Jumping the String

One of the primary reasons for not taking long-range shots with archery equipment is the fact that wild animals have an extraordinary ability to move at the slightest hint of danger. This attribute wasn’t understood until the behavior of deer was captured on videotape and studied carefully. Deer can take flight in an instant—particularly when they hear an unnatural sound, such as the sound of a crossbow being fired or a bow twanging. This phenomenon is called “jumping the string.”

Prior to discovering this behavior, archers assumed that every shot that sailed over the deer’s back had simply been aimed too high. What they couldn’t see without the benefit of slow-motion replay was that the deer had reacted instinctively to the sound of the shot. The deer collapsed its front legs and dropped its chest to the ground preparing to spring, unconsciously ducking below the arrow.

The problems with jumping the string can be minimized if you will:

• Limit shots to distances within 35 yards.
• Shoot only at unalarmed deer.