Sting Silencers

[Matty]

Great poll. I've had good luck and bad luck with both. Like someone else said. Some bows are simply louder than others

[JamesKerr]

I use plain yarn that you can get for quilting in hobby shops. I keep mine from getting to wet by applying a waterproofing agent that is used in fly fishing. For anyone that is interested in it it is called Loon Watershed and it works pretty good for me. I have also used it on furs and wool and the results a pretty much the same.

[Thadbow]

I use to use wool and then I switched to cat whiskers a few years ago.  To me, they do a really good job keeping my bow quiet and are very durable.  I have never tried Bow Hush silencers but maybe I will.... I do like the looks of the wool...

[BWallace10327]

I'll save my worn out dacron string and let the wax left in it dry up.  I will then cut 1-1.5" pieces and tie 2 of them in an X shape with dental floss. I'll have 2 pieces on the top limb and 2 on the bottom limb.  This is a really cheap, very effective silencer that doesn't hurt performance all that much.

[jmrsyrs]

Hush puppies on all my bows - perform great and look very trad.

[Gdpolk]

I find cat whiskers to be the best while also not robbing performance. Yarn can do as well bit it slows the bow down a bit more. Also cat whiskers respond better to rain.

With that said, I like muskrat fur the best.

[Chris Jackson]

I love rubber string silencers but have to admit the bow hush products are the only wool silencers I've liked.  And for the skeptics I say for six bucks you can give it an honest try without breaking the bank.  Guess at the end of my day at least supporting the home team is pretty important.  

But if you are really worried about soaked silencers just twist up two identical strings one with bow hush and the other with rubber silencers.  In the event of rain swap them out.  I learned the hard way that two strings is mandatory on a hunt.  Dont believe me get careless with a sharp broadhead and touch a tight string.

[DanielB89]

I wonder what the difference in performance between a bow hush or yarn silencer vs a cat whisker really is.  

Anyone ever tested this?

[LBR]

It's going to depend on how much you use of either material, and where they are placed on the string.  The two biggest mistakes I've seen is using way too much silencer material and just sticking it in the string rather than tuning for the best results.

Chad

I use Fisherman's Wool to make my own silencers. I have tried different things over the years and like the Fisherman's Wool the best.

Besides, I buy a skein of it at the hobby store for about $10, and have enough yarn to make a BUNCH of silencers!

Bisch

[Cavscout9753]

My bow is pretty quiet already, the yarn balls I use are probably as much aesthetics as anything. Plus I'm guessing this roll of yarn will last me for years. Ive considered water proofing them, but I dont feel it to be urgent yet, couple taps on the string and the major water is gone anyhow. To each their own.

[katman]

Daniel, I have tested wool vs cat whisker, I usually use 1/2 of it on each side of string, I won't post chrono results but in the real world at twenty yards same impact point for me. Bow hush just looks so darn good on a trad bow.

[DanielB89]

I think the yarn/bow hush looks so much better than the cat whiskers. Though a friend(Chris Jackson) made me a string that came with cat whiskers installed and man did they look good. They were short and maintained a round shape. I like to call it, "eye candy"

[Randy Koleno]

It's Cat Whiskers for me. I keep trying to use fur or yarn, but I end up going back to the whiskers for my hunting bows.

 I cut them to 1.25", install them to get that little round ball effect, and forget about them. I ignore them in the rain, they don't pick up burrs, they work as good as anything I've tried  and you can slide them up and down the string for tuning.

 I do like the looks of fur better, but I'm dealing with it.

[TradBrewSC]

Just recently added the bow hush system to my Morrison Cheyenne and to say that I was impressed is an understatement.

Best silencer I have ever used and have used them all.

My Morrison is now quiter than any recurve or longbow I have owned and took little performance away in terms of speed.

Whiskers work fine but wear out quickly and can slide easily. IMO they belong on training wheels but that's just me!

[LBR]

"Whiskers work fine but wear out quickly and can slide easily."

Again, it's a matter of installing them properly.  

Lots of great silencers available--as long as you use them properly.  None of them will work to their potential if you don't do your part.

[Keith Zimmerman]

I use both.  One small set of each.

[mightyox]

I just put beaver fur on my bear. i love the look and they work pretty well. I can't tell much difference between them and the cat whiskers sound wise.slim grim made me a new string the fur came in the mail a few days later. so i have the old string with the cat whiskers still on it if i ever decide to switch back

[Keefer]

Wool here..

[PopeandYoung_51]

I zip tie my cat whiskers, like Robertsons. I cut them to 3.5". I have shot them in the rain and it didn't seem to make a difference. To me, it'd seem like wool or other animal hair would be affected more than cat whiskers, if both were water-soaked. Sliding zip tied cat whiskers on the string help me tune better than adjusting brace height. Overall, I prefer the look of wool, but think cat whiskers are more water resistant.