fletching question

[bowtarist]

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to pick up even road killed turkey.  I've done it, but you don't want to get caught carrying around a dead turkey out of season or in season w/o a tag.  Just my 2cents, dpg

[twisted hickory]

I take my two year old son to a few parks around my area and make it a game to pick up "the big, clean, good feathers" when there are geese or ducks around. I have a few turkeys living behind my house that leave feathers quite often and one was killed by coyotes I think and this left the field covered in wing and tail feathers. I have found roadkill turkeys (pretty rare to find one) and they have some salvageable feathers. by the way, when salvaging either feathers or any part of a road kill animal including sinew its a good idea to wear gloves and have an air tight container for the remainder of the trip... stinks up a car real quick if ya dont.

I have a few arrows that came from under where the turkeys roost behind my house
I will have to remember to go searching when the geese are molting

[Hrothgar]

Depending on what part of the country you live in, the turkey and geese feathers are pretty easy to come by if you have a friend who hunts them. Be sure to clean them either by dusting with a borax-corn meal mix, or soaking in gasoline. I prefer the gasoline, its quicker and cheaper--and more dangerous. Don't try to use detergent and water, it tends to ruin the shape.

[TRACY]

I am hoping to get some Canada goose feathers soon. I think they would be good for rainy days

Good for sunny days too Find a goose hunter and ask them for wings of legally harvested birds and you'll have an endless supply of great fletching. I use all of my large duck wing and geese that I harvest every year for just that.

Tracy

[Hrothgar]

This has been an interesting discussion and I've enjoyed it. I just realized the original question hasn't been fully answered. Many south american tribes which still rely on bow and arrow for hunting use massive arrows, both for shooting critters out of trees and for shooting fish. Consequently the fletching tends to be longer vanes, and often only two vanes; kind of the same idea with the larger atlatl darts. I'll see if I can bring up a picture.