lighted Nocks-trad bowhunters

[Bill Carlsen]

Ooopsss! I guess I over edited my first response....sorry.

[Smallwood]

I use them , whether you hunt with them or not, you can't argue the fact that they really help in bareshaft tuning as you can see the nock all the way to the target and get a great tune on your bow by using these things.
It is illegal to hunt with them here in Colorado but I use them on out of state hunts.  The way I look at it, it in no way helps me or gives me an advantage in hitting the animal, only in seeing where the arrow hit, and how best to follow up the hit animal.

It does however, makes me laugh when some people start soapboxing about stuff like this, and then in another thread, you hear them bragging about their new bow with foam core limbs and carbon backings!      
Now don't get me wrong, I am in NO way bashing the new technology that is foam cores and carbon backs or even carbon arrows (I happen to like all of these). It just seems pretty funny to me when people will accept these things, and not something like a lighted nock.

 
To each his own....

[Joe D]

Well said Bill!  

[Bob Morrison]

I started using them last year. $25 BH, $10 arrow. Saved me $120 in Texas on retrieved arrows alone. After that it got to be fun to what the arrow in flight in low light conditions... It has not made me any better of a shot, and I don't see anymore deer than I did before. I do get most all arrows back now and not in the farmers tires. As Paul Brunner said one time or close it, I didn't make up any of the Trad laws, there fore they don't apply to me...I'm sure you won't got to hell for shooting a lighted nock  

[Steve O]

I haven't hunted with them.  I'd still like to be able to enter my animals into P&Y or Compton.  I wonder if I painted my nocks w/ glow in the dark paint if that would be illegal?  I do put a stip of reflective tape or even use a reflective wrap to help me find arrows in the dark.  I like to shoot an arrow or two when I get set up in the afternoons. I do use them as a tuning aid and shoot 3D with them at times.  I just LOVE to watch arrows fly, and shooting a lighted nock at a LONG taget is just a beautiful thing.  I make my own with the bobber lights.

[Jeff Strubberg]

How many electronic aids haven't worked when you needed them?  That truck ever leave you on the side of the road?  

Elitism is a bad thing, and tossing technology out of some sense of superiority is pretty silly.  The other side of the coin is the more stuff you rely on, the higher your chances of rolling snake eyes when you need things to go right.

[saltwatertom]

SteveO, did you get the instructions for making your own off of ****? I did, but haven't made any yet. Was wondering how they work and if anyone using that type are happy with them.

[GMMAT]

"I didn't make up any of the trad laws.  Therefore, they don't apply to me."

Classic!

[James Wrenn]

A lighted nock that does not light is not a deal breaker.It does not change the arrow flight or impact point in any way if it is not lit up.Electronics can not fail you on such an item as this

The cost is high but when you recover one arrow or one deer you would not have otherwise it pays for itself pretty quick.Since I can use the same arrows 2 or 3 years the cost means nothing.I don't go out with a dozen arrows with lighted nocks.No reason for it.A couple in the quiver for the last light,early morning and cloudy days is enough.

I find it baffling that so much is put into trying to get a broadhead that makes up for our mistakes and I see so much rejection for an item that's only benifit is recoverying an animal after the shot.  :confused:  

Yeah I did not make trad rules either.I just like to come home with what I kill.A lighted nock will help make that possible sooner or later.  

[reddogge]

I don't think this falls under any rules as I'm not aware of any rules but some hunters don't want any electronic devices on bows or arrows as it is more in keeping with what we are doing here.

I feel it is a personal line in the sand we each must decide to draw or ignore.  No rules apply here, just choices.

[Brian Krebs]

thanks for the opinions    

[bama]

I tie a small amount of fir shavings to my hand carved nocks with a small piece on sinew.  Then I light the shavings by striking a couple of pieces of flint together just before the shot.
Only reservation I have is that some game laws prevent the use of fire when hunting.

