AC, although most people couldn't identify them as fletching, it's VERY illegal to use owl, eagle, hawk, or any other raptor feather--even buzzard. To even have them in your possession requires a special permit, even if you just found them on the ground.

I forgot to mention you can split and grind them by hand, but it's a lot of work. When I did it, I used a utility knife or an x-acto knife to split the quill (careful or you will ruin the whole feather). then I cut them to length (plus a little extra for the chopper) and put them in a straight fletching jig to sand the quill down by hand. If you have time and like to tinker, it's no big deal, but it's time consuming and aggravating to me.

Chad