Durability of Feather Fletching

[Diligence]

I was reading a few posts about goose wing feathers as fletching, and the comment was made, "they are more durable than turkey" or "they are no different than the durability of turkey".......however, I don't know how durable real feathers really are.

So, put this in a frame of reference I can understand.  How many shots can you make with your feather equipped arrow (goose, turkey or otherwise) before seeing fletching damage?  What kind of damage is typical and how much of that damage can your fletching take before you replace the fletch?

Thanks in advance for educating this newbie!!

D

[hawkbow]

I can only speak for myself, but usually the shafts give out and break long before the feathers wear out.. i can only guess at the amount of shots before this happens but would guess about a thousand or more.. in real hunting situations the arrows life is cut short by impact with the live creatures and forests and trees they inhabit I has one arrow that killed seven deer before finally breaking on a big elk.. Hawk

[Muina]

I have feather fletches that've got really wet on the damp grass and are still fine to shoot, but they look a tad unsightly. I reckon if you manage to keep them dry there's a good chance they'll last more than a thousand shots.

[Diligence]

Okay - much thanks.  I clearly underestimated the durability of real feathers.

The only two arrows i just fletched, were with pidgeon feathers, and after a few shots they are already starting to look pretty beat up.

Cheers for the info!

D

[Hillbilly]

Bigger, stiffer feathers like turkey and goose are more durable than smaller feathers. It also depends on how good of a shot you are. Tight groups on a target are rough on feathers-that's why I try to avoid shooting tight groups whenever possible. If you tie them on in addition to gluing, they'll be there a long time unless you cut it off with another arrow, tree limb, or Pat's dog beats you to your arrow.

[Diligence]

too funny......"that's why I try to avoid shooting tight groups whenever possible."

D

[hawkbow]

Tight groups? I have heard of them but never actually done it Hawk

[billy]

How's this for durable feathers...

I made a cane arrow about 8 or 9 years ago and fletched it with turkey tail feathers.  That arrow has been across the country 3 separate times while I drove to Oregon.  I killed 2 rabbits with it...one in '01 and another in '02 and wounded a deer with it in '04.  This arrow has been to Virginia, New Mexico, Iowa, and all over Georgia. It got rained on several times and dragged thru the snow in '02 when I slid down a snowbank in Oregon. The feathers would get wet and collapse, but after drying and a little TLC the feathers fluffed up again.  The feathers were looking kinda ragged after a few years, but the arrow finally met its death this past November when I shot it almost completely through a deer.  The fletching stayed inside the deer and the deer kicked like a mule, snapping the fletching off so it remained inside the deer.  The deer ran off, but I never did find her because the shot was a bit too far back and I only got one lung. 

I just left the same feathers on that arrow during its entire lifetime and never changed them, although I was tempted to after about 5 or 6 years.  That arrow always flew straight and I really do miss it.  So as you can see, the feathers lasted a long, long time!!     

[hawkbow]

Great story of your medicine arrow brother, i believe sometimes the arrow does have some killer mojo.. and they sometimes keep on ticking... Hawk

[Cromm]

Hi,
If your feathers on your arrows are looking flat or beat up you can use steam to bring them back to life. Boil some water hold the arrow over it, pull back the feather and the steam will link the bits back up, DON'T leave the arrow over the steam to long!!!!!
But this works for all my arrows that have found ground or been in the rain or past thu something.......
Thanks for your time.

[Little John]

Yep, I have rarely had to refletch an arrow before it met its demise, feathers are good for many shots unless you shooe them off with a broadhead arrow.    Kenneth