Vanes or feathers?

[Twanger]

I'm a die-hard feather fletching fan. I just think they're cool. But, hunting in the rain really puts the whammy on them, and they do have more drag. While that drag doesn't matter much at 20 yds, it certainly does at 40 yds.
What are your thoughts on vanes vs. feathers?

[eshoremd]

ohhhhh! dont say that walt! i just switched from vanes to feathers. dropped them off at macrotech on tuesday. am i going to regret this?

[whopperstopper]

This looks like a good spot for an opinion with my first post. I use to use feathers all the time. Living in Minnesota with it's changing weather drove me nuts. It seemed I was always having to dry my feathers out. I am a stand hunter and when I hunt I get to my stand an hour before first light and I sit until the end of legal shooting hours. This gives the weather Gods plenty of time to tick me off. I have tried using nothing on my feathers, I have tried the sprays to protect the feathers and I have used small lunch bags to cover the feathers. Finally I started looking into the vanes and after my pro at the archery shop set me up, I have never looked back. In the areas I hunt the cover is pretty thick. For the most part 30 yards would be a long shot. Being I do not shoot 3D I can't comment on how the arrows fly at long range. I can however say that for my shooting I see no difference with the vanes. I can now sit for the day during light rain or I can spend a good day in the stand watching active deer as the snow comes down and piles up around me. For me, vanes are great!

WS

[Rock Chuck]

In this open country, long shots are common. At 50 yds, I find that a vane will hit 6" higher than a feather.

Dick

[freedomrules3]

Welcome to the forum WS ;D


I shoot feathers myself, i like them for several reasons. they just seem to shoot more consistant for me. the whisker biscuit seems to be easier on the feathers than the vanes, and i like it too much . besides the feathers look so much nicer too

[eshoremd]

im already regretting this

[Buckfever]

I use vanes and have for years and am so proficient at fletching with them that I'm not inclined to change. My buddies that use them love them and use some kind of spray on them to waterproof them. They are lighter, provide more control and improve FOC are the reasons they cite for using them.

[Buckfever]

"im already regretting this"

There's no way to figure that till you try them out. Even if you wind up not caring for them, you'll be ahead for that knowledge.

[ncboman]

rockchuck said:

In this open country, long shots are common. At 50 yds, I find that a vane will hit 6" higher than a feather.

Dick

That is true but in that same open country, the wind nearly always is blowing and feathers perform much better in wind. Vanes amplify flight problems whereas feathers correct them.

[Rock Chuck]

The wind isn't necessarily a problem. In the desert areas, yes. But our open mountians provide some very long shots but without much wind. 9 times out of 10 it isn't an issue in the high country.

Dick

[ncboman]

I'm not altogether against plastic as I have a couple of arrows fletched with it (playing with long range shooting) but feathers just seem more Indianny, one of my first attractions to archery many years ago.

I might add;

Spraying feathers with Camp Dry Silicone Waterproofing makes the feathers much more stiff and they make a ripping sound going thru a deer that is really cool and most unforgettable if you pay attention to that sort of thing.

[arrowsmith]

I think it's a toss up. As long as you don't switch back and forth either one works fine. Once you set your bow up for one or the other and stick with that type, it won't matter what the other type would have done. The feathers definitely look nicer. At long range you will get a lot more drag on your arrow which will make it shoot lower. Either type work fine. Feathers are more than 1/2 the wt. of the vanes so at close range you'll see a little more speed. Hey, FREEDOMRULES, You should see the grey and purple ! It looks awesome.

[freedomrules3]

"Hey, FREEDOMRULES, You should see the grey and purple ! It looks awesome. "

I can't wait , maybe you should take a pic and put it up on your sample page .