Increasing performance of recurve

[Jim Wright]

If my math is correct, 200 f.p.s.( which would be scorching for a trad. bow) is around 136 m.p.h and the speed of sound is right at 750 m.p.h. I could not agree more with the previous posts that quiet is a lot better than fast.

[Dave Bulla]

My thought is also to quiet the bow.  

Bowhush or yarn served around the string for the first couple inches at the loops and moleskin on the limb where it hits plus heavier arrows will all help quiet it down.  Also make sure that you are not hitting your sleeve or a pocket flap at all when wearing your hunting clothes.  If you are using arrows with tight snap nocks that sometimes causes more noise.  You can change nocks, go to a skinnier serving or just pull some sandpaper through the nock to soften the snap action.  You can also switch out your sideplate and shelf to the fuzzy side of velcro, moleskin, seal fur or something similar if you are getting noise there.

Beyond that, all I can think of is to go to a longbow or selfbow.  Most all of them are quieter than recurves but some recurves can be made to shoot very quiet too.  The Widows I've been around have mostly been a little on the noisy side.

As for the Woodsman heads whistling, I've never used them but have heard lots of guys mention the noise and I THINK that one of the common answers was to put vaseline on them and it quiets them down.  No idea how much you need and it sounds about like a snipe hunt to me but I'm sure I've heard it said here.

[Charlie Lamb]

On longer shots, say 20+ yards the noise of the shot, being farther away, does not illicit a startle reaction.

Bill. I couldn't agree more. I smile when someone posts that the animal has more time to get out of the way at 20-25 yards.
The closer they are the more violently they react to the sound of the bow.

Matter of fact, I've found that a bowhunter can get by with more of everything when he's not right on top of the deer.
Ground standers especially may not be doing them selves a favor by setting up for the 10-15 yard shot.

But then not many seem to be comfortable at 20-25 yards these days.

[elknut1]

Dave, great job on your deer! My only suggestion would be in your off season (don't mess with your setup now) is to build an arrow that weighs in at aprox 500grns & give it a try. Experimenting is part of the fun & keeps the fire burning inside! (grin) Test it out & see if you like your results when compared to your present arrow!

  That 500grn arrow is still plenty heavy for your 51# draw wt. I've used this arrow wt now for a few years out of a 55# longbow & have had a pass-through on both bull elk & heavy bodied mule deer in the 250#-270# class at 32yds, so the arrow is plenty as long as it's tuned to your setup & has razored up heads!

   For instance, my arrow to date is a beman mfx carbon 500 at 27 1/2" long, I have a 75grn brass insert & a 125 grn head for 200grn up-front, my actual total wt is 496grn.  You could use that same arrow but make it a bit longer to spine for your setup, maybe in the 28 1/2" range. If need be you can also play with the insert wt as it can be tailored to different grn wt, it doesn't have to be 75grns. Just a thought for a bit of fun! (grin)

  ElkNut1

[Guru]

Beyond the "if it ain't broke don't fix it", there are few things that will get you a faster set-up, but that doesn't mean they won't still jump the string. But it is fun to fool around with different arrows during the off season.

Like Elknut said, dropping down to about a 500gr arrow will get you some speed, but might add a little to the sound of the bow.

Going to a "skinny string" of high performance material will help you gain a little speed and might even quiet your bow. Some people find that to be the case.

Like Charlie said, a little less fletch and maybe less helical. Won't be much at all as far as speed, but will probably be a little quieter.

Different silencer materials might give small gains.

Your set up is fine, but just some things you can have some fun with when you get some time.....

[2treks]

Good stuff up top. I would get the bow tuned to be as quiet as you can and then work on shot execution.I would suggest that you start with picking your draw and shot time. If your bow is slower than the speed of sound, then a deer has a chance to duck. My worst "duck" was on a big ole doe at 4 FEET from my tree(yes,it still baffels me.)I do not remember any ducks beyond 10-12yds tho. That all being said, I have killed nearly 20 deer over the last 5-6yrs UNDER 10yds. In fact I have only killed one deer over 15yds for about 6-8yrs. The longest was the above doe that I got back into me and double lunged her at 28yds. the same night.
   This is all to say that I watch my scent, get me and my set up Quiet! Then I try to be ready for the shot BEFORE the shot comes. Bow up and tracking the critter coming in. Then it is just small and SLOW but Smoothe motions to get the arrow off the string. Once I quit wearing synthetic clothing, I stopped spooking deer with my draw and release,Thats why I love wool so much(I'm just saying).
   It sounds like your set up is fine, and I do not mean to say that you do not know how to hunt. This is just a few things that have helped me over the years and is what keeps me in the woods. I like to put me against the wits that allow suvival in nature.When I "win" I eat good and sleep well.
Good luck,
Chuck

[Big Ed]

Pad the loops of your string with yarn or have one made with padded loops. Take your brace height up to about 8 3/4 to 9 inches. You will see very little difference in the shooting of the bow. But the noise level will be astoundingly less. Good luck and have fun. I've had them duck wheelie bows at 300+ fps and still had them duck selfbows at 160 Fps. Pick your shots wisely, remember sometimes the best shot is not to shoot at all. High percentage shots equal high percentage recoveries. Big Ed

[LC]

All good advice above and couldn't agree more , I can only add that a whitetails ability to "jump" the string or react to it is akin to have some piece of dust come right at your eye! You blink and it hits your eyelid and you didn't even have time to think about it! It was just your brain reconizing the danger and doing the right thing without YOU even having to think about it.