Feathers came first. For thousands of years. Feather fletching. Then within the last 50 years as plastic technology improved. Plastic vanes came out on the scene.

The biggest benefit. They're waterproof. Durable also. I have to replace fletching at around 500 shots. Depending if the arrows bounce off the backstop. With the feathers hitting the grass causing them to bend backwards. Soggy wet fletching is useless. Waterproof treatments kinda work. But not in a down pour.

Feathers are also a hair noisier. They have a "Whisp" sound as they fly.

 

I just fletched up some arrows with feathers to try them out.
I waterproofed them, but have found that when it rains they lay down closer to the shaft and become quite a bit smaller.

It has been raining a lot here lately, so it probably wasn't the ideal time to switch to feathers.
It should be drying up soon, so I'll continue with them and see how they hold up.

This was from earlier this week. I killed a boar. It had rained earlier that morning, so the feathers were already wet.

The silicone waterproofing has limited effect it seems.

This is my first time using feathers, so I don't know all of the tricks of the trade the old school archers do.

 

The silicone spray. Whatever distance it says to spray at. Double it. Dry mist the feathers at least three times from a couple of feet. Let the spray float down onto the feathers. Give it 15 or so minutes between treatments.

That's as good as it gets using the water repellent spray. It doesn't get in between the feather strands so it is what it is.

 

I find myself whipping the arrow in the air. Fluffing up the feathers and shaking off the moisture while shooting in a light drizzle.

If they land on wet grass. That's the worse. They get soggy quick.

 

New pristine feathers or wet beat up ragged feathers... doesn't really matter... both will fly great

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I've had good luck with the powder that fly-fishermen use on dry flies...there several manufacturers out there....just put some a little bit in a zip-loc bag, stick the feathered end of your arrow in the bag, zip it closed as much as you can, shake the bag around and the dust will settle on your feathers....works pretty good.

 

...ohh, here I start realizing that most probably I don't want to play those games with feathers )) Just too much of fuss for me.
Thanks guys =)

 

I have been shooting real feathers for as long as I’ve been bow hunting. Over 30 years! They will stabilize a broadhead better than and peice of plastic. If you fletch your arrows correctly they are very durable.

 

I have been shooting real feathers for as long as I’ve been bow hunting. Over 30 years! They will stabilize a broadhead better than and peice of plastic. If you fletch your arrows correctly they are very durable.

I've found mine to be durable as well. I shot a doe a few weeks ago, complete pass through. I rinsed the arrow and feathers in the sink. Let it dry and then fluffed them back up, it's shooting perfect.

Plus, I like the weight of the feathers, because I use a lighted nock.

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First off feathers are made from wing feather not tail. The right wing for right helical, left wing for left helical. They have to be shaped and the quil needs to be worked. Better off buying them premade.
As for use I have used them for years. Between them and a vane they fly about the same. Feathers have more maintenance but I like them for forgiveness and looks.
I use a Bohnning dri fly powder once every few years to help them them dry.

 

Wet feathers stabilize your arrow just fine. Yes, they can have a little noise but so does a blazer vane. Bohning stay dri powder will keep them dry. You can actually stick a treated feather down in a cup of water and they’ll still be dry when you pull them out. And they look so much better than vanes.

 

What kind of bow are you shooting ? What kind of rest are you shooting ? Different bow and rest types require different kinds of fletching.

 

I can't really think of a bow or rest, you couldn't use feathers or vanes with.

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I've used feathers for around 30yrs and have never had an issue with them at all. I've shot wet feathers out to about 40yds just to experiment and seen no problems with accuracy at all compared to dry feathers. I don't use anything to keep them dry because I don't bow hunt in heavy rain so i don't worry about them getting a little wet during a light rain or shower. Besides, you don't see birds falling out of the sky when they fly around in the rain .

 

For me it's really simple. The main differences are feathers are more forgiving and have more steering (for the same type). Vanes are more durable quieter and waterproof.

Both have pro's & con's.......match them for your purpose.

 

I prefer feathers, really like the color of the barred feathers, if i'm ordering custom made arrows i always get feathers, but if i buy in store i usually only have the option of vanes.

 

Feathers have virtually all of the performance advantages with plastics winning in durability, not that feathers are fragile little butterfly wings, they are far more durable than most people think. I use factory prepped feathers, they are more costly than plastics, but a drop in the bucket in the big picture.

I am curious to know if a feather from a wild bird will shed water because of the natural oils that will not be on a processed feather.

 

I've used feathers and they definitely did not hold up as well as plastic. Liked them, but rippled with hits and wet the lay down and never really come back to what they were. Still, even wet they flew well.............

 

+1 That's what I meant by not as durable. In reality they are pretty tough but they do all that Sonny says and get ratty really quick. Most of that doesn't effect how they work but they get loud(er) and they were louder to start with........I prefer not to use loud arrows as a hunter. You can but IMHO it's not as good as a quiet one.

 

One missed thing is real vs synthetic feathers

real beat syn in rain. (Loon liquid is slightly better then powder. )

real won’t fletch like soft base syn. They do have the best heli though.

duck feathers are awesome on traditional

vs plastic. Sometimes noisy, to long for brace height, good luck on colors,

 

50 feathers run what? $20. Solid color, sheild back. I'm still working on a bag. Blazer vanes, $16 bucks for a hundred pack.

So there's a price jump for using feathers.

