Tail Feathers as Fletchings (Goose)?

[Canoe]

Howdy Group,

I'm wondering if I could use tail feathers for fletching?  I think that most people use flight feathers.

Thanks,
Canoe

[Hillbilly]

I've used turkey tail feathers for fletchings lots of times, and they work fine. I prefer them to wing feathers for Eastern Woodland-style fletching. Never tried goose tailfeathers, might be a bit small.

[JackCrafty]

Tail feathers work well.  They're my favorite (turkey especially).  Not as durable as flight feathers, though.

[billy]

Canoe,

Yeah, tail feathers work fine.  I like turkey tail feathers, but have never used goose tail feathers.  I'm sure they work great.  I've even used some great blue heron wing feathers (and they're not particularly sturdy) but they worked great on my reed arrows.  I've killed two squirrels  and a raccoon with those arrows.

[ricktrojanowski]

Check out the post by Pat B.  He used three small whole feathers.  Kind of like Cherokee two fletch but with 3 small feathers.  It would probably work well with tail feathers.

[Hillbilly]

Rick, that Southeastern radial three-fletch works well with any kind of small feathers- I've used crow and grouse tailfeathers with it, and other small feathers like duck and guineafowl. It's a good fletching style. A friend of me and Pat uses that style almost exclusively, and often outshoots us, too.


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[Pat B]

These fletchings are 3 smaller(4") goose wing feathers in a radial pattern and how I tie them. I don't know why goose tail feathers shouldn't work as well.

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[Canoe]

Howdy Group,

I saw some goose tail feathers on E-Bay, I was wondering if they would work.  Although, they are on the short side of things, it sounds like pretty much anything goes for fletching.

Thanks for your guidance,
Canoe

[ricktrojanowski]

Hillbilly
That is some sweet looking fletching.