Who remembers this device?

[JAD]

Early 80's. Shot several with it. Worked perfect one time, all others the string broke long before the deer stopped. It did help find the arrow and give a start to trailing. Another type was a spool that went inside the arrow shaft, and fed out through a hole you drilled near the end of the arrow. The string on that one was like a spider web strand, thin but strong. One time my buddy had string trailing for at least 100 yards through the Everglades before we realized he got his tracking string caught on a bush. Funny story.

 

[lung-buster]

I used one back in the 90's. I was around 13yo. I remember shooting over a doe and she stood there trying to shake the string off her back.

 

[102]

I used one all season back in about 1984 in South Al.
You really had to practice to learn how the string affected arrow flight, because it did really affect arrow flight.

Even worse, the way the string affected arrow flight varied (intensified) as the inner spool of twine was used up (think dental floss). The less string in the spool, the more affect on arrow flight.

For me, forget shots past 20 yards, the arrow drop was ridiculous past that distance.

And FORGET shooting through tight spots. While the string peels out well, it really "rainbows" from the bottom of the arrow, catching every twig within two feet below the path of the arrow.

Still, I killed a couple of deer with that thing.

I will never forget the first one I killed.

The arrow was not a pass through (desired shot) and stayed in the deer.
After the shot, as expected, the deer tore out and really peeled out line. Then, for the next thirty minutes I sat in my stand and watched line feed out. About every three or four minutes the line would just begin to peel out again. Talk about nerve racking.

It was a liver lung shot and the deer kept getting up and moving around. It only traveled about 200 yards total.

Took me a long time to figure out that by simply practicing, I could actually make shots that actually killed the deer quickly. So I really did not need much help in tracking.

Slow, but I do get there.

 

[archer19]

Game tracker.
Still have 1 and a replacement spool.

Had good success with it.
Used it during rainy days.
Limited shot distance for sure.

 

[southernhunter]

never heard of it, sounds neat id kinda like to try it , thanks for sharing

 

[NBEPinTN]

I still have one. I don't know if one of the spools are still around or not. But, I came across the housing and the bracket to mount it recently.

 

[Hoss]

I made it to the new website!!!!

 

[woodsman87]

Any of yall ever tried to grab the string as it was being pulled?
I never have used one, but being a fishermen as well it would almost seem like "instinct" to grab the string.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Tapatalk

 

[eddie c]

I have a friend in Washington state that if you hunt his property you will have one on your bow or you don't hunt. the brush on that mountain is so thick you cant see 20 yards off the log road and you can't crawl thru it on your hands and knees.
and I will tell you this, I've never had an adrenaline rush like the one I had when that black bear was pulling that line out of that string holder!!!!! :drool:

 

[TRIGGER]

That's neat I never knew such a thing existed.

 

[stik]

Any of yall ever tried to grab the string as it was being pulled?
I never have used one, but being a fishermen as well it would almost seem like "instinct" to grab the string.

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as a fisherman, i have never felt the urge to grab the string. good way to break one off.

 

[TNGRIZZLY_]

as a teenager in the 90s, I remember seeing a lot of professional hunter using this. I could only afford a used bear whitetail 2 for my first hunting bow with a cobra stabilizer.

I wonder if it would pull the bow out of your hand if it got a knot in it or ran out of string? It was a good ideal.

 

[eddie c]

as a teenager in the 90s, I remember seeing a lot of professional hunter using this. I could only afford a used bear whitetail 2 for my first hunting bow with a cobra stabilizer.

I wonder if it would pull the bow out of your hand if it got a knot in it or ran out of string? It was a good ideal.

the bow end of the string is not tied to anything. it just runs out. the test strength is something like 17#. IF it knotted up it should just break.

speaking from experience, if you practice several shots with the spool, replace the spool with a new one before you hunt. the trip I was on the land owner required me to use one. I didn't replace the spool I used to practice with and only had maybe 500 ft left when I shot the black bear. the bear ran all the line out, ran through some of the thickest brush around and we never found any blood.

 

[Boone 58]

80's......I used one and shot a deer, but the rascal ran until there was no more thread......lol. Anyway, that particular one got away and I always thought it was too much of a drag on the arrow, so I ditched it.