Lighted nocks- do we really need them?!
Equipment
Just curious, do most of you guys using the lighted nocks have bad eyesight?
Not trying to bash anyone or put anyone down here. Just noticing the popularity seemingly going way up lately and wonder why?
Do that many people have trouble picking up the arrow in flight and or have trouble seeing where you are hitting on an animal?
I've never seemed to have that problem.
I think there is just a cool factor. Heck, I shoot a long bow with wodden arrows and are making some up. Just for fun!
Much of the rage is based on people wanting to be video stars. Now many will deny it and some rightfully so. Most I have talked to state that it shows up on camera well and that is their reason for using them.
I have not used them before because they are illegal at the present time in CO. I am going to try them out this month when my son and I hunt barren ground caribou in Canada.
Yes, I do have a problem picking up my arrows in flight. In fact, about 10 years ago I thought that I stuck a big black bear and he ran off. Came back the next morning and found my arrow in the ground with no blood on it. It must have passed between his front shoulder and his chest on a quartering away shot. If I had been using lighted nocks I would have known what happened right away.
I don't think they offer much except for very low light shots so you can be certain where you hit and they help find the arrow. I use to be able to see better than anyone I know and I could not even pick my arrow up in very low light. I doubt you could either in those situations so I think that is partly why some guys use them. If my sight keeps getting worse every arrow I own will have lighted nocks. lol.
I like them because it is alot easier to see the arrow and much much easier to find an arrow at night.
I don't need most of the things that I use. I like them. Try some lighted nocks out, you may like them.
I use them to help me find my arrow, which also helps provide clues as to the angle of the shot, where the deer was hit and the location of first blood.
And they look cool.
I shoot a recurve. I love them. they are so much fun... But I just got my new arrows all REAL port orford cedar, so will not be using them this year.....
Here is my question to you, do you really need a compound with 85% let off???????
I like lighted nocks, they are just plain fun......
I have them on my Flu Flu's, talk about a blast. the other night we were out shooting clays with them, talk about alot of fun.....
Do you need fiber optic pins? A range finder? Wheels on your bow? $300 camo? Brand new truck? Not much if what we use do we need, but a lot of it is fun to have. We need very little.
I don't think I'll ever shoot anything equipped with a battery circuit into an animal.
No, I won't be trying them. Nothing against them, I just don't need any more gizmos on my hunt.
"I like them because it is alot easier to see the arrow and much much easier to find an arrow at night. "
+1. I love them.
On my compound, is a trigger release needed? What about a peep sight or regular sight? Drop away rests? String silencers? None of them are actually needed.
Lighted nocks are great fun but are also very good at quickly finding your arrow! Good luck! C
Are they needed ? With the half-assed vision that I have in my right eye, yes, I do. IF I want to see my arrow in flight ! Plus, the finding the arrow thing.
No...... Not needed. I'd like to try them out sometime, but can't justify spending the money. About the only ones that seem to work all of the time based on stuff I've read are the firenock brand.
I have them on all my hunting arrows now.
Used white and bright orange feathers 5" long with lots of helical for a while, years ago. I could follow those puppies in flight! Of course that was back in my recurve days, and they weren't leaving as fast as my carbons do now, and I'm older now. We also only had from sunup 'til sundown to hunt back then, too.
Now we have another half hour before sunrise and after sunset, and with older eyes and faster arrows....yes I need them to be lighted to follow them in flight.
Also pretty neat indicator of flight problems while tuning, and it's nice to be able to find the arrow after a pass-through or a miss.
Between those benefits and seeing where I hit the critter, they're worth the price for me. Does that mean I NEED them? I guess not, as I bowhunted without them for over fifty years, and I can still pull the string and shoot an arrow without them, or pulleys on the bow, of sights, or a stabilizer, but I like it better with those goodies.
I don't see my arrow out of a hunting bow if it's under about 30 yards and I'm shooting an animal. I like lighted nocks.
Do I "need" them? No.
Do I like them and use them? Yes.
Tried them for the first time last year. They really aided me on exactly where my arrow impacted the deer. It burns an image in my brain.
With poor waning eyesight and hunting in dim light, they help with shot replay and lessen shot impact questions.
"need" is such a subjective word..... does anyone even "need" to bowhunt?
It is of NO advantage in taking game (unless you think you can mind control your arrow by watching it fly....) arguably an advantage in recovery. Certainly an advantage to recovering the arrow, especially in low light.
So why would anyone care if anyone else used them? It's like I know somewhere out there someone is popping their gum.... bothers the heck out of me.... I know you're out there....
Do we need them? Maybe not. That's a personal decision.
A better question is do we really need to ban them like Montana does?
Need? No. They do make it easier to find/see your arrow. Video is better to if you are filming. I film a lot of my shots. Not because I want to be on TV, but it helps in deciding what to do on your follow up to track. Lighted nocks help see the impact on video.
