Deer jumping the string

[Ty-bone727]

I've recently made the switch from compound to recurve. I know that deer jump the string on compound so I figure with recurves shooting slower they will do it even worse. When shooting a deer with recurve do you pick your aiming spot a little lower or what?

[grouseshooter002]

Just get closer.

Grouse

[dink]

most of the time i do depends on the range you will be taking much closer shots with a recurve and your bow should be quieter only shoot at relaxed deer

[Orion]

Stickbows are a lot quieter than compounds, and the noise they do make is less metallic, more of a soft thud, which most critters don't find alarming.  Unless the deer is on full alert, it isn't likely to jump the string.  In short, deer jumping the string is no more of a problem with stickbows, probably less. Aim where you always aim, center lung or heart.

[Terry Green]

What Orion Said...but I'll add a little more emphasis on body language....yes, at times and certain locals you MUST aim low or you will miss.  

You have to be the judge of when to and when not to...

  Slow Mo breakdown with graphics

[Biggamefish]

Cool graphics.  I had my first jump the string last year.  The deer was on alert and I ended up spining it.  Like the guys before said you have to ead the deers body language

[Ty-bone727]

Aight sounds good.  Yeah I think longest shot I'll take will be 20 yards. And I have noticed it is a lot quieter than compounds. One other question if anyone would know. I'm pullin back 49 pounds at my draw length with a 540 grain arrow. About how fast do y'all think my arrow flight is?  Also 3, 5 inch parabolic feathers.

[Ty-bone727]

Thanks Terry! Their is a lot I have to learn about this recurve business but I love it.  I think hunting with recurve and focusing more on everything even the way the deer is acting before the shot will make me a better hunter all around. Thanks guys for your help. I'm sure I will have more questions in the future!

[JimB]

A lot of good advice.Sound is the main culprit when they jump.Most bows can be silenced really well by maintaining proper brace height and quality silencers placed in the right position.A little bit of a low thump is OK but higher pitched sounds are more likely to get a reaction.Silencing is extremely important as is judging the body language.Grunting to stop a deer at close range can put him on high alert.

[Ty-bone727]

I agree with you Jim. One thing I have never done is made a noise to get a deer to stop. If they won't stop on their own I'll jus wait. I hunt a heavy pressured area and usually if you make any noise at all the deer are gone

[Ty-bone727]

Thanks Terry! Their is a lot I have to learn about this recurve business but I love it.  I think hunting with recurve and focusing more on everything even the way the deer is acting before the shot will make me a better hunter all around. Thanks guys for your help. I'm sure I will have more questions in the future!

[Cory Mattson]

20 yards is actually a dangerous distance. Not saying you can't shoot - but a couple a things.

One - as mentioned deers body language - always be looking for a flick of the tail which usually means they have relaxed - it  is sort of a digital reset in the deers mind that they are cool to take the next step or pick a bite to eat
Two - 10 & 15 yards is a much better distance minimizing the time a deer has to react. 18 to 22 is probably the worst  
Three - deer over 25 yards commonly don't react (if you shot without them seeing you)
Four - NEVER shoot at a deer that has picked you out.
Five - when aiming low make sure you still aim at a kill spot lower chest since deer don't always move
Six - prefer to shoot from cover - and when it is a little breezy when deer are standing - first and last light when it is so quiet I am better to shoot em walking
Note: deer do react to recurves but much less than they do to a compound
Note: 1992 I switched from recurves to flatbows & longbows and have NEVER had a deer jump the string since

[graybarkhunter]

ty, you'll be surprised at the number of second shots you'll get because the sound of trad equipment (if silenced properly with correct br. ht. and puffs) cant tell you how many 2nd and even 3rd shots i've gotten on the same deer, as opposed to the .22 sounding wheelie i used to shoot. 1 shot and deer is out of the county! i also hunt heavily pressured deer (i.e. deer walk around looking up in trees ) and it blew my mind how they reacted, its almost like they havent ever heard the sound of a real sticknstring. anyways, make your first shot count , but have  #2 real close.  body language is important, but still aim where you normally do. it'll all come together... good luck and pick a hair

[Ty-bone727]

Thanks for the advice Cory. I can't wait for these next two months to go by so I can try it out!

[Ty-bone727]

Gray bark, where at in Mississippi do you hunt?

[stickum]

I had one time with my longbow, The deer was feeding, I got in a hurry and didn't focus on a spot and shot under the deers chest.  The deer stopped feeding, looked at the arrow in the ground, went over and sniffed the arrrow and went right back to feeding. No reaction to me or the sound of the bow.  (It was a wood arrow)

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Ty-bone727:
Aight sounds good.  Yeah I think longest shot I'll take will be 20 yards. And I have noticed it is a lot quieter than compounds. One other question if anyone would know. I'm pullin back 49 pounds at my draw length with a 540 grain arrow. About how fast do y'all think my arrow flight is?  Also 3, 5 inch parabolic feathers.

Don't know your draw length, but it is a factor in your speed. I would guess your arrow speed is somewhere in the neighborhood of 160-180 fps. At the low end for a relatively short(26") draw and it will be at the upper end for a longer(29") draw. Check my signature below for my specs which are similar to yours.    

Regardless of what your arrow speed is, it's still plenty fast enough, especially with your relatively moderate to heavy arrow weight for that amount of draw weight. You should have no problem killing a variety of game with that setup.  

[Ty-bone727]

Aight that's what I'm looking for. I have 28 inch draw so Im pulling 49 at 28. I was jus looking to get close to what it would be. All I'll be hunting are whitetails an hogs. Maybe a turkey next spring. Hopefully that's enough to get the job done

[Arwin]

I aim low on public land deer, they are always jumpy and rarely stop for more than a minute.
 I feel it's better to miss low and have a clean miss vs hitting them high and leave an arrow stuck in an animal with a non lethal hit.

 It's probably safe to say that 80% of the deer I have shot that were aimed low on, had an arrow entry in this location:

 
 
 

[graybarkhunter]

ty, around Bolton(towards vicksburg) and several places around the state when my buddies need some help with their deer