Cyclone,

I got a different point out of the article. If your arrow gets to the deer much faster, then the miss will be far less. If you work the math, after the sound arrives, an arrow traveling at 280 fps will get to the deer 29% faster than one traveling 230 fps (at 20 yards). So, if with your set-up a deer jumps the string at 20 yards, a 10" miss will be only be 7.10". I don't know about you, but I'd rather miss by 7" than by 10". These numbers assume that a deer reacts instantaneously to the sound, which of course is impossible. In reality the miss would be even less because of the delay due to reaction time. If the deer jumps the string, then speed does matter.

I agree that quiet is better when trying to keep them from jumping, so the object should be to be very quiet and very fast, a combination present day bows are getting better at all the time.

As for how far they drop within 20 yards with an arrow traveling 230 fps, that's debatable, but I don't see how 18 inches is even possible. A deer would have to drop at a rate 3 to 4 times faster than the acceleration of gravity. I don't see how that's possible. The 18" miss is most likely the result of an arrow that was going to miss high and/or a bow shooting a little slower than the 230 fps and/or a deer thats a little farther out than 20 yards. Just my opinion.