Pennsylvania Game News - September 2011 - 58

String loops, also called release loops, can perform the same job as nock sets and won’t shift out of their correct position. Loops have grown in popularity with many of the 80 to 90 percent of bowhunters who use mechanical releases. The string loop takes the place of the nock set, while also serving as a connection between the mechanical release and bow string, a fix that also reduces wear and tear on the string itself. String Silencers Speaking of strings, I will emphasize that throughout my four decades of bowhunting, one lesson I’ve learned over and over again is this: when bowhunting, a quiet bow is more efficient than a fast one. As often as not, a deer will jump the string if the twang of the release is not sufficiently muffled, particularly if the deer is alert or suspicious. String silencers, such as cat whiskers, are essential to dampen the sound of the arrow release and minimize the chance of the animal jumping the string at the shot. Products such as Limbsavers, which attach to the bow limbs, also help reduce vibration and quiet the bow. A few Octobers ago I grunted in a nice 10-point that came looking to challenge his rival. He stopped broadside barely 15 yards away. At the shot he turned and bolted away before collapsing into a heap 70 yards later. I assumed I had made the perfect double lung shot until I walked up on the big bruiser only to discover that the arrow had actually hit the top of his back, just forward of his hips and penetrated the vitals between his front legs. It was clear that the buck, responding to my call on edge and alert, had jumped the string. Before the arrow could travel just 15 yards, the deer had turned completely away at a 90-degree angle. That’s when I realized that, in restringing my bow a week earlier, I had neglected to install fresh string silencers. It was just dumb luck that my arrow still managed to find a lethal mark, but it also provided reaffirmation of the importance of
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the silent treatment for every hunting bow. Keep in mind that string silencers, nock sets, peep sights and kisser buttons (small stuff no larger than a dime) are all affixed to the bowstring, a flexing, stretching, twisting, moving part and, as such, are all subject to slipping and shifting out of position during the process of drawing the bow and releasing the arrow. I know of at least one case where a string silencer had slipped down so far it obscured the aperture of the peep sight when the archer drew on a doe and spoiled the shot. Of course a traditional purist might advise simply eschewing the new fangled technological marvel with all of its inherent Achilles heels in favor of a more primitive longbow or even a recurve, and just learn to shoot instinctively sans sights, buttons or peeps. After all, the fewer moving parts there are to break, the less likely the shot will be compromised — at least hypothetically. A return to those bows of yesteryear, however, is not a realistic solution for the bowhunter who’s already fully invested in compound technology. No matter what your bow of choice, opportunities for failure in the field will always plague us. A thousand and one things can go wrong in the Murphy’s Law world of bowhunting. But conscientious bowhunters can minimize these by sweating the small stuff and paying attention to the details cited here — particularly peeps, kissers, pins, rests, set nocks and silencers — those tiny components that, if neglected, ignored or overlooked, can malfunction and pave the way to disaster. Archers and bowhunters can avoid most negative outcomes by periodically checking over their equipment, making certain each component is affixed correctly and functioning as intended, and practicing diligently throughout the season. That way, when you finally come to full draw on that buck of your dreams, you’ll have learned the lesson of how the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. 
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Pennsylvania Game News - September 2011

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