MikeHanback.com

How and Why Deer Jump the String

Hey Mike: Wondering if you could settle a friendly argument. A buddy and I were discussing deer jumping the string. I say it is all noise related and they instinctively react; he says it could also be visual—they see the arrow coming. Wondering your thoughts? Also, do you ever see a bow being fast enough that you don’t have to worry about them jumping the string or is that impossible? Thanks and keep up the great work! Jake in WI

You win, it’s an instinctive reaction. I heard a guy say one time, “It’s like when somebody sets off a firecracker, you jump.” Good way of illustrating it. I’ve heard people say that some deer might see the arrow and move, but I don’t buy it.

A few personal observations:

Jumping the string is a misnomer, it should be called “duck and roll.” A doe or buck hears your bow go off, drops its chest down and whirls to run in one motion. Can’t see it with the eye, but watch a slo-mo video, it’s amazing.

Some deer drop at the bow sound, others don’t. The unpredictability has to do with the distance to deer, quietness of bow, foliage that does/does not muffle sound, etc. You never know, so hold the correct sight pin on bottom third of vitals. Deer drops, you pierce mid-lungs; deer does not drop, you lance heart/low lungs. Either way, you kill deer.

I think deer duck and roll more in the East and South than in the Midwest or West. Do they duck arrows a lot or a little where you hunt?

I understand the speed of sound is 1,126 fps while a fast compound shoots an arrow at 300-plus fps. So I am reasonably sure there will never be a bow that propels an arrow that at least some deer will not jump (or rather duck :)

Help Needed: Which New Bow would You Recommend?

Mike: I am in the market for a new bow and the folks on your blog seem to be the “real” hunter type. I do not take the time to pour over all the reviews of the latest gizmos. I would be interested in some down to earth advice for a normal guy with a budget. I am willing to pay for quality but not hype. Delvin

Let's help him out, what bow would you recommend for the money?

Update: Rambo's Bow & Broadheads

Back in January I asked if anybody knew which bow Stallone was shooting in the latest Rambo flick, which was pretty gruesome with a death toll of something like 236. There was a lot of speculation, but I knew we would eventually get to the bottom of it, believe it or not there are people out there who actually research these kinds of things. Cartertown.com says:

In the new movie "Rambo" Stallone reportedly used a Hoyt Matrix and a Hoyt Gamemaster. He requested the Gamemaster at 70# and traded for 50# after a few weeks. This apparently has to do with the fact that he's expected to remain at full draw for unreasonable lengths of time during the filming process. I have read that the "exploding tips" were actually the "Razorbak 5" broadheads in their protective plastic covers and painted gold.

For more click the link, which has a lot of cool photos and the modern history on all the Hoyt bows Sly used in the Rambo series. There's even a section on Rambo's knives.

IL Man Bowshoots 92-pounder (3rd Biggest Carp in World!)

From a great story by Rod Kloeckner at bnd.com:

Bowfishing for gar from the shore in backwater above the Melvin Price Lock and Dam No. 26 on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River near Alton, Darin Opel shot a 92-pound, 8-ounce bighead carp with a compound bow and arrow. After fighting the behemoth for 10 minutes, Opel jumped into the muddy water, bear-hugged the beast and inched him to the shore.

"It was real heavy, like lifting a refrigerator," said Opel, who ripped his jeans on the arrow sticking from the back of the carp's head during the ruckus. "Once he got out of the water, he started fighting hard. He beat me up pretty good. He definitely got a few licks in."

Darin's catch is the largest on record by a recreational fisherman in the Western Hemisphere, and the third biggest carp in the world! He plans to mount the 62” monster, cost about $3,000. "I have almost a year to pay it off," he said. "I asked my boss today if we're going to be busy, because I may need some overtime."

I’ve bow-shot a few river carp in my day. It was fun, but I was never good at it. Anybody else tried it?