[paleFace]

I have not used them however while filming a hunt in Africa I watched a kudu that was shot with one and it was no doubt where the animal was hit. interesting enough as the animal ran off the arrow was pulled out by some brush and the arrow was actually lodged about 4 feet off the ground. had it not been for the lighted nock the arrow would have never been recovered.

it's hard to single out any one piece of equipment as bad or good for traditional archery/hunting. I am blessed to have good eye sight and have no trouble seeing my 180-200 fps arrows in flight, however I don't feel I can judge the next fellow if a lighted nock aids in seeing the flight of his/her arrow as well as the impact on game.

For the most part bowhunting, especially with traditional gear, is an individual pursuit. We each must make the choices in our equipment that we feel is not only ethical but will help make us better hunters. If using carbon shafts, lighted nocks, gps or any number of other products gives one the confidence to make clean kills on game then I say forget what anyone else says and do what feels right to you.

I don't enter the woods before daylight and think to myself, "I sure hope all Trad Hunters approve of how, why and with whom I'm hunting today". I enter the woods to satisfy a desire in me to enjoy nature with the hopes of tagging what ever critter it is I'm after. I hunt ethically and don't do things that would shed a bad light on not only traditional bowhunters, but all hunters.  Who am I to judge how and with what someone else chooses to hunt.

[Texas Tinman]

Originally posted by Red Boar:
I sure enjoy seeing them fly on Buff's videos.     :D  

X2!

I rarely hunt with them (unless I am hunting hogs at night) but they are a great training tool.

You can learn a lot about your arrow's tuning, flight trajectory, and your own form from shooting with one at night.

[Burnsie]

Mr. Wrenn is right on.  If for some reason the lighted nock doesn't work who cares. (other than you paid a lot for it and it should work properly)
If it doesn't light then your just back to the regular way of visually tracking where the arrrow hits. Worrying about some new fangled piece of technology failing you at a ctitical time doesn't seem to be an issue with in this case.  I totally subscribe to the KISS principle, but lighted nocks don't make anything more complicated.
My bigger concern is that it might tempt people to take marginal or even illegal low light shots at game.

[Bill Carlsen]

It is irresponsible to shoot in lighting conditions that are so low that accuracy  becomes an issue due to poor visibility. However, I leave the woods when I reach my personal threshold for that situation....even if it is still "legal" hunting time.  However, once the sun goes down shadows start to creep in and the whole sight picture thing starts to change and whether I like it or not shooting arrows with white or chartruse fletching is not always easy to follow in those circumstances. And if a nock fails to light on occaision I still have made the same shot...hit or miss....but I do  not have the same information that I would have had if the nock worked properly. (Reasons for nocks not lighting are often due to the nock fitting on the string too tightly or improper fit into the shaft).  I have also had it happen to me twice on deer when I would under or over shoot. Both times the deer would scamper a few yards and come back to eat the apples under the apple tree and totally disregard the glowing nock. Turkeys often react to the lighted nock with a peculiar sense of curiosity and I have had them actually surround the arrow and look at it like it was some sort of iridescent insect. Lots of gadgets are just that....gadgets that offer as many disadvantages as advantages. Unreliable gadgets get the heave ho. Lighted nocks do not take up any more room, make no noise and if they fail to work properly no harm is done. When I have the time I like to tinker and sometimes come up with a gadget or improve on one that makes my quest a little easier or improves on the performance of my equipment. There are numerous threads on this site all the time in regards to such pursuits...we even have a "HOW TO" forum....just to keep things simple, I suppose. I love my lighted nocks and hope that as time goes on they are improved upon.

[Smallwood]

For those that already shoot lighted nocks, or are thinking about trying them, I have found that the brand lumenock are not as dependable and alot more fragile than some other brands such as carbon express' version which uses a different means of activation. These are more reliable and much more durable.
 This same design can be homemade VERY easily by just searching the internet for 'lighted nock'.
You can make one for about $2.00 compared to $10.00 for a store bought one.