He guys...i shoot CX Maxima Hunters with blazers now...i've been thinking about going to feathers but i would like your opinions to help me decide...i use a wisker biscuit now but will probably go to a VT limb driver rest...my question is...are feathers that much more forgiving and do they stabilize the arrow faster and/or better?? Any opinions would be very helpful... Jeff
Feathers are probably the best for arrow stabilization however, In every day whitetail hunting distances, there is zero differences in Blazers vs Feathers unless you have less than acceptable tuning. Out of a well tuned bow, they group the same. I used 4" feathers and 2" Blazers both on an offset this past season out of my 82nd and they grouped together. I did this as feathers become almost useless in foul weather unless extreme care is taken. If you have a tuned bow, matched tuned arrows your difference will be less than noticeable. Unless you need the extra stabilization, I'd prefer the Blazers.
I shot feathers up until this season. I switched to blazers which came on my Easton Axis Nano arrows and was pleasantly surprised. The Blazers shot my broadhead well and grouped excellent. As stated above, the feathers are a pain in snow and rain and can get damaged while walking through brush or being pulled up in the tree. I have no intentions on going back to feathers after shooting them for 8 seasons.
Feathers are lighter, giving you better FOC. All be it just a slight improvement. Taking 8-12 grains off the tail of the arrow isn't really enough to make THAT much difference. Feathers and Blazers do group together, there's no question. Feathers do tend to whistle a little in flight, but that's really negligible. If a feather were to encounter a limb, or part of your bow like the arrow rest, it will simply fold flat and stand back up, not bouncing off of said object like a vane will. Vanes "spring" off of things they hit, and will toss your arrow god only knows where. While feathers will lay down and look bad when they get water logged, they still work just fine. Just be prepared for a spray in the face when you release. I've shot feathers completely waterlogged and they work perfectly fine. I've shot both extensively, and in 98% of the situations, there ain't a hill of beans difference between the 2. Sometimes when shooting fixed blade broadheads I've seen feathers the only vane that will stabilize the arrow. Is that due to an out of tune bow? MOST of the time, yes. Emphasis on most. But not all of the time. There are rare instances where feathers are just all that will work. I shoot feathers because I like them. They're classy looking and they work great. Are they better enough that I would drop everything if I wasn't using them and change? Nope.
I was waiting for Mobow to write in. I'm not quite sure what you other guys are doing to your arrows that make them 'useless' in foul weather. I suppose if I were walking all over alaska in the rain, I might cover them or waterproof them but I have not yet needed to do either for bowhunting whitetails in the midwest. Rain, snow, walking a mile and back to my hunting spot... the feathers do fine. They still fly fine too. After going through a couple deer they do get a little rougher. I have some that are roughed up that are starting to get noisy. Still, they're cooler than plastic. (plastic made with oil, probably from a foreign source... not biodegradeable either.. heh heh) My feathers work better in the rain than my raingear did.
Still don't get tired of seeing that buck, Christine. What a monster. I've thought about trying feathers out for the reasons mentioned above. Not to mention the fact you can use fletching tape, and make your fletching jobs that much quicker and cleaner.
You know, that's actually a really good point about the fletching tape. ESPECIALLY if you dip or wrap your arrows. When using the tape, if you need to refletch simply pull the feather off, rub the adhesive off with your thumb, and refletch. You've done no damage to your cresting or wrap. If you've glued your vanes on (the tape just doesn't work with plastic) you'll have to scrape off the glue, taking the crest or wrap with it.
Feathers will certainly continue to work more efficiently when damaged as well compared to vanes but vanes can be more durable. It comes down to a matter of preference. I think feathers look better, especially barred.
I shoot feathers with my hunting arrows because I like the look, want the most forgiving fletching I can shoot and like the extra FOC they provide.
Thanks for the advice...so let me put this in a nut shell for myself...correct me if i am wrong... with my setup ( 68lb at 29" arrow from a 30.5" draw length shooting cx maxima hunters (WF)350's with a 3 blade 100gr broadheads and blazer vanes)..my foc is between 12%-15% which i think is adequate...I shoot through a wisker biscuit and i am working on my form all the time...it is safe to say that if my form and/or setup isn't perfect that the feathers will be more forgiving?? And i rarely shoot past 25-30 yards in hunting situations...(the last few deer i have harvested were 8 yds, 12 yds and 17 yds). You all have been very helpful and please keep the suggestions coming...i'm always looking to gain knowledge....
jkcmerg, There is no doubt that feathers will stabilize your arrow the best. They can "fix" flaws in your shooting form or bow tune to some extent. The more air drag you create on the tail of the arrow, the more it steers an arrow counter acting any steering caused by the blades of a broadhead. On mechanicals that fly like field points it's mute but fixed blades that attempt to steer an arrow, the more air drag you have at the tail, the better. Also, always at least use any fletch with an offset or helical rather than straight. Offset or helical spin your arrow, again air drag counteracting the steering power of the broadhead. Not sure if you ever read where last year I used a semi heavy aluminum fletched with both 4" feathers and 2" Blazers and they flew together, ie grouped together. Obviously my FOC changed slightly from Blazers to feathers but again, in normal whitetail distances, in a well tuned bow etc the difference is negligible. Note, this was with both fixed and mechanical heads.
