ORIGINAL: Firstimer
I have been eying the Phoenix for some time. And considering the Exocent.
From what others say the Phoenix will do you fine, be easy to cock and get the job done. I would get the Vortex before the Exocet, I love thumbhole stocks, but that is just me.
.....I have heard of deer, string-jumping. And just found out today what that meant. A coworker advises get something with lots of speed. I believe both the Phoenix and the Exocent will deliver that. I am amazed that a buck can jump quick enough to possibly cause a missed shot by the sound of a bow string projecting a bolt at 275 - 285 feet per second. The biggest reason of the need for speed....
Some we call speed freaks, it is not a bad term, but desire to be way over the 300 FPS mark. My CB is advertised at 330 I think, but I am using a heavier arrow and a different string, so I am not sure what I am doing since I have not shot it through a crony. Going "super" fast does not pay off IMO, but your thinking is a good number that will do the job, but not cure string jump.
Would a range finder be a good investment ? I heard from another coworker a nifty idea for judging distance from a stand. Cut a length of rope 20 - 30 yards long. Tie one end to the base of the shooting house or stand. Stretch it out and mark out the radius on the ground or trees with scrapes or other markings. If your prize is within this radius, you should be good to go. Sounds good to me. Is 30 yards the maximum shot that should be taken ?
I have thought about getting a rang finder but I do not do the distance to need it. I don't plan on going past thirty, thirty five if I was putting myself in a situation I did not want to be in. When you get into the forty and fifty yard shots, and not at deer either, a few yards means alot of drop in inches and thus a range finder is in need. But if you stay less than thirty the drop is extreme and you can be safe, most of the time. I always mark a radius around my locations with a twenty and thirty, and don't plan on going past that. Most of the time I mark a tree, or put a stick in the dirt to mark with. But this also ties into your string jump learning. A deer is hard pressed to jump a string at thirty yards, at twenty it is next to impossible. When you start to go past thirty or say thirty five that is when the speed of soundhas more distance to out run your arrow and the deer can hear the CB and start to "load up" to run, thus the string jump. If you keep your shots less then thirty, for me, but alot of guys say thirty five is good to, you will be ok. Start doing farther ranges and that is when you open up the door to trouble and have problems.