A small expansion on the posts by Trushot_archer and logs:

If a deer is 20 yards away (and, of course, they can be closer) and your bow shoots 300fps (like Trushot_archer's), the arrow will take approximately .2 of a second to get there. The sound of releasing the arrow only takes about .0545 seconds to travel the distance at 1100 ft per second. That leaves a reaction time of .2 - .0545 = .145 sec.

That's .145 of a second to BEGIN the reaction necessary to jump the string, not to actually get out of the way. Even if the deer has its muscles ready but is standing in a normal straight-legged position, it must rely, in part, on gravity to help it flex its legs so that a jump is possible. Knobby's post demonstrates some support for this.

Well, my bow only shoots 250 fps, so I'd be giving that deer an additonal 4/100 of a second to get its stot together.

Yes, deer can do what we commmonly refer to as 'jump the string'. It is important to be as close as possible and to choose shots when deer are at their most relaxed. If you take a shot that allows a significant movement by the deer before the arrow arrives, you WILL miss or, worse, wound it (cods pointed this out).

But I wholehweartedly agree with wolfen68; I think 'he jumped the string' is waaayy overused as a reason to explain poor shots.

Oh ya, I recall seeing a video of this very phenomenon on some hunting show one time. The deer did totally jump the string. But the arrow trajectory was like a dang rainbow. Either the shot that was taken was an enormous distance away or the arrow speed was pretty much like someone had thrown it instead of shot it.

Edited by - Canuck_2 on 02/07/2003 15:41:25