I have heard quite a few brands being shot and they all make more noise than most hunters want. A vertical bow is not quiet, just for the most part quieter than a crossbow. When you have the hearing of a deer it makes all to loud . Buckeyefootball

If you have used several crossbows in a hunting situation you will find that some are slightly more quiet than others and there are things that can be done to quiet them down a bit! As DNK stated Wood stocks absorb noise. Some people fill their composite stocks with ureathane foam to deaden some of the noise. Some use vibration dampening devices, some use string silencers and STS systems. Saying you heard several crossbows being shot doesn't mean dodiddily squat.

All crossbows are noisier than vertical bows. Most shoot fast enough that at ethical shooting distances, where the deer is relaxed and unaware of the hunters presence; the noise is a moot point

noise
 

The only point is noise is noise and any noise is not good but the louder the worse it is. A test was done by a respected poster on another site landing arrows behind a deer at about 30-40 yards and the deer which was calm to begin with was not alerted, which backs your point and a point that I know. Thats why I think a well practiced archer can make that longer shot at a deer and not worry about string jump. Deer know how far the noise is coming from and will just look at most longer shots. No wind a calm deer and an archer that knows his bow can make a good shot at distance. I agree its a moot point about noise, but they all are still louder than most would like no matter what you use to quiet them down. Just my thoughts. Buckeyefootball

i dont have a xbow, and yall are a lil heated or jus yankin each others chain, but i never had a deer jump the string on my vert bow , and a xbow is faster...so i am askin, does it really make a difference how loud the xbow is......granite i try and shoot less than 30 yrds..

Someone posted a good video of a deer moving on noise, I think it can happen no matter what type of bow you use. Alot of factors just make it more noticeable or not. A closer shot would be less affected by this. The 30 plus yard shot many factors have to be considered no matter what type of bow. A nervous deer will spook at the drop of a pin so to speak. Hunters are always looking to make their equipment better or more huntable so to speak. Buckeyefootball

All crossbows are noisy, but one that I've shot is surprisingly quiet- the Barnett RC-150. It's very small, maybe that's why it is quieter, but I would say it is only slightly louder than my PSE compound bow, and much, much quieter than my Horton X-bow. Of course, it is shooting a short arrow at a fairly low velocity, so it's only good for close range shots anyways.

There is no bow (no matter what configuration the limb are) that will not make an alarmed deer react. There are however times when deer do not react at all. I have shot over the back of deer with a slug gun with no reaction at all. I have also had deer bolt at the sound of my arrow being pulled back over my rest. One things for sure if you have an alert/alarmed deer in your sights you had better aim a bit on the low side no matter how fast your bow is unless the deer is looking at you. If the deer is looking at you it will see the movement of the limbs. The difference between the speed of sound and the speed of light(deer seeing the limbs move) is enough to allow the deer to possibly "jump" the string. Believe it or not there is solid math involved here between the deer's reaction time and the speed of sound/light and the speed of the arrow. A deer's reaction time makes an arrow almost seem slow

i have seen post about barnets blowin up gl

I've seen those posts too, however my friend has had this Barnett for at least 7 or 8 years and has never had any problems with it other than it wearing out strings very fast.

I think the impact of the bolt gets to the deer before the noise. The arrow is too fast for them to hear it. Thats my opinion.