Did ancient archers use silencer?

[Sam McMichael]

Has anybody seen indications that ancient archers used string silencers? I don't recall seeing them on any museum bows or in pictures/paintings from back in the day. I know the American Indians successfully hunted deer and other cagey game, so how did they avoid spooking them? What do our history savvy members know about this?

[arrow30]

im pretty sure those strings were pretty heavy..being made from gut and rawhide and such, they didnt make noise like our modern strings.

[Ron LaClair]

Their strings were made of cat gut and gave a soft purr when shot.

[Wudstix]

Plus many of the accounts I've read or seen the distance shot was in feet not yards.

[McDave]

Since a self bow with a cane arrow with a stone point was the pinnacle of high tech in those days, I’m sure they were thrilled with what they had, and they were the envy of all.

[kennym]

The arrow speed would probably be appalling to todays hunters. Slow bows make less noise.

[Pat B]

There were fur wrapped bow tips on some native bows. Whether it was decoration or silencer I don't know.

[Soonerlongbow]

If I remember right, they said Ishi was a pretty poor hunter and used a very inefficient bow by even that era of archery and other tribes.

[NY Yankee]

And they probably didn't worry about grain weight or forward of center either.

[Pat B]

I've read that Ishi was a poor target archer but I believe he was a good enough hunter to survive. IMO, most hunters today would be hard pressed to be good hunters/archers if we used the bows, arrows and strings primitive man used. The difference being survival. They had to depend on what they had to work with.
 Slower bows, heavy natural strings, natural arrow materials all make for a quieter shooting.

[Wudstix]

And they probably didn't worry about grain weight or forward of center either.

I'm sure they carried the latest model from the catalog and from the most popular custom bowyer, with matched arrows, feathers all from the same turkey and coordinated camo, no?

[McDave]

By the time Ishi arrived on the scene, game in California had already been seriously depleted by westward migration of settlers during the 1800’s.  Because he was starving, plus the personal pressure he felt from seeing his own people hunted almost to extinction by soldiers, he was about ready to throw in the towel.  I'm sure it was always difficult, even in the best of times, to survive on a diet of wild game plus whatever nuts and berries could be scrounged, but by Ishi's time it had become impossible.  Which is to say that Ishi's own hunting skills may have been somewhat degraded from those of the generations before him.

[Captain*Kirk]

Within any race of peoples, there are those to which a particular skill set comes naturally, and to others...not so much. I'm sure even those indigenous to North America and the hunting culture had some that were Howard Hills and some that were more like Charlie Brown. Though Ishi might have been a poor target archer and maybe not the greatest hunter, he obviously was good enough to survive to adulthood.

[Overspined]

Have you ever hunted unpressured deer?  They’re not quite so cagey. This year no silencers With an ASL I missed a 5x5 elk 2x and he hung around another 10min @ 50 yds without knowing what was happening. The bow noise is insignificant out of straight limb bows especially pre-modern influence self bows.  Btw my shots were definitely not 50 yds...

[Overspined]

If I remember right, they said Ishi was a pretty poor hunter and used a very inefficient bow by even that era of archery and other tribes.

Ishi was not a poor hunter..Ishi was alone.  Watch a few seasons of the show “alone”. With modern accoutrements they don’t last more than 60 days.

Nobody makes it alone for long. He may hold the record.

[rainman]

Even with light modern string material self bows are very quiet compared to wood and fiberglass bows.

[Sam McMichael]

I was wondering, because I have a couple of primitive bows that are very loud. One of them had a sinew string that I thought should be fairly quiet. Also, I know that hemp, silk, and other materials were common at various times. I wonder if they are louder than I would feel confident in using in the woods.

I use fur type silencers on most of my Hill style bows, whether they need them or not, but I haven't had much success with the primitive rigs.

[Pat B]

Sam, what sort of noise do they make? a twang, a thud?

[Overspined]

I was wondering, because I have a couple of primitive bows that are very loud. One of them had a sinew string that I thought should be fairly quiet. Also, I know that hemp, silk, and other materials were common at various times. I wonder if they are louder than I would feel confident in using in the woods.

I use fur type silencers on most of my Hill style bows, whether they need them or not, but I haven't had much success with the primitive rigs.

“Modern self bow” designs?  Long or short? Just curious. Also could the arrow be making some of the sound? Are the tillered well?

[Sam McMichael]

Most of the noise it a loud twang. One bow almost sound like wood boards hitting together, because it is so loud. Some are 66" or longer, but a couple are more like 64". Also, I'm still tinkering with brace height and arrow tune to see what effect that has on the problem. Some of these bows would make great hunting bows if I can get them quiet enough.