I know what your saying Tom. When I used to shoot league I occasionally hit another arrow while shooing single spots and during hunters league while trying to place two arrows side by side on paper target animals in the highest scoring number ring for that target, I eventually went to a 5 spot target. Occasionally Id hit the feathers of my first arrow and knock some of the vane out or bend it. when shooting hunters league it got to be where you’d try to shoot and put your second arrow close to the first but far enough away as not to damage it, that was a challange too, all the targets were two arrows a piece then tally the score of the rings you put your arrow in. If they were too badly damaged I replaced the feather with my left twist helical cast fletching tool that sits on a table or bench.
The (few) times I may have shot a wet feather I took my finger and made sure it was shaped so it would fly right, I don’t think I ever had any problems. I’ve never heard about feathers folding back during the first 30 yrds and a vaned arrow catching up to it, I believe it, good information. Will a plastic vane fit any situation or is it better to shoot feathers in some, or is it all a matter of personal choice.
I have to insert this too…for you guys that look for something to do and wouldn’t mind fletching your own arrows, it not hard to do. Heres a couple hints on what to do. I scrape off the old vane or feather and the glue that holds it to the arrow. Buy yourself a good fletching tool by spending a little money, around the $35 to $50 mark for a single arrow tool, also choose if you want a right or left helical spin on your arrow but it dosen’t matter, this is personal choice. Look at the feather to see if it will lay true on the arrow shaft like any kinks etc., Sometimes when they split the center of a feather the center isn’t always split right but most the time they are. One side of the feather after the split will be a right and the other is a left. When you buy the package they will come left or right helical and both come from the same feather by spliting it right down the middle. After you’ve looked to see if it was split right put it in the fletching too and alighn it along side the arrow shaft. If it lays in full contact along the shaft then its ok to glue it, if not adjust the vice so it does, thats easy and anyone can do it. Pull the clamp off the base and put an ample amount of glue on the base of the vane while in the clamp. Then carefully put the clamp back on the base then press the clamp to the arrow trying to make sure it will make center contact, it should if it was prealighned. After the clamp with the vane in it is pressed against the arrow shaft then just let it dry. Heres a hint I do, after the arrows completely fletched I put a small drop of fletchtight glue on the front and back of the feather so they don’t peel back and don’t come loose. When putting the glue on the base of the vane put an ample amount but not too much, you’ll be able to tell how much after you’ve done a few. Fletching arrows is alot of fun and a great way to pass time. It takes about 4 hrs to do 6 arrows and watch tv at the same time with a single arrow fletching tool.
