Sound suppression

[FORVOLS]

Ok 40yrds in is extreme sound suppression really necessary? I shoot an EXCAL Matrix 355 fast as heck, and not to loud to me. I stuffed the rail with foam got string bumpers. But looking at some this sound suppression stuff and cost I'm like really? Im shooting at game(mainly whitetails) max 40-50yrds, most will be 10-30yrds. Mainly due to location and thick cover...But I been thinking if I need a 60-xxx yard shot on any animal(big game) then I need to have a gun. If I was mid to out west and open shooting no way would I drop 900-1200 on a crossbow of any kind. Since I don't hunt those areas I am really inclined to stop chasing the "sound suppression" gadgets. And just my thinking on range, know and respect lots of others desire to take game at longer with a xbow, just not me.

[hankenhunter]

Well said. I've taken deer out to forty yards and haven't had one jump the string. Which is a misnomer because deer have to bunch up before they can jump. So if you're worried, aim a bit lower. Quicker blood trails and faster bleeding out. Besides, being deaf, my beast sounds kinda quiet to me.
Hank

[outdoorsman]

I to have taken deer out to 40 yards and the deer didn't have a clue .but I for one want to have the best chance possible when the deer of a life time comes by that's why I went to a micro suppessor to increase my chance to go home with a rear trophy. He did get that big by being stupid.
Dale

[Deaf jeff]

Well said. I've taken deer out to forty yards and haven't had one jump the string. Which is a misnomer because deer have to bunch up before they can jump. So if you're worried, aim a bit lower. Quicker blood trails and faster bleeding out. Besides, being deaf, my beast sounds kinda quiet to me.
Hank

being deaf surely helps with sound(27 years experience in this department). sound dampening on crossbows is overrated imo.
no deer i have shot has ever complained

[typical10]

I am hunting giant iowa whitetails every fall, taking 3 between 165 and 186 in the last 3 years. With that said I have used NO sound suppression and will continue not to. The 380 and bulldog are bad ass fast. Just my opinion~

[papabear1]

Well said !
bravo!!!!!

[IronNoggin]

I've taken a decent handful of bucks well out beyond 40 yards, and right up to "point blank".
Although I initially tried a few things to quieten my M380 down at when I first got it, I have long since given up in that pursuit. Sure it is a little on the loud side. Never Ever had that make any difference whatsoever on anything I've ever shot with it. Fast & Efficient, she simply is a Keeper just the way she is...

Cheers,
Nog

[FORVOLS]

I stuffed my rail with some 1/2in water pipe insulation I had in the basement while I had the 355 broke down to parade rest. Got the stock string bumpers on it. It is sporting a 8ptnbuck custom string and TT trigger, no quiver or munch mount. Will carry extra bolts/arrows off the bow if needed. Got a Hawke scope mounted and I did heat shrink the arrow retainer spring. Again what I had in the basement. The area I hunt and way I hunt I don't see the benefit of adding all the "do dads" of sound suppression. Now someone else different area greater ranges or just what they want to do...then go ahead. BIG thing stay in the woods fellas and take a kid.

[amythntr]

.....$15 set of "ear muffs" used in pistol shooting....best sound suppression I know of....but agree that it is well over rated....this whole thing with sound suppression, jacking up the bow and spending a small fortune on an arrow setup probably has Fred Bear rolling over in his grave in and don't cha tink? ....sounds like a bunch of grown men who ain't happy unless they've (me included) spend as much as the rig itself in aftermarket tinkering!

Anthony

[Ferguson Outfitters]

If its so scary, why doesn't it spook the other game animals when traveling together?

I get the same reaction with rifle shots, half the time the other animal will come over and sniff the dead one or just hang out for a while and skip off.

Heck, I've actually recocked and shot a second animal at 25 yards

[nchunterkw]

I use no sound suppression and have zero issues out to 33yds on whitetails. My opinion on longer shots is that :

if you are 20 yds from a whitetail and make noise he comes unglued because you are in the freakout danger zone. But if he is 50 yds away and you make some noise he generally will first look in the direction of the noise and then possibly run off. Since you are not in the freakout zone he doesn't freak out.
Still to me it's bow hunting and so the idea is to get as close as you can. So my personal preference is to keep shots 30 or less.

