bayouboyz

When shooting deer with a crossbow, do you have to aim low on the body of the deer to compensate for their instinctive flinch?

In other words, do deer jump the string for compound bows?

kodiakhuntmaster

That has a lot to do with your equipment. My crossbow is very loud and it's slow (260 fps) so I usually do aim low. I don't aim under the deer, just put my pin on the bottom of the deer's vitals. It works for me.

Cossack

On the ohter hand, at 350 fps there is no need to compensate low out to 35 yards .

Dnk

Depends on the distance and the attitude of the deer. At 15 yds no at 30 yards might be. With a deer that has it's head down feeding with it's head pointed away and tail down I'd aim dead on it's heart at 35 yards. One that is 30 yards, ears up, tail up and given a baaw I'd aim low at its lungs.

awshucks

well, at 32 and 30 yds at 328 fps they can get under an arrow no problem. The 30 yder I took a low heart shot on and she made it look like it was 4' high. Go figure! No absolutes, imho.

Dnk

Agreed!

smokepolehall

just watch its body you will know which to do at the shot time

BuddyBo

Not only have I had deer jump the shot, but I've even had em jump my thoughts! Oh, that's slow anyway,,,,never mind.
BBO

Planter

Slightly low depending on distance... If I aim lower chest I get heart. If he flinches I get lung. Win win for me although I have never shot a deer over 30 yards and that was a ranged fluke. Last season I could have spit on one and the others were under 20yds. Frankly,, I think I can aim where I want to hit them under 20yds with zippo on the problem scale.
As far as the sound of the shot being taken it's surprizing. Basically I "think" the bolt is no more than a foot or two from the rail when the sound reaches the deer...

Tree climber

Iprefer to not shoot past 25 to 30 yards.if the deer is feeding then I shoot dead on.if the deer is 30 yards with the head up and kinda flinchy ; then I don't shoot.I wait a few min. or until the next day or next year.I had rather wait and never get the shot than to lose a deer(a little doe;or a gaint buck).
Just wait on the shot you want and you can't lose.

I shoot a Barnett quad 400 ; 325 fps. I have watched the deer ata 25 yrd.shot and the bolt is sticking in the dirt before they react.they don't know what has happened.anything past 25 and you gotta pay attention to the animal , and see if they are calm or excided.
I have only shot one past 30 yards, it was 35 measured after the shot,quarting away.I hit father back than I wanted to hit(the deer jumped) and had to trail for about 2 1/2 hrs.you misjudge and you pay for it, I got the deer.this was years ago and I haven't shot past 30 yards since.