I have friends that claim they'll never hunt with a bow because it's too loud and I've heard the same thing around here. My question: Who thinks bow loudness really matters in hunting situations? I'm referring to noise after release. Not draw noise.

I feel that it makes very little difference since deer or whatever hear ALL bows regardless of how quiet they shoot. Your opinions?

Deer do hear the arrow being released. If you can get a deer quartering way with it's head down feeding (in other words "relaxed") it generally is not a problem. However, if a deer is on alert and not relaxed - ready to run at the slightest threat - then you have a good chance of him "jumping the string" and dipping his front shoulders to run as you release your arrow.

At 20-30 yards, this still is not usually a problem. Anything over 30 yards, you had probably better aim a little low to compensate for the deer jumping the string a little bit.

However, this is one of the things that makes bow hunting challenging and fun. You have to compensate for this just as you have to compensate for the relatively short range of your weapon. That really is the whole point of bow hunting versus sitting in a box 100+ yards away waiting for a feeder to go off to blast the hell out of the deer that come out to feed on the afternoon corn delivery.

the bow isn't as loud as the noise the arrow makes cutting thru the air.


in a hunting situation anything under 30 yards....the arrow gets there so fast its scary.


Bow hunting is a blast, don't let someones un-validated opinions deter you from the sport

I'm sorry guys just reread my posts and it came across wrong. I meant some people won't hunt with a "particular" bow or own a "certain" bow because it's louder than others. I just never thought it made a difference with the speed of todays bows.

Most all the new bows are quiet. With today's speed sound as not much of a factor out to 35-40 yards. Good rule of thumb. If a deer is alert am for the heart. If it ducks"jumps the strings" you have a double lung if it doesn't you have a 15(heart shot). Either way it's a dead deer.

In that case any crossbow is so loud that shooting a deer must be impossible. Somebody forgot to tell the one I shot last year, as she seemed really surprised when the Swhacker opened up on impact with her.

I bring this up because every time my hunting buddies shoot with me in the backyard all they talk about is my "loud" bow and it's a crappy Bowtech. I just laugh as I group all my arrows tight while they shoot all over the place.

They hate on my Behman arrows too.

The deer, hogs, and axis hate my set-up too. Been knocking em dead for years

Maybe your buds are joking with you, I have a bud that shoots a carbon matrix, I make fun of him about it being so loud that surely they gave him some earplugs with it when he bought it, and he tells me that the Z in z7 is because after you shoot an animal with the z7 you need to go take a nap while the animal has time to die lol. It's all in fun man.

I did buy a new Bear Anarchy on clearance from a web based dealer. It is a discontinued bow. I think I know why after I got it. It really is perceptively louder than my 5+ year old Z7 and the worst thing is it has a very "mushy" backwall. I just could not get consistent groupings with it so I just hung it up and went back to my old reliable Mathews with which I have put down many a deer, hog, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel, and even a rat.

My PSE Nova killed everything for years before I upgraded. Good luck finding a louder bow than that one.

any bow can easily be quieted up. increasing arrow weight, adding string silencers and even limb silencers. my current bow it the Bowtech Insanity. IBO of it is 355 fps. i can shoot on a line with other shooters and no one can hear my bow go off. i shoot a heavy arrow, have a great stabilizer and lots of Bowjax accesories to deaden the noise.
the problem i have seen with archery is brand loyalty. everyone thinks their bow is the fastest, the smoothest, more accurate etc.
throwing out your favorite brand out in a group in Facebook or any internet site usually brings the haters out real fast.
i have shot different Bowtech bows for the past 10 years. everytime i decide its time for a new bow, i shoot several models from several companies. i just like the back wall on Bowtech, the grip and the weight. i actually prefer a heavier bow than most.
i recommend to anyone in the market for a new bow to go shoot the models in your price range. forget about brand and go for what feels right. feel is more important in a bow than brand name.
if you enjoy shooting your bow and it gets the job done, then keep rocking and forget the naysayers!

Well said ancuegar. I believe in shooting what fits the individual and bow loudness never seemed too important to me. Appreciate the responses.

Bow noise makes a difference. It may not to your deer in your area but in high pressure areas it does. Especially on quiet days. And RJD I'm glad that one deer with your cross bow made you an expert but there have been multiple studies done over the years. And yes, arrow speed helps. But noise travels at around 1150fps and the fasted compound is not even 350fps. So unless there is more environmental noise around the deer or a reason the noise doesn't spook the deer, they can react to it. Not all do. But many do. Most studies say that the deer response time to move is greatest between 18 and 32 yards even with the more quiet bows. Inside of that the response time is so short they cannot and over 32 yards the sound is less of a threat. I've killed more deer with a bow than many on here I'd bet and I will tell you I look for a quiet, low hand shock bow.

Not sure what I did to get your undies in a bunch. I never claimed to be an expert, or that I have killed only one deer. Just relating a story to show that even a noisy bow can be used. It is a matter of making sure the deer is relaxed. A tense deer looking in your direction is likely to jump the string even if your bow is very quiet (limb movement probably more than noise). JMO

I wasn't trying to make it personal except from the fact that if you have that little of experience maybe you should consider that when and how you give advice. Although much louder, crosssbows generally faster than a compound. This comes from several factors including much higher draw weight, shorter limb length yet greater deflection compared to length, shorter brace height, shorter and lighter bolts etc. My sad little 26.5" draw is never going to shoot as fast as the same dw bow if the draw is say 29". So drawing only 60lbs I will never shoot an arrow over 300fps. That is no where near the speed of sound. Also, as a primary bowhunter for the last 15 years I do a lot of reading and use a lot of experience to make statements and give advice. The reality is your statement seemed to me like an arrogant, smart azz remark and not good advice. And you are right as far as a relaxed deer not looking at you but again, with a crossbow, you didn't have to worry about drawing your bow with several sets of eyes possibly busting you. The lower the decibel of the bow report the less noise the wind, ear turned to or or away, leaves rustling or even a truck driving down the dirt road has to cover. But on a still morning, when you can hear the deer crunching corn at the feeder 31 yards out, they are going to hear the bow. Is it loud enough that they react to it as immediate danger and drop to spring away? Is it just enough they throw up their heads to look? Or is it low enough they don't really register it as a danger over the crunching of corn?

I've yet to have a whitetail or Axis duck an arrow or cause bad placement for that matter. I'm sure my time is coming as I hunt more axis. They react a little quicker IMO.

I'll take the jokes on my loud Bowtech as long as she keeps putting animals on the ground