BTW, to put that photo in perspective, note that Darin is 6' 4" and 300 pounds. No Photoshop, just one big man and fish.

Should You Buy A Used Hunting Bow?

Mike: Got my federal tax refund a couple of weeks ago. I really wanted to spend it on a new Smith & Wesson M&P .45ACP pistol. All the talk of Hillary or Obama getting into the White House has made me want to purchase another handgun.

A buddy of mine just bought a new Bowtech General bow. The archery shop had a used 2007 Hoyt Vectrix XL for sale, and the shop owner said I could have it for $400 cash. Man, that was too good a deal to pass on. I guess I will have to hold out a little longer for my pistol :)

What do you think of buying used bows? Would you have done the same thing? Thanks, Barry S. from GA 

Barry: I wish I could do my taxes as fast as you, LOL, and damn right, with Hill or Obama looming we all ought to buy another handgun or 2 before Nov.

While there are some risks with buying anything used, I think you did a smart thing. You saved about $300 off MSRP new, and you probably got a bow that hadn’t been shot very much. I suspect that most year-old used bows for sale have less than 100 arrows shot through them. Plus, you got a great deer bow--the Hoyt Vectrix is fast, quiet and smooth.

Some things to keep in mind when buying a used bow:

Buy from an archery shop (not eBay) like Barry did so you can inspect and shoot it, and make sure it fits and feels good. 

Have the shop owner tune the bow; he should throw in a new string and set the nock.

Inspect arrow rest and sight carefully—you might (probably) will want something different, if so the dealer ought to give you a deal on new accessories, otherwise you’ll eat up your savings.

Barry bought a 2007 model, fine. But I would not buy a bow more than 2 years old—archery/cam technology is changing so fast that the bow will be a dinosaur when you leave the shop. 

Anybody on the blog bought a used bow? How did it work out, good or bad?

Proper Bow-Shooting Stance

Hey Mike: This picture illustrates the perfect stance when shooting a bow at either a target or a deer. Notice the good body/chest positioning, the full extension of the bow arm and the correct angle of the release arm for a true, straight shot. I am so inspired that I am going out back to shoot some more arrows now :) Have a good one, Jack

Shoot a Rinehart Mosquito Target

The more fun and interesting you make your bow-shooting, the more you’ll do it day after day, toning your muscles, sharpening your eye and becoming a better buck slayer next fall. Try nailing this 16” tall mosquito from Rinehart. They also make other kick-ass exotic targets: cobra, dinosaur, baboon, leopard, howling wolf, etc. to fun up your practice sessions. The targets are weather-resistant and the “self-healing” foam holds together after thousands of field points and broadheads, including expandables. What will they think of next?

Man Shoots 24-Pointer, then Buys Tag: Busted!

He lost the buck of a lifetime for the lack of a $15 license.

Read the story and heed the lesson: Buy your hunting license before you shoot a 24-pointer.

Hunter’s quote: "Like I told the conservation officer, it was an honest mistake. I always bought my deer license, but this time I forgot."

Anybody buy that?

Call me naive, but I can see how it might happen, though if it were true, he should have gone to the authorities and fessed up the second it struck him that he didn’t have a tag. I don’t know MI law, but I’ve got to believe they would have cut him a little slack.

Rambo's Bow, What Brand Is It?

OK, thanks to Jim for finding and sending this much better photo of Rambo's bow. Now, what make/model is it? If you still don't know, ask your archery buddies.

John Rambo's Bow?

Anybody going to see the new Rambo flick this weekend? If so, tell us what kind of compound bow(s) he is shooting. In this picture some guy's bald head is blocking most of Sly's bow/riser, but you'll get a better look at it on the big screen. (Looks like he's shooting w/finger tab, which is cool, you don't see that much anymore.) Also, in one of the trailers I saw, looked like he was bowfishing w/longbow? Was the flick any good? Heard it was pretty gruesome, with a death toll of 236 or something like that.