Jumping string?

[rtravers44]

New to crossbows and worried about deer jumping string

[OkXbowHunter]

I wouldn't worry about it under 30 yards and I wouldn't worry that much about it out to 40. If the deer are alert, then I might pass on a 40 or 50 yard shot. If they're calm and I have a clear shot, the arrow flys.

[j.krug]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to crossbow hunting also. As long as you have a shot within a reasonable range and it's a good clear shot you have no worries. They are more likely to jump at the shock of the arrow passing through them than to jump the string.

[georgiaboy]

Just take the same precautions as you would hunting with a vertical bow.
And welcome to the forum!!!

[gendoc]

main thing is..... they must go down first !! before they spring up.
you really need to pay close attention to there reactions.
if they come in with notta clue.... then the jump requires much set-up before
the launch. but ifin that tails down there come'n in half cocked, so the set-up will be minimal.
hey, thats jus tha way it is here in tha deep south... maybe there slow learners
like tha people here but we know how they react
ain't that right georgiaboy ?????

[vixenmaster]

Hey i knowed what you mean on that string jumping! I shoot them & they jump out thar sometimes as fer as 60 yds as i watch them go down!

[gerald strine]

Just remember the x bow is still a short range tool shoot at deer that are not on alert and under 35 yards and you will have great results.
shoot farther and at deer that are raider locked in to you and you are asking for a poor hit, aim at the top of the heart for the most forgiving target /wiggle room.

[Cossack]

Flight is the primary escape mechanism of deer. Any sound you make prior to shooting (like a "blaaat" to stop them) puts them in pre-escape mode; which they activate at the NEXT noise....like your bow. I personally feel that they can actually see an arrow coming at them when in that state. Solution: avoid making the first noise. Shoot at relaxed deer within reasonable range ie < 40 yards (preferably closer.)

[onebigskittle]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to crossbow hunting also. As long as you have a shot within a reasonable range and it's a good clear shot you have no worries. They are more likely to jump at the shock of the arrow passing through them than to jump the string.

The first one i ever shot i thought jumped the string but it musta been the shock because it was a heart shot.It kinda shocked me because i thought i missed but knew i had my game face on and was dialed in.

[j.krug]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to crossbow hunting also. As long as you have a shot within a reasonable range and it's a good clear shot you have no worries. They are more likely to jump at the shock of the arrow passing through them than to jump the string.

The first one i ever shot i thought jumped the string but it musta been the shock because it was a heart shot.It kinda shocked me because i thought i missed but knew i had my game face on and was dialed in.

Nice!! Sure gets the blood pumpin' don't it!!

[GaryM]

I read an article in a hunting magazine about jumping the string. The article had a math formula to figure what range your bow was good for. My old style Exocet, when I plugged in the numbers, gave me a figure of 16 yds. That's the maximum range that an alerted deer absolutely cannot jump the string. The formula used the speed of your bow and the reaction speed of a deer. That's the results the article gave me.

In my experience, it's like what's been said. An alert deer will be more likely to jump the string than a relaxed one. Also, a monster buck that weighs 300+ pounds is a lot less likely to jump the string than a 100 lb. yearling. Gary

[wabi]

I use the K.I.S.S. method for deer hunting. I sight in with a single aiming point at 25 yards. (Phoenix crossbow & Leupold scope) Anywhere from 0 to 30 yards my arrow will be dead center horizontally and ± 3" in elevation. All I need to do is keep shots at deer within a range of less than 30 yards and hold dead center of the kill zone.

The first year I used an Excalibur I had a new Vixen and was shooting heavy arrows (2219s). I shot at a buck at just over 30 yards and in the excitement I used the wrong yardage mark in the scope. That mistake put my arrow about 4" high, but I watched the buck drop (jump the string) as the arrow was in flight and was able to see the arrow pass harmlessly above his back. In hindsight I believe the buck was reacting more to the flash of the limbs (sight, he was looking my direction on the shot) than sound, but at appx. 34 yards he was able to avoid the arrow. If I hadn't used the wrong yardage mark he would have been hit, but it would have been in the high back muscles and non-fatal.

Since then I've kept shots closer and have never lost one to string jump. (I've lost a few to other reasons like hitting an unnoticed limb, the deer moving as the arrow released, scope failure, and using the wrong yardage mark again. After the second miss with the wrong yardage mark - shot under this one at 30 yards - I decided a single aiming point was best for me.)

My memory isn't what it was a few decades ago, but I believe my longest kill shot has been under 25 yards and I've killed over 20 deer with the Excalibur(s).

I have a few self-imposed rules I follow carefully now.
1. Make 100% sure the shooting lanes are clear of anything that could deflect an arrow.
2. Make 100% sure the deer is within 30 yards when I pull the trigger.
3. Make 100% sure I'm holding where I want the arrow to hit (center of the kill zone or slightly high/low if I know the exact yardage and have the time to adjust for trajectory).
4. Make 100% sure I shoot with good form (squeeze the trigger & "follow through" watching the arrow hit).
5. Make 100% sure in my mind I really want to kill the deer the crosshairs are on, because if I follow the first 4 rules it's dead quickly.

Could I kill one further than 30 yards? Probably so.
But I've never had to find out. I set my stand or blind where the deer will usually pass within a very close distance and have never had a "monster buck" tempt me to try a longer shot. We are allowed one buck a year and my problem is more likely to be a 4 or 6 point tempting me early in the season by "posing" for a perfect shot at 10 yards.
Last year it was a small racked 8 point at 18 yards.

[gerald strine]

Good info Wabi and a nice buck harvest also.

[rtravers44]

Thanx for all the great info guys

[Woody Williams]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to crossbow hunting also. As long as you have a shot within a reasonable range and it's a good clear shot you have no worries. They are more likely to jump at the shock of the arrow passing through them than to jump the string.

Ditto...

"Jumping the string" is way over rated..