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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: mongoose on July 06, 2010, 07:47:00 PM
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I haven't seen this question before, but I've often wondered what other hunters do to clean their arrows after the successful harvest? Do you strip and refletch? Thanks George :archer:
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I usually just hang them in my shop.Good memories and a great excuse to build more.glen
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If I really want to use it again, I just wash it off, re fletch if I need to. I have shot two deer in a day with the same arrow.
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I generally clean them up as much as I can with warm water and hang them in den.
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Thanks guys, I'm the same way Jerry, I wash it off and if I can I will wash the feathers clean and just reuse :thumbsup:
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Well, the only deer I've shot was with a carbon arrow. That bad boy was too expensive to palce on a shelf and not use. Not to mention dirty. Now the turkey I killed was with alluminum's. I've cleaned those but I think I need to re-fletch. I tried steamin' the feathers but that didn't work so much. Hopefully I can bring this topic back up to the top in Oct/Nov.
-Jeremy
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I just wipe em clean. I'll use soap and water if needed. I don't retire any of them -- too cheap. I have steamed feathers to revitalize them. However, with fletching tape (that I just discovered a month ago after 45 years of making my own arrows -- cool stuff). I won't tell the story but in 1984 one arrow was first up in Ontario, Indiana, and then Wyoming. The count was 5 beasties, 4 species.
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I simply use scent free soap and warm water. I had to use two last year on the same deer(one was a "Texas heart shot"), and both are back in the quiver, ready to go.
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I saved my bear arrow, hair, dried blood and all, but normally clean them up, sharpen the head and back in the quiver they go.
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I think for m first I will hang it but from there on out I may clean them up best I can.
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A little household hydrogen peroxide will clean it right up. May need to steam the feathers a bit or refletch if they are totally botched, but otherwise peroxide makes it easy.
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I had one that went through three Kentucky deer one year. Washed it with soap and warm water, dipped the fletchings in gasoline to oil them back up and hung it up to dry.
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I can't get myself to clean them, I simply put them om a rack, blodd, hair and all. Memories of the hunt just jump right out at me when I look at them.........
David
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If especially memorable, I'll mount the arrow on the horns or skin just as it passed through the animal. Otherwise, clean & reuse.
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Retire the arrow !!
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wash the blood out of the feathers, wipe down the shaft, sharpen the head and go kill again.
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if they arnt broke i wash them and re use them
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I retire mine. Just something else to keep the memory alive.
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I keep my shafts waxed with car wax so clean up is easy.I wash the blood off and steam the feathers back to shape and shoot them the next time something steps out untill it is broken or lost.I seldom have to refletch but will if needed.I don't retire arrows or hold on to bent,broken arrows.If they are not shooting they are no good for anything.jmo
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I re-tire the arrow too until I start to get low on arrows...3 exceptions: the deer in my Avatar, another big 'un from 2 years ago, and a "doe" arrow that is from a hunt with my 7 year-old. Those are sacred with dried blood, hair, etc along with the date in sharpie :)
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I just Clean the MUD Off and Restraighten, to Live and Fight Another day!! :thumbsup: :laughing:
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Hey KentuckyTJ, I would not have thought about dipping in gasoline. Don't that desolve the fletchin glue??
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I clean them up and reuse them if they are not damaged. I like to see how many kills I can get out of one.
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A good washing of fletch and shaft with Dawn and warm water does the trick.
In stead of letting the feathers dry and then steaming them, I dry them with a hair dryer. Brings them back just fine.
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i keep mine the way they are and hang on to them and date them with a sharpie, good times!!
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Clean the arrow carefully with warm water contaning a small bit of salt. This to to purify it as it now caries some of the spirit of the animial you took. Then retire it to your quiver.
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I wash them in warm water and dish soap, re-sharpened and re-loaded. Training arrows to pass thru the vitals is serious business.
I say we make/beg Bowwild tell the story. :D
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Clean them good,refletch if needed and back in the quiver they go.Only way my arrows get to retire is when they are broken or lost.I've retired a bunch. ;)
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I clean and put the date of the kill specs with a sharpie and re-use. I have one that I killed three deer with and the last broke the tip and I re-tapered and then my son shot his first deer with it last year. The tip broke and now it is to short and it has the specs. from my three and my sons first. Very special cedar shaft.
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I just left the arrow I killed my Keni black bear with, hanging in the Office of Homer Ocean Charters to join the collection they have from other succesful hunts.... I would have liked to bring it home to display with the up-coming rug and skull mount but seemed that it's a tradition up there and who am I to "Buck Tradition". :wavey:
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I run them back and forth in water to get all the blood out; and then I spin them. I put them between the palms of my hands; and rub my hands together. That raises the fletch for me and the fletch seems better at returning to its original shape. This works with getting in rain or while rabbit hunting and fletch gets wet in the wet grass or bunny.