Feathers

[Violent Hippie]

Do any of you guys use feathers on your compound bow arrows ? I am the only guy I shoot or hunt with that uses them. I like the look and feel of feathers, its what my pops used on his old compound ( which he killed ALOT of deer with ), and what I have always used.My arrows always fly true and I dont plan on changing but just wonder why so many guys just use vanes. My buddies just say "I dunno . Its what they sold me ." I will finish out this season with my BEAR which I shoot at 60 lbs but plan to bow up to a new bow this winter . Probably will shoot faster with a dual cam vs single and 65 lb vs 60 (difference should be current 250 fps vs 270-280 depending on actual arrow weight). Thanks !

 

[littlebuf]

i think vanes accomplish the same thing as feathers in a smaller package and provide more spin with less drag, thus having an advantage. but your right, most guys shoot them because thats what they were sold

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I do not. I did read a study a couple years back that said out to 30 yards feathers perform nearly the same as plastic but after 30 they begin to suffer drastically

 

[tipsntails7]

Feathers have a few advantagest, they are extremly light so help foc, they stabalize fixed heads extremly well, and if you have fletching clearance issues thy will be Uneffected by that as well. They are quiter most of the time as well
I would not say they suffer drastically but they do create more drag which is why they stabalize faster but also have greater drop at longer ranges. Feathers were never meant to shoot 80 plus yards. Also vanes used to be absolute junk, back when sight housings were square not round most guys shot feathers. Vanes have come along way since then.

 

[justinspicher]

I shoot vanes out of my recurve, which is on the opposite end of the trad spectrum. I do that because I lived in western Washington and I didn't like using feathers so vanes were my choice. They worked well for me and I will continue to use them for quite some time.

 

[Violent Hippie]

All this makes sense. As I briefly touched on I sort of inherited the custom of using feathers from my father. When he stopped hunting in the 80's feathers were all guys used. Feathers are all I have used BUT I thought there had to be something behind the vast majority using vanes. Thanks for the input guys. I may end up using vanes with my next setup ? ?

 

[Jake Leibke]

I used feathers when I first started bowhunting. Switched to blazers. Switched back to feathers, the small 2" razors. Switched back to blazers then to flex fletch vanes with a few other brands I between. The flex fletch are the best I have used.

The reason I tried the short razor feathers was as someone else said to gain some foc and maybe a bit of speed. I did not like them because they didn't hold up very well to a lot of shooting. The edges would get frayed and i needed to refletch fairly often.

 

[Coyote Commander]

Why do most guys shoot vanes?

Why do most guys shoot blazer or other short little puny vanes?

Because thats what comes in the box of arrows they buy. Most dont know, nor care why they're shooting what they're shooting.

The biggest two advantages to vanes are 100% weather proof without treating, and they're more durable. At "normal" bow hunting distances, there really isnt much of a performance advantage to one over the other. Feathers are lighter, and MUCH quieter. Thats about it.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

The reason feathers have declined in popularity with compound bowhunters is because they can absorb moisture. When they get wet they don't stabilize the arrow well and they get much heavier. There are various treatments to help waterproof them and like anything some work better than others. Always wondered if goose & duck feathers would be more water resistant. They are lighter than plastic vanes if similar size so your initial velocity will be higher but they also create more drag so your arrow will shed speed faster. That's the reason they stabilize broadheads well. This is also why a lot of competitive indoor shooters like them. They can stabilize a large diameter arrow with a very heavy point quicker than anything else.

If they get wet and freeze, they will not flex the same and can cause accuracy issues for recurve shooters too.

They are very forgiving to contact on the rest or shelf of a recurve or longbow when dry and that's why they're still quite popular with traditional archers.

 

[Jacob Chapman]

I shoot AAE Max Hunter vanes right now, those 2" Rayzr feathers from True Flight look pretty cool.

Get some water proofing powder and you dont have to worry about them getting wet. Stabilize the arrow better and they look really cool.

 

[Violent Hippie]

I havnt heard of that style of feathers. I am gonna check em out.