i just got finished with a shooting session and i just HAD to share! when i started bowhunting 12 or 13 years ago, i started out shooting 4" vanes...since then i have ALWAYS shot vanes. i had never tried feathers for a couple of reasons...one, i didn't know how they would perform when wet. since i hunt mostly swamp, the thought of tripping and falling in the water and soaking those "fragile" feathers would ruin my hunt. (don't laugh i've done it before, there is something about those logs and limbs that like to grab boots when you're slipping through water 3 ft. deep.) two, i've alluded to it already, i always heard these things are fragile. three, i have been told by some guys that feathers were noisy flying through the air. four, i just flat didn't know anything about them. well, this year, after reading a LOT of info on feathers vs. vanes, i decided i just had to give feathers a whirl. i fletched one up last night and applied the gateway waterproofing powder. (it sure looked better than an arrow fletched with vanes. ) headed out this morning with my test arrow and did some shooting. OMG! i was (and sill am) SHOCKED. [] feathers (5" rh) fly terrific. much, much better than vanes fly for me. i decided to try my luck with fingers this season and feathers will be just the ticket. man, they really stablize the arrow a lot faster than my vanes do. i also didn't notice any more noise than with my vanes. in fact, i thought they were a little quiter. next time i shoot, i will have a second party verify that for me...are they fragile? boy, they don't seem to be. a season of shooting will answer this question for me. and waterproof? well, today is a drizzley, rainy day in missouri, so i though what better time to test the waterproofing than today? the water beaded up and rolled right off of those puppies. i haven't submerged them in water yet (simulating a dropped arrow in water) but that is coming next...oh, and did i mention that they are a LOT faster than my vanes out to 40yds? i mean if they couldn't get any better, i just picked up some speed. i am one happy camper so far! so, for anyone out there who was like me and has never tried shooting feathers, you owe it to yourself to try them.

oh, forgot to mention that i'm shooting them through a wb, quickshot droptine model without the new B2 biscuit.

thanks for reading...

by the way, to the feather shooters, how long does the gateway waterproofing powder last? when should i reapply? is there anything better? and will the "velcro" effect of the feathers ever wear out? and if so, is there a way to "reactivate" the "velcro" effect? i've read that i can "steam" them back. is this true? or is there a better way?

thanks a million!!

Feathers will soften up after shooting them several months, and be even quieter, but the 'velcro effect' never wears out.

If the feathers get too ruffled or smashed so far out of shape you can't straighten them up by hand, you can definitely refresh them and get them perfectly lined out again by running them thru steam. I like to fire up the wife's teapot and use the pressurized steam coming out of the spout.

Sorry, but I can't say how long the waterproofing agents work. I never have used them. Started off using the cheapest hairspray I could find to keep my feathers in shape in the rain. Then I got the bright idea of spraying them with Scotchguard. It works, so I never used the 'real' stuff.

Scotchguard has given me a good 8 hours of dry feathers on foggy, drizzly days. I always carry a gallon size freezer bag to cover my feathers in a frog strangling downpour.

Unless the feathers became fully drenched, one heavy application of the powder usually carries my buddies and I through the entire 3.5 months of the bow season.

If the feathers are exposed to heavy moisture, we sometimes would refresh the powder....after feathers are fully dry. My nephew rarely refreshes during the entire season and rarely has problem.

One thing to think about; will the bristles of the WB scrape the protection off, requiring a periodic application?

I have also used Art P's method, and it works.

arthur p and c903, thanks for the advice...

yeah, that's what i was kind of wondering...it sure seems like i will need to reapply every so many shots through the biscuit. its not a big deal to me, i was just wondering about it...does anyone know?

I really like using feathers, it's almost all I will use at this point. They are a bit noisy compared to vanes. As long as the vanes are in perfect condition that is. You get a slight tear or hole in a vane and it will be as loud or louder than feathers. Not to mention it may not fly quite right. Feathers are so forgiving in most regards. They can be seriously messed up and still fly perfect. I have some arrows where half the feather is missing, they still fly right. For this reason they are more forgiving in a grouping situation. You can put another arrow thru the fletch of a previous arrow and not really damage anything. It gets expenisive and time consuming doing that with vanes. They are also lighter and have more resistance, so they help control the arrow better and faster. They are a good way to increase your FOC as well. And they are very forgiving for contact with cables and rests if you have a problem with that sort of thing. Some will say they slow your arrow down because of the resistance. It's true, but it doesn't show up until after 50 yards or so. Most people don't shoot that far anyway. And since they are lighter you will pick up a little speed.

As far as using them with the WB rest, not really a good idea from what I understand. They will most likely wear out pretty fast unless you trim alot of bristles out. They suggest vanes with that rest I think. I don't use one however, just things I have read in the past is all.

For water proofing I use food grade silicone spray, it works pretty well. I don't hunt in the rain though so I don't worry about it that much. And for target practice when it is raining out they don't fly any different with field points when they are wet for me.

Good luck, and by the way, I have found True Flight feathers to be of better quality than Gateways. Just a personal preference though.

Paul

I like feathers better too, tho I use vanes sometimes too. Feathers just fly better for me & they look better too IMO. The reason I use vanes is sometimes I'm impatient & its faster putting them on. Theyre cheaper too, but my hunting arrows wear feathers.

I got a roll of that fletching tape the local shop had laying around but it musta been old. It wasnt sticky anymore. I think I saw where someone here tried it & liked it so I may get a fresh roll & try again. Cut down the fletching time & I may never shoot another vane again.

I like the sheild back barred type. My local shop guy said the sheild back feathers stabilize better than the parabalic ones but theyre noisier. I dont notice any more noise but they look cool.

The no snow product marketed by carolina archery works good too I hear.Gonna try that this year.The powder works good,but not in a frog chokin rain as has been mentioned.



CB

".....frog chokin' rain."

Now, that is one hellavu rainfall!

I've heard that Camp Dry silicone spray works very well for waterproofing feathers.

Today I went to a 3D shoot.. and it was drizzly rain all day... that is until we were done shooting.. which meraculously the rain stopped just as we were walking out of the woods. I use 3" feathers on my 3D arrows... and they were SOAKED!!!... hadn't waterproofed them because I hadn't planned on shooting them in the rain. Well they got all nice and matted.... and I would have a big puff of water whenever I shot... Needless to say the arrows still flied perfect and I shot the best in our class... I've never seen feathers that matted.. They looked like those arrows that you find that have been "lost" in the woods for who knows how long. I know broadheads are a little different story. But just thought I'd share this experience...

thanks for the info guys.


i just bought the first 5" RW i saw. i didn't really know enough about the quality of the different brands.

anyone else have a preference of tru-flight over gateways? if so, how come?