Now out west, things like moose and elk, number 1 have a bigger kill zone and number 2 can't move as quickly as a whitetail. So there longer shots of 50 and 60 seem very reasonable to me. Not sure where muleys fall on the "agility scale" but I'd say below a whitetail. No clue on antelope either....just know they are stupid fast at flat out running.

So to sum up my opinions, I do some sound suppression stuff that has zero effect on speed (wrap stirrup - although that has limited effect IMO...I think it just changes the frequency of the vibration rather than actually eliminate any vibration, shrink wrap retainer, possibly stuff the rail). But anything on the string or limbs is off the table for me as it just robs you of energy with no real appreciable benefit.

Happy tinkering

[Ferguson Outfitters]

I get the same results from five yards to fifty yards, they don't freakout for me. I don't think they associate the sound of a gunshot or the thong of a string to danger.

I don't even use blinds, sometimes I use a strip of burlap, otherwise I'm on the ground, many times in some brush.

I get this result on hogs to and they are much smarter than deer and such. I shot a sow last year from 20 yards whilst I was buried up in a brushtop, the bolt went clean through, she and her boar pardner walked straight toward me and past then she fell over. The boar nudged her around then musta caught wind of me and started growling as he looked my direction. He would not leave her so I recocked and loaded a bolt and popped him as he was growling like a pitbull moving toward me. I hit him with a bad shot and he fell 25' off a grotto, then still tried to make his way back up to either me or the sow but died a slow death instead.

Actually, I get the same thing with Turkeys and squirrels too. Ducks will haul butt though.

[Boo]

Spend the effort to lower noise for yourself because the deer don't care. Deer respond to movement far more than they do for noise. So shoot at a relaxed deer that is looking away from you and you'll have no worries.
I used to lower noise when I was younger but now that I use hearing aids, I just don't put them in when I'm shooting at targets.
To me, the bottom line is that if it gains you confidence, go for it and ignore everyone.

[L. E. Carroll]

Living less than 100 miles from the coast here in WA, that's about as far west as I can imagine. To that point, I actually hunt Roosevlt Elk ( from the ground) at or near sea level within 5 miles of the Pacific Ocean which can be in some places like hunting in a jungle. And yes, in places on the East Side of the Cascade Mtns. there are plenty of wide open spaces with nothing but alfafa and wheat fields and various other AG fields, as well as Miles of huge sage Brush where I love hunting big Mule Deer.

Keep in mind we also have mountains on that side in some regions that are covered in Fir and Pine, but not nearly as dense and vine choked as found on the coast and the Mule Deer and Rocky Mtn Elk love these regions also.

I own and hunt with 3 great Excals. including a Micro 335, a Matrix 350, and a 380.

All of my bows get the job done at ranges up to 45 yards ( my imposed max limit regardless with the bow being used that day ) all of my bows are set up "plain and simple", with a shrink wrapped arrow hold down lever, a set of either Danny Miller "Baby Bumpers" or DR bumpers, a wrapped and camoed stirrup, and a good flemish string, usually made for me by Vixenmaster.

I have never had a negative reacton from an animal due to the noise of my bow..... Usually, if that were to happen, they reacted due to something stupid on my part.

IMO, shot placement and a calm target animal are what's important with the small amount of noise at the shot being of small importance.

In addition to the above listed items, each of my bows are also set up with what I consider to be a quality scope, those being a Hawke XB30 Pro's or Leupold Crossbones. In addition, each wears a Munch Mount as I often carry them long distances on a sling over my shoulder and hate the quiver digging into me while doing so.

Gene

[SEW]

I admittedly hunt deer at longer ranges than many Xbow users . I've found that the longer the range, the more that deer freeze at the sound of the shot. They seem to be trying to determine the source of the noise. Actually, the noise seems to help stop any movement.