If you don't want to use them, then don't. To me it's just one small thing to help aid in the process. Many animals have died without them.
LOL! I figured I might open up a can of worms here with my curiosity! ;-)
And I probably could have worded the post better. I honestly just wanted to see how many guys thought they helped them a) see their shot placement b) see the flight of the arrow out of their bow and/or find their arrows.
I am still fairly young (49)and have good eyesight. I am just starting to get to the point where I need to use reading glasses for smaller print. But I still think I can see my arrows very well.
Never tried them due to their price. I recently bought a dozen and a half new arrows and decided to put custom wraps and blazers on them. Just couldn't justify the added expense of lighted nocks.
I may try them in the future just to see the difference, especially if I can just buy one to try it.
I'm more of a functional kinda guy, so the coolness factor is a moot point.
I know a lot of guys that have shot a lot of deer in low light. For whatever reason, I have only shot a few deer during low light. I do have a fiber optic sight, but honestly don't think it has made a difference in any of the deer I have shot.
I did shoot a deer 2 years ago with about 5 min of good shooting light left. It was dark enough that I didn't see the spots on it, but did see the arrow hit it at 30y and knew I hit it a bit farther back than I wanted. It was early season (last week of Sept) antlerless hunt and the deer came in alone(was a button buck). We found it the next morning with a liver hit. Luckily it was cool that night and we found it early the next morning so the meat was good. But the point was, it was very dark and I was still able to see the arrow hit where I thought it did. And that was before I started using white colored wraps.
Well, anyway thanks for all the responses. I never thought about seeing them better on video. If I videotaped my hunts that might be another reason to try them.
Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers or pass any judgement.
Any thing that will help you find your arrow after a shot is a plus. When you find your arrow you have the information if you hit or not and were you hit the animal. I just got 6 of them and they were $36. I can't use them here in Montana. But sence P&Y made them legal, For entry in the Book I will use them in Arizona on my Elk hunt.
After 25+ years of hunting and killing a boat load of critters I am still trying to figure out how so many of you guys can see exactly where your arrow strikes most times and still hit where you were aiming on close shots. On a 40+ yard shot it is easy to see because you have time to look.
On close shots that are inside of 20 yards I hardly ever see exactly where my arrow strikes other than a glimpse. I try to keep my pin on after I release but the bow moves a bit on the shot so the site window has moved just a touch so often times on a close shot I only catch a quick glimpse of the arrow. I have a hard time pinning down exactly where it hit and if it hit exactly where I was aiming. When shooting traditional I did not have that issue.
LOL....If I clearly see it strike that means I peaked and usually if I clearly see it I find the shot was not exactly where I wanted which means for me personally that I peaked.
How do you guys see where it hits so easily? Just curious more than anything. I wont change because I shoot well enough that I don't want to risk changing plus I video my shots so I can look at it to see where it hit many times.
"I recently bought a dozen and a half new arrows"
Should have only got a dozen arras and a few lighted nocks you'd have come out on the better end in the long run.... =D
Again... you didn't really "need" a dozen and half did you??? heheheh.... J/K...
I have pretty bright wraps and fletching, normally only use lighted nocks at last light in the evening hunts. But they are a huge help finding the arrow.
Dan- at $36 per six, they are more than my first set of carbon arrows! ;-)
Hammer- How do I see where my arrow hits so easily? Don;t know, it just happens at the shot. Keep my eyes open and watch for arrow to enter the sight picture.
TD- I usually have only 1/2 a dozen to work with. 4 in quiver and 2 to practice with. Now I have a bunch to take to 3D shoots and practice and don;t have to stress about losing arrows. ;-)
I love them and the time they have saved me looking for arrows here in the thick stuff in Georgia.
Also, I get a better indication on where the animal is hit.
Rut I used to buy my arrows for $12 a doz And my new trucks for $3900 The arrows I shoot cost $150 a doz And it costs $160 a doz for my broadheads So at $25 per arrow. Whats another $7 if it helps me find my arrow.
I have them to aid in finding my $15.00 arrow after the shot.
I have lost arrows on evening hunts due to looking and finding blood before light fades as opposed to finding the arrow. I do not care if you have bionic eyesight. Shoot an arrow through and animal in the woods that arrows path often changes on the exit and disappears in the undergrowth.
Plus it does help in seeing exactly where you hit the animal.
Don't "need" them, but like so many others "like" them.
80% finding arrow after the shot...20% seeing where it hits the animal.
Rut I used to buy my arrows for $12 a doz And my new trucks for $3900 The arrows I shoot cost $150 a doz And it costs $160 a doz for my broadheads So at $25 per arrow. Whats another $7 if it helps me find my arrow.
