feather type for fletching?

[RM81]

Just curious as to what types of feathers you can use for fletching?  Besides turkey and goose, what other bird feathers can you use?  The reason I ask is because someone I work with raises mallards and I may be able to get some feathers to try out.  I've fletched using vanes and store bought feathers, but want to try it from scratch.  I did a search in the PowWow forum, but didn't find an answer.  Thanks.
Matt

[Orion]

Mallard feathers would work, though they won't be as high, stiff or durable as turkey feathers.

[Fancy Firewood]

Just remember the reason for fletching....stabilization of the arrow.  While water fowl feather will probably work for a decently tuned arrow they may not provide enough stabilization for an over or under spined/weight arrow.  
  I recall reading somewhere that indians used waterfowl fletching in wet conditions.  It makes sense and would be something to try for those wet days.  The feathers have a higher oil content and also the barbs of the feather are held together more tightly than turkey. They are less susceptable to water penetration.

Give it a try and let me know.
Brian

[RM81]

I think I will try it if I can get some from him.  The water thing makes sense due to all the preening ducks do.
I think I'll try turkey hunting this year to give it a shot with the turkey feathers also to see the difference in the two types.  Thanks for the responses.

[Rob DiStefano]

i know you mentioned it, but if they're in your locale, it's hard to be canada goose feathers and fletches.  incredibly waterproof, stiff, durable and FREE.  

they've just got a dull, blend-in, hard to see color that needs brightening to see yer arra in flight and on impact!  :D

 

[Rob DiStefano]

lots of mallards and white ducks around our town's big pond.  never thought those kinda feathers were large and stiff enuf for a hunting arra.  i'll stick with turkey and canada goose fletches.

[Jeremy]

Goose and turkey primaries get my vote for the best out there, but the secondaries make servicable arrows as well.

I also like pheasant primaries - longer and stiffer than duck - and I can chop standard profiles out of them.  They don't hold up as well as wild turkey in the long run, but they're free for me and I have somewhere around 30 pheasants worth of primaries sorted in bags waiting to be ground.

The only way I've had duck make an acceptable fletching is making them a low profile 4" banana.  There not as durable, but they do work and well enough for me to collect them.

Something a little odd (by today's standards) is a 3, 4, or 5 tangential fletch with secondary feathers of smaller birds.   I did one out of pheasant recently.  A little louder in flight than a standard fletch, but point of impact was the same so it wasn't slowing the arrow down any more.  I'll be doing some small game arrows like that for the fun of it.

[lpcjon2]

Last week I went looking for some goose feathers.We had them all over the place,But when I want to find them there are none around.I will be trying them.they look cool.

[RM81]

We definitely have a lot of geese around here, so I'll look for some feathers down by the lake near my house.  Hopefully, I can find enough to fletch up three arrows.  Those goose feathers do look good Rob.

I have another noob question.  Does anyone dye the cock feather and what do you use?  Thanks for all the input.

[Rob DiStefano]

hunting for gray gold

[RM81]

Thanks for the link.  That's great info!

[RM81]

No luck hunting for gray gold last weekend.  Guess I'll have to wait on the goose feathers until the moulting season.

[Rob DiStefano]

for most of the east coast, the gray gold hunting season is JUNE!  

got a large pond nearly in my backyard and hundreds of canada geese - mmmm, free superb fletchings!

[Kenneth]

Thanks for the info and link Rob!!  There are a ton of geese in the downed cornfields where I deer hunt.  I'm gonna stroll around and see what I can find.

[Rob DiStefano]

i usually save all primaries, no matter what the wing.  i use left exclusively and give the rights away.  secondaries are good, too, if they're large enuf.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Anybody ever use goose and turkey feathers together?
 I always get a ton of turkey wings in spring and got some buddies that goose hunt and get alot of goose wings as well. I use the bones out of the turkey eing for yelpers and the small bone out of the goos for strikers and usually save the feathers.
 I was thinking two turkey and one goose or vice versa.