Angus74

Im considering switching to feathers for my hunting setup. Are feathers better than vanes for stabilizing broadheads? I am shooting carbon arrows 29 inches long with 100 grain Muzzy 3 blade heads. I dont have to worry much about rain, but how good is Feather Dry powder at keeping them dry in damp conditions? Thanks for any advice.

Bauer

I have used Feathers for over 25 years and use nothing on them. I have had it pour down rain and it did not bother arrow flight. They seem to shed the water and regain flight as soon as I release the Arrow. I used vains for the first 4 or 5 years and the feathers seem to have less drag than the vains do. I am no expert so you might want to check with a pro shop and see what they have to say.

Arthur P

Yes.

They are also lighter, which makes for a faster arrow over typical hunting distances. They will flatten and pass an arrow rest without disrupting arrow flight, rather than bounce the tail of the arrow around like vanes do, in case of accidental contact.

That also comes into play as the arrow passes through the deer. The feathers lay down and don' t offer much resistance inside the animal while vanes drag all the way through. I' ve had passthru' s on several deer and hogs that never acted like they knew they were hit while using feathers. They just stood there until they fell over. A couple even kept feeding until just before they dropped.

I' ve never had that happen with vane fletched arrows, but I must say I haven' t shot nearly as many animals with vaned arrows. Maybe the law of averages has never caught up with me.

BobCo19-65

Unlike Bauer, I have used feathers in the rain and HAD them effect arrow flight dramatically. For my compound, I use nothing but vanes. There are good and bad characteristics with vanes, however, as long as I do not have and contact while the arrows leave the bow, I will be using vanes because of their ability to shed rain and moisture. In my experience, FWIW, I have also found vanes to be quieter.

I' m not sure about Bauers comment about feathers having less drag them vanes. I believe it is the other way around.

bearlot

I use only vanes. Just prefer them over the feathers.

hvyhitter19

I like the feathers... Shoot good, and they look pretty...

PA Hardwoods

Go with feathers! IMHO the forgivness of feathers far outweighs the downside of durability.

Rangeball

Bunch of good technical info-

http://www.trueflightfeathers.com/facts.htm

Danny45

I use nothing but vanes. I too had some very bad experiences with feathers when wet, even after " waterproofing" them. With the proper rest, vane clearance should not be a problem, and the speed difference is insignificant at hunting distances. Vanes tend to be a little quieter in flight also.

Jason N

Well, I' ve used both about the same number of years each, so here' s my opinion....

Feathers:
PROS
lighter
faster correction
forgiving(on the release, don' t tear up when practicing)
prettier than vanes
loud, with a helical anyway...I' ve heard they are very quiet when straight fletched
CONS
just plain junk if soaked(notice I said soaked, not damp, moist, a little wet)
once ruffled up they seldom com back to low profile


Vanes:
PROS
not sensitive to moisture at any level
very quiet
usually brighter and easier to see after a hit

CONS
not forgiving on the rest or when stacking arrows
heavier/slower....like metioned, not even worth debate at hunting speeds/distances


With all that said, I' ve killed deer with both steering my arrow.....they all died just the same. I' ve passed through deer with both and had deer tear out there and I' ve had others stand around or feed until they fall over(I' ve got your averages for you Art!) with both.....no scientific studies though! I practice with feathers because I like to shoot groups and with vanes I' m constantly replacing them....feathers take much more abuse. I' ve witnessed first hand the effects of soaked feathers vs. dry....soaked feathers might as well not shoot at all. I tune everything with my hunting sticks....only differnce between them and practice sticks is the fletching. I shoot my practice sticks all the time.....they still tune the same in my findings. There' s my findings, take them for what they are....MY findings. Good luck!