Whurrr goes the arrow

[SIontheHunt]

Here's some background. I am predominantly a whitetail with a rifle guy who gets to do an out west trip every couple years. On my last colorado fall bear hunt all I could find was elk... This set me down a path of wanting to chase elk with a bow. I have shot a bow since I could pull one back but never really dedicated myself to bow hunting. I sold my 13 year old hoyt charger, got a PSE fortis 33 and built some moderately high FOC arrows. Bare shaft tuned bullet holes and then used the ez fletch mini max left helical (bow spins left and it is one of the few left options). The arrows shoot like lasers and inside 30 I cannot shoot groups without risking damaging my arrows.

Here is my issue. They are loud. sounds like a drone flying through the air. I really do not want to start over but I am conflicted. Does arrow sound really matter when the sound of the bow going off is louder anyways?

PS it will be next year before I hit the elk woods but I will be chasing deer this year.

 

[GoneFullTrad]

Are your fieldpoints / broadheads unscrewing after shooting? Typically if you fletch left helical that arrow is going to spin left and if you are right handed which I assume you may be backing out the field points after release and after pulling from your target?

All it takes is a slight turn out of the insert / outsert system and it causes insane vibration and noise.

If this is the case you can resolve it buy coating your field point/broadhead inserts with melted candle wax and then crank them in or you can use a mild putty or blue locktite and some people use small o-rings .

If that is not your issue you may have really excessive helical but I have never heard that coming out of the EZ Fletch.

 

[Billy Goat]

I think arrow sound is way worse than bow sound personally.

Bee flying at you, can't help but react.

Single noise, it's kinda indifferent.

I'd forget high foc as well.

 

[5MilesBack]

People have always said that 2" NAP Quickspin Speed Hunter vanes are loud, but I've never had an elk react to the sound of them even on long shots.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Opinions vary on the importance of bow noise vs. arrow noise, and no one can give you a definitive answer. If you're concerned about it, strip the vanes off a few arrows and try something different. Generally speaking, less offset/helical angle, shorter vane profile, and stiffer vane material tend to be quieter. But the vanes still need to be tall enough to reliably steer a broadhead and have some angle to induce rotation. What vanes are you currently shooting?

Edited to add: Make sure your vanes are fully adhered to the arrow shaft. If a portion didn't get glued properly or worked loose after shooting, the loose section could flutter in flight and cause excessive noise.

 

[oake]

I wonder are your broadheads vented? I think for me anyway I ditched the vents and went the solid route due to noise.

Just thought I’d share - best of luck

 

[Subliminal1]

I wonder are your broadheads vented? I think for me anyway I ditched the vents and went the solid route due to noise.

Just thought I’d share - best of luck

I did the exact same!

 

[SIontheHunt]

The field tips do loosen up a bit so i crank them down with some pliers. I do not think that is the source. Vanes are bohning blasers. They are glued well.

I would describe the ez fletch mini max as an aggressive helical and I think that is the source.

I just do not know if the sound of the arrow makes much of a difference when the bow is louder anyways.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I don't recall which podcast it was on, but I recall someone relaying the anecdotal experience of a hunting guide in Africa who firmly believed arrow noise was more likely to spook animals than bow noise. He/his clients often hunted out of a blind over watering holes and shots were often taken with multiple animals standing in all directions around the blind. He claimed that the animals standing downrange of the bow would often bolt at the shot but those standing to the side of or behind the shooter would just lift their heads and look toward the blind but not run. It seems plausible to me that the sound of an approaching arrow would be more alarming to an animal than the sound made by the bow. The animal's level of alertness prior to the shot is a factor in their reaction too.

If you're concerned about your arrow noise and think the aggressive helical angle is the cause, get a different fletching jig and try a lesser angle. Or strip a few arrows and have your local bow shop do it for you if you don't want to buy another jig.

 

[GoneFullTrad]

The field tips do loosen up a bit so i crank them down with some pliers. I do not think that is the source. Vanes are bohning blasers. They are glued well.

I would describe the ez fletch mini max as an aggressive helical and I think that is the source.

I just do not know if the sound of the arrow makes much of a difference when the bow is louder anyways.

I personally think arrow sound is an issue more so than the bow because typically I can get away with making one sound and not spooking an animal but two almost always does. I think that is a universal truth with risk analyst. Hearing a branch cracking is alarming but its not concerning until you hear other branches crack as it falls.

I would think the same thing goes with arrow noise. Of course your distance and speed of your bow plays a role in that. I shoot a longbow and I typically never shoot past 20 yards but when I do the arrow noise is more apparent as my arrow slows down.

 

[Beendare]

I don't recall which podcast it was on, but I recall someone relaying the anecdotal experience of a hunting guide in Africa who firmly believed arrow noise was more likely to spook animals than bow noise.

I wonder how he can say that?

Sound from the bow could be blocked from the walls of the blind to the animals on the side or behind.

I can see where some smaller animals are spooked by a whistling arrow and have seen squirrels at long range recognize an incoming arrow.

The animals I've seen reacted to the bow noise as they reacted immediately before the arrow covered much ground.