 

Plastic Duh

 

I use Ozark feathers and Bohning vanes.

Feathers: Look great, fly and will stabilize any arrow. Glue very well to any shaft. If you shoot and your feather hits a twig, no problem. They are very light and forgiving. Negatives, rain, durability, price, long distance drag and noise. Not so much noise during flight but walking thru the woods they are noisy and get beat up fast. Pricey but i wouldn't shoot any other feather. Ozark makes the best right now. I had hunted in the rain last week and I ended up leaving not because i was wet but because my feathers were soaked. Treatments work up to a point. Past 60 yards you will notice a little drag depending on the size feather.

Vanes: Look great fly great. They are cheap. Its nice to not have to worry about walking thru the woods with them. Gluing them is much easier with a wrap. Weather is not an issue. I have had one hit a twig and change arrow flight dramatically. Another negative is that they are heavy and will change your FOC slightly.

Blazers = my go to vane for 3D archery and light arrows. I use a 3 fletch on a victory carbon with my 3D bow.

Heat = My hunting vane. 4 fletch, super strong and stiff.

Ozark = Victory Target Maxx feather. Absolutely awesome stabilization. These would steer an ax on a stick lol...

 

I use Ozark feathers and Bohning vanes.

Feathers: Look great, fly and will stabilize any arrow. Glue very well to any shaft. If you shoot and your feather hits a twig, no problem. They are very light and forgiving. Negatives, rain, durability, price, long distance drag and noise. Not so much noise during flight but walking thru the woods they are noisy and get beat up fast. Pricey but i wouldn't shoot any other feather. Ozark makes the best right now. I had hunted in the rain last week and I ended up leaving not because i was wet but because my feathers were soaked. Treatments work up to a point. Past 60 yards you will notice a little drag depending on the size feather.

Vanes: Look great fly great. They are cheap. Its nice to not have to worry about walking thru the woods with them. Gluing them is much easier with a wrap. Weather is not an issue. I have had one hit a twig and change arrow flight dramatically. Another negative is that they are heavy and will change your FOC slightly.

Blazers = my go to vane for 3D archery and light arrows. I use a 3 fletch on a victory carbon with my 3D bow.

Heat = My hunting vane. 4 fletch, super strong and stiff.

Ozark = Victory Target Maxx feather. Absolutely awesome stabilization. These would steer an ax on a stick lol...

Thank You!


I've been using Gateway brand feathers. I was wondering about Ozark.

I have a couple of victory arrows with fletching. Whatever feather brand they used. Its tough. Tougher then Gateway. So I know there's better. I've got maybe 5 arrows worth of fletching left. I need to reup.

My next order, I'm trying Ozark. Solid colors in purple and bright green.

 

From an arrow building perspective, I like feathers. I think my 4" parabolic feather is right under 3 grains. So I can have three feathers fletched and weigh less than one three inch plastic vane. This helps if wanting to keep your FOC up or to offset the weight of lighted nocks. That's my two cents. Flight wise, I haven't noticed much difference between the two.

 

The key here is to just get some feathers and try them, it won't take long and you will find out if you are a feather guy or not.

I have been shooting the razor 2 inch feathers for hunting and 3d competition and indoor for years and love them. Once I glue them on I have little to no maintenance for months and months and they take a freaking beating. Overall I think that my feathers are more durable than my buddies vanes, guys think that vanes are more durable but I find them messing with them and fixing them way more than me.

In fact the cool thing about feathers is that once you super glue them on the super glue soaks into the quill and if the feather gets knocked loose it holds its shape of offset and helical so you can simply add some glue and stick it back down with your fingers right on the course and it is ready to go. With a vane once it pops loose you loose the helical and offset and you got to replace it with a blitz.

 

Now, after shooting feathers for a long time here is why I don't think guys like them.

If you are a guy that washes his truck and harley and uses wax and you keep it shiny, you will not like feathers. Feathers after a while start to get a personality and they don't look nice a perfect anymore. Now me, I haven't washed my truck or jeep or dirt bike since I bought them. And no, I didn't polish my harley. I throw my leg over my harley and enjoy the ride out in the country.

So, I am telling you even when a feather has sections missing and they are all nice and fuzzy looking they will still shoot the same as when they were brand new. So like I said try them out and you will find out if you are a feather guy.

 

Since I use them for 3d, here is a really good trick.

I carry a gallon zip lock in my 3d stool so if it comes a rain storm I put the zip lock over my arrows so the feathers of the arrows I am not using are dry. This way after a few targets I can rotate arrows and keep fresh dry feathers.

I will say that slightly wet feathers fly the same as dry ones and I have won many tournaments with wet feathers but in a total down pour it can be a issue. '

I have never bothered with the powder or the silicone spray, I bought some spray one time but never got around to using it.

 

My best flying arrow. Its been refletched since because if a strong wind hit it. Cork screw flight. One off bareshaft. The others wobbled but this one. It flies the way it wants. For which is really good. My best. This fletching is hundreds and hundreds of shots old.

 

The best feathers I have ever seen are turkey feathers, my dad made a stamper and when he kills a turkey he uses the right feather and stamps out feathers and then trims up the quill.

The natural oils on the turkey feathers is so freaking awesome in the rain and so much better than the powder or silicone spray.

I think that companies that make feathers are required to clean the feathers and this strips off the natural turkey coating. I am just guessing though.