Rob..that was my next question.. i shoot right handed with a release...on my blazers now i have a slight off set to the right (the back is centered and the front goes off to the front right)...my question is with the feathers and a Wiscar bisquit, what helical do i want?? right or left?? and do i want to off set with a helical twist?? how will that shoot through a WB??
I have little experience with the WB but have read that many successfully use Blazers through a WB with both offset and helical. I would imagine that feathers would pass through a WB more clean than plastic fletch so I can surmise (not know) that your feathers with an offset would be fine.
Ok.....to comment on a statement GMMAT made earlier about feathers being optimal <40 yards. And to clarify, because I'm not exactly sure what meant....If we're talking about steering capability, no. Feathers will always win, all be it just slightly. If we're talking about speed, that's exactly correct. Feathers, because they create more wind drag, (which is why they stablilze better, btw) slow down faster than a vane will. They are, however, faster off the bow and out to about 40 yards. Beyond that, they slow down faster, but honestly, it's a moot point. I shoot routinely at 60 and 70 yards (for practice) and my arrows get there just fine. Helical, or twist, if you will.....Will add more spin to your arrow creating better stabilization. Shooting the WB such as you are, I wouldn't recommend helical because, as Jeff pointed out, you're creating too much drag through the bristles. 3* right or left offset will work fine, the most common being right. And offset will also add some spin to your arrow, just not as much as helical will. And to add to your complicated choice, feathers and Blazers are, without a doubt IMO, the very best options for the WB. Blazers are more rigid than other vanes and are far more durable through it, and feathers just lay down out of the way and keep on cruisin.
In theory, I also believe that, it makes sense but there is testimonial after testimonial about helical fletch working through the WB. I've never used one but those that have are adamant about that. Personally I would never shoot a rest that would not allow for an offset or helical'd fletch.
Ya know, Rob, now that you mention that I've heard that as well. I personally wouldn't be comfortable with it, but I guess if I were to be truthful I would have to say I don't know definitively, I've never done that. I'm with you, though....First off I wouldn't be using a biscuit (nothing wrong with them, just not for me) and I wouldn't use a rest that wouldn't allow for that either.
Jeff I just wasn't sure if you were talking about stabilization or speed. Those are 2 entirely different aspects but yes....We agree. And, Trophy Ridge has purchased Whisker Buscuit and I believe they are making them now. Not that it has any bearing on this conversation what so ever, just pointing that out. We sell quite a few WB's, and I've not seen any real notable difference in speed. 2 fps is the most I've seen and in the grand scheme of things.......whoopidie doo. 2 fps ain't squat. Now, I will say I've not graphed an arrow with hard helical shot off a WB, and I certainly agree with the logic. I'm just not sure the logic is accurate. The WB is a very fine rest indeed, especially for the spot and stalk hunter. The biggest disadvantage I can see is since the arrow is in contact with the rest longer than with....say a drop away, the human error factor may figure in more than others. While the arrow is in contact w/ the bow until it is released from the string, with the WB it is in contact even longer. But, I believe it was Dave Cousins (hoyt pro shooter) that has tested the accuracy of said buscuit and found it to be excellent. But that's subjective as well.....Mr Cousins is a FAR better shooter than I....LOL I may be mistaken there, but I think it was he.....May have been somebody else though, I can't remember for sure. Anyway, back to the feather thing.....I've robin hooded feather fletched arrows as well as blazer'd and 4" vaned arrows......so either way you go here it's more about your consistency than anything else. The best suggestion I can give is to give them a try. Just fletch a couple of your arrows with feathers and see for yourself. They're pretty amazing.
Another advantage I haven't seen mentioned is improved penetration.I was amazed when I did some penetration test at just how many times the vanes would be just enough to stop my arrow from a COMPLETE passthrou.Now,of course this most likely will not cost you a deer because you will have penetrated both sides of the animal but it MIGHT save an arrow and give you a little better read on what kind of hit you have by being able to read the blood on the arrow.AND,of course this is a bigger factor for those that struggle with passthroughs. Feathers get rattled over time but I have found them very easy to fix with just some water.I run mine under hot water in the sink and rub them down,then shake as much water out as I can and let dry for a day. They will usually look brand new,unless there is some of it missing.That is when they start getting a little noisy but I still prefer feathers over vanes. I am actually testing out the razr's right now and they seem to be a little more durable and quieter but that is just some quick impression of them.
