating acorns. He did not make any noise to stop the deer. The deer was broadside, stopped, with his head slightly turned away and down eating acorns. At the shot, going frame by frame, the buck picked up his head, turned to look at the hunter, and then dropped a bit scooted forward all before the arrow hit. The arrow was in the frame all the way and about 5 yards away from the deer it looked like it was going to hit the heart, with the deer looking at him, as the deer dropped and scooted the arrow hit a bit high and in the liver (did not catch lung). We did not follow up for about 5 hours but did find him in his bed about 200 yards away. If you would have told me that at the shot a calm deer had time to lift his head, turn and look, then drop and scoot forward before the arrow hit I would have not thought it possible. We hunt a large private ranch and the deer are not pressured at all (take about 5 bucks off of several thousand acres) and this was the first Morning of the season.

 

[wapitibob]

Ive seen 2 elk move at the shot in 46 years and both were looking at the archer and just waiting for them to shoot. Both were gone before the arrow even got there, pretty comical actually.

 

[MattB]

Random Facts:
• Time of flight for a 300 fps arrow going 80 yards is .8 seconds

Your first "fact" isn't one because it is not true.

Regardless, don't overthink it.

 

[TheGDog]

Yup. 35 yds. Barely legal forkie Muley. But for being a small forkie he had a fit body though. He ducked right as the arrow got there! At first I got excited thinking I'd hit him, because his low-side leg (on the mild slope) the foot had slid out a little when he did that maneuver, so for a moment I'd thought I nailed him, and that was what made the leg slide out. But nope... afterward it was obvious he must have lucked out and it just barely went across his back. Then the only other opportunity I had after that, he had a bush feet in front of his body. Let one go on a prayer... but Nope again. Musta deflected it. I even made sure, in all that heat, to follow the path he'd ran away along after that 2nd shot... just to make sure no bleeding. Oh well. Exciting though!

EDIT: Wanted to ask and compare notes with you guys who have a lot of bow kills under your belt. (I only have one so far, kinda new). The one I managed to hit... it was a little more back than it should have been. I think it likely was even behind the lungs by a hair... but it was close-sh to the spine.... its exit was the opposite butt-cheek. Crazy thing was... upon making the shot... he just like stood there... didn't move... for I don't know... maybe a good 5 or 7-count? And then his body language as he begin to pick up speed and trot away was like "Uh oh... somethings wrong... I think I need to get the hell out of here...!!...". And he climbs down into a gulch..on other side goes around a tree and then turns to look back at me for a moment! And I'm all over here thinking WTH!? Are you kidding me?... I didn't hit him??... as I started to rise to my feet and knock another one in the bow. But about that time he turned to stot away. (And quickly took the stock back down to a trot/walk) That's when I saw all the glorious red down his opposite butt-check and rejoiced and calmed back down. He went a total of maybe.. 50yds? Was nerve-racking too because he'd gone out of my sight and but I didn't hear a crash into the leaves, ya know?

Has that happened to any of you guys? Where your arrow hits... goes thru him... but he just stands there?.. almost like in a state of shock?.. before he snaps back into reality and begins to try to run away?

 

[264win]

Alert deer can definitely react to bow noise and or arrow movement before the arrow reaches this target. Blacktail and whitetail deer seem to be the most jumpy. last year I watched my buddy shoot at a nice blacktail. 17 yds, buck was grazing with his head down. At the shot he raised his head and dropped his body 8-10”.
Shooting a newer Mathews bow that is fairly quiet, my buddies arrow just grazed the top of his back.

 

[kcm2]

I have shot two antelope at 25 yards that were quartering away right side to me. I hit them left side quartering away with a perfectly paced arrow. And at 40-50 yds, watched good bucks just take two steps forward and watch and arrow sail by their backside.

 

[MeatBuck]

I’ve missed a blacktail at 40 over water because of string jump. They’re cagey critters.

 

[treillw]

Your first "fact" isn't one because it is not true.

Regardless, don't overthink it.

What am I missing here?

 

[Reburn]

What am I missing here?

Nothing. Your flight time is correct.

 

[Laramie]

Has that happened to any of you guys? Where your arrow hits... goes thru him... but he just stands there?.. almost like in a state of shock?.. before he snaps back into reality and begins to try to run away?

I have had several animals die within feet of where they were hit. Basically they just stand there and leak. My best whitetail buck took two steps after the shot and then just stood there a few seconds before tipping over. My first elk made it 6 yards. It was a heart shot and the elk had no clue I was there. It isn't common though - The vast majority of animals I have shot run 50-100 yards before piling up.

 

[HWR]

I've been thinking about this topic as well, and came across the linked article. It's an interesting read.

http://www.fullpotentialoutdoors.co... average of,or complete the downward movement.

 

[sram9102]

I wounded a whitetail doe last year at 30ish yards because she jumped the string. Perfect broadside shot she turned 90 degrees into me at the shot and the arrow grazed off of the onside shoulder. I don't know if she heard me draw or caught the movement but she ninja'd the hell out of that arrow.

 

[treillw]

There is a good pod cast by bill, the owner of iron will, in which he talks about arrow and bow noise. He did some testing and if I recall, with the data he collected he said it wasn't an issue to him anymore.

Any clue of where this is/who it's with?

Thanks.

 

[wapitibob]

Nothing. Your flight time is correct.

Do you think an arrow leaving a bow at 300 fps is still going 300 fps at 80 yards downrange?