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Lighted Nocks on a Traditional Set Up?

tyson12590

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2019
Messages
285
Location
Coldwater, Michigan
I have been going back and forth on whether I want to run lighted nocks with my longbow. I have two concerns that are making me question whether or not to use them.

The first issue is FOC. I plan to, but have not yet measured how much FOC I will lose from going from a 11 grain gold tip nock to a 25 grain nocturnal. With my current set up my FOC is around 26% I am guessing that it will drop to around 23% or 24%. If the arrow is still flying great, does a 2% decrease really make enough difference to matter?

My second issue is that because my arrow is flying so slow out of my longbow I am actually concerned that a lighted nock may be picked up by a deer's eyes as the arrow flies. I know it is mostly the sound that deer react to but is anyone else concerned that a deer will see the lighted nock and react before impact? I may be overestimating a deers ability but they are pretty amazing and avoiding danger.

So, who here shoots lighted nocks with a heavy arrow traditional bow setup? What has your experience been with them? Are they worth the FOC trade off? What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

( I have no interest debating whether shooting lighted nocks breaks some unwritten rule of traditional archery. Im using carbon arrows and an aiming system so I am already violating "traditional" standards.)
 
I was planning on shooting them this year but I built/tuned my arrows with standard nocks. Now when I throw a nocturnal on, my arrow shoots about 8-10” high at 20 yards. I’m shooting off the shelf and I guess that small change in the dynamic spine throws it all out of whack.
 
Or just use bright colored fletching and nock. I haven't ever used them in my traditional set ups because usually when I shoot through the animal, the arrow isn't buried under grass/leaves like it is with a xbow or compound and are relatively easy to find. I see the appeal for seeing shot placement though and I think ya might as well go for it!
I'd be more concerned with accuracy than FOC (I realize it can all go hand and hand) but people get too wrapped up in arrow tuning and forget to practice shooting....doesn't hurt to practice with your lighted nocks on and see how they do.
 
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I use lighted nocks with my recurve. In my opinion having a better chance of knowing where my arrow hit outweighs any decrease in FOC. I haven't noticed any significant change in tune when using them but, I have never bare shafted withy lighted nocks . I suspect inconsistencies in my form are a bigger factor than the lighted nocks on tune.
 
I didn’t and wouldn’t. Use white fletching or pink if you gotta.
 
I'm going to use them this season. I've shot my GT nocks and nocturnals with a bareshaft and there was no noticeable difference. They fly nice all the way out to 30yds (as far as I've shot a bareshaft) with either, so I'm going to use them. I usually have my camera with me too and it will make seeing the shot that much easier.
 
What time of day are you shooting? I don't think it matters either way but even in some low light conditions could it glow so much as to be the thing that causes a problem? Make sure the neck is on the opposite end from the broadhead and I think you'll be okay. LOL
 
What time of day are you shooting? I don't think it matters either way but even in some low light conditions could it glow so much as to be the thing that causes a problem? Make sure the neck is on the opposite end from the broadhead and I think you'll be okay. LOL
I think they only activate after the shot if working properly anyway so he should be good to go.
 
I did the math last night and my set up goes from 27% FOC with standard GT nocks down to 25% FOC with nocturnals. I dont think that is enough difference to worry about.

As far as not being visable to the deer, two things should be considered. First, the nock does not shine a beam straight back, it is an exposed light. Second, the deers eye is a couple feet from POI so the arrow may not block the light at that angle. I am planning on setting up some kind of test with a camera to see if the light is visable from that angle. If it is not then I will probobly use them. I will update this post in a few days when my test is done.

Thanks for all the feedback.
 
Only thing I would be concerned about would be change in dynamic spine. If that is good, the rest is unnecessary worry. Dont shoot at 'em while they are looking at you and try not to give them a reason to be lookin at you.
 
Holy crap.....you guys can over complicate everything. Next it'll be about what color is better. The answer is white.... cause if you're doing it right they come out hot pink after a pass through.

I agree. Keep it simple. The FOC thing is over rated for white tails. I have shot complete pass through with cedar and aluminum on a bunch of deer with only 125 grains up front. If you can shoot your arrow through a ripe watermelon it will go through a deer.
 
I conducted a test yesterday evening with a camera placed about 24 inches from the point of impact. The lighted nock is visable in flight but barely. I think deer are programmed to respond to noise more than the visual so I feel pretty comfortable that it should not impact their reaction after the shot especially at longbow distance.(Under 20 Yards)

I also remembered that one of my favorite Youtubers Bill Langer from Traditional Adventures TV uses lighted nocks on most of his Trad hunts and it doesnt look like he is having any adverse affects.

Overall it looks like they are a good idea and I think I am going to use some. Before I decide for sure I need to do some more bare shafting to ensure they arent impacting my dynamic spine. I did some and it didnt appear to make any difference. Anyways, thanks again for the feedback and opinions.
 
I've messed with them, but something about the redistribution of weight reeks havoc on my ability to tune an arrow. I'm shooting 46# and a 600 grain arrow, so I can basically run beside it at a brisk jog after release to see where it impacts, I don't see the benefit of the lighted knock as worth the difficulty in tuning (for me, atleast).
 
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