HuntingNet.com Forums - STS on excalibur crossbow

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cossack (Post 3710259)

Good as they may be at silencing noise (for our ears), don't come even close to what a deer can hear. Last night I tested that on a nanny the was some 40 yards out by removing the rubber band that holds my monopod in place. The noise was barely perceptible to my ears, a gentle swish, she heard it laud and clear. On another one I barely tapped an arrow in my quiver. Same thing. Anyone who thinks that noise suppressors on crossbows will keep deer from hearing the shot is deluded or hasn't tested it.

Very true, but no one said that they are making it silent. Just dampening the noise. A sudden spooked deer is different than an attentive one. Try this for your experiment. Next time you are in the woods. Smack to pans together and see if the deer jump from being startled. Then just snap a twig and see what he does. The less sound traveling will give you just that much more of a chance of keeping a deer from "jumping the string". A few db's could be the difference between a spooked deer or a curious deer that may turn quickly to check out the sound rather than jump in an instance at the sound. I think I will take my chances with lesser db's. And FYI I have tested this quite a bit (not on goats either, it was actual deer) but I still may be Deluded.