Buddies have been using them for a few years. I was a hold out but soon will be using them myself. Why?
Because it makes the arrow much easier to find. And finding the arrow is #1 priority after the shot to give me the details I need.
FYI my buddies shoot the afterburn nocks by ProHunter, they are a great nock at a great price. Durable, dependable, affordable.
I would love to use them however they are illegal for hunting in my great state of Montana. I understand the rule is to eliminate any unfair advantage over the animals so no electronic equipment can be used attached to the bow or arrow. A lighted nock however gives no advantage to shooting the game, only a better recovery rate. It can give a better idea of a good shot, miss, bad shot or anything inbetween. I would use them if they were legal, however I am not going to lose my license to try one now.
No one needs them. Period. No one needs carbon arrows, or compound bows either...or range finders....or releases.....or camo....or merino wool....or gortex....or....well, you get the idea. If you want to and its legal, just do it regardless of what anyone else thinks! Just enjoy and have fun. Tinkering is half the fun.
LOL Dan! I hear ya. Most areas I hunt are mature hardwoods, therefore I rarely lose arrows. I guess if I hunted more thickets and thick brush it would be different. But I can see the reasoning.
I just may have to try 'em now after hearing all this. Guess you can't "nock" 'em til you try 'em, right guys?! (sorry, couldn't resist! ;-)
I was bashing Mech Broadheads With out never trying them. I got Some Grim Reapers Shot two Mule deer Does with them Both worked great. But I still have not changed my mind about using them for Elk, But for Bear are deer I would Shoot them
They are neat to practice with and they can help u better see your arrow when u shoot at an animal. Needed, no, a gizmo, no, can they help u better make a decision in some situations after hitting an animal, yes. If u shoot 50 animals and only once does it help u recover an animal, was it worth it? Each guys decision, but im usin em...
A few years ago, my brother hit a deer a bit far back while hunting in Minnesota. After searching for a couple of hours, I spotted the lighted nock from a ridge overlooking the river bottom the deer was bedded in. My brother snuck down the slope to claim the deer and the movement of the nock alerted us to the fact that the deer was still alive. We came back about 3 hours later and found the deer dead near the creek in about the same spot. Even though I don't use them, I find that lighted nocks serve a purpose.
One of the best things ever invented. I don't see how anyone can BOW hunt without them. A real BOW hunter will always have a quiver full of these. Life is Good! (lol)
Herm.... LOL! Love your posts....
yur on a roll.... =D
or a bun or somethin'.... heheheheh...
Wow! Bigdan admitted he used mechanical broadheads on deer!!!
This could be it! This seemingly beneign admission could have far reaching ramifications that may alter the course of Elk hunting and Bowsite FOREVER!
At this point America waits with baited breath on pins and needles chewing our collective fingernails to the quick hoping against hope, willing with all that is within us; WHO WILL COME OUT OF THE CLOSET NEXT???
For me, fast bows make it hard to see the arrow flight in low light sometimes. In that case, I really like them.
I use them whenever I can for all the reasons mentioned above. Not that I ever bowhunt at night here, but I first started using them while in Africa hunting at night mainly for Bushbuck, honeybadger, etc. They are a must have in that situation. A week ago I finally shot my Bushbuck at night with the PH spotting him in thick brush at 52 yds. The green "Nokturnal" showed everything exactly, the arc, the hit, and a bonus of watching it bounce through the thicket until it finally went down. That certainly made finding my Bushbuck a piece of cake and gave the 2 PHs and trackers a definite show they had not seen before.
FYI, he was walking, quartering away and the arrow came in far back but cut lungs, liver and aortal and was stuck in opposite shoulder.
I tried them this year mainly for practice arrows. I usually loose several a year on my property. Never lost an arrow this year. Having 20-200 vision that's corrected in 65 year old eyes doesn't help trying to watch arrow flight no matter how bright of fletchings I have. I missed on buck this year that was down hill at 56 yds. Didn't have time to range him till after I missed. I have to say watching that arrow arc down and going right over his shoulder was a beautiful thing even though it was a miss. My friend that was back watching commented on how cool it was to watch. My arrow in the dark timber was a cinch to recover except for the broadhead that was buried so deep I couldn't get out. Both bucks I killed this year were shot using illuminoks. Both arrows were found easily. I'm sold on them.
the "do you need list" is short, but lighted nocks help you find your arrow to determine a hit or miss. Herm- cigarettes are the best thing invented and I don't know how you'd hunt without em! Lol.
my group hunts pigs all year, kill about 80% of our pigs at night, wouldn't not hunt without but very helpful to see hit, find arrows, and to follow a pig after hit if arrow is still in pig. lots of times we find the broken arrow down a tunnel in brush. deer hunting not so much.
it don't hurt to use them,,,,,what's the beef?
