Arrow flight v.s. noise

[snag]

Just watched a Public Broadcasting show on raptors and their flight in relationship with their wings.  They brought up the point the owl is a stealth hunter. They have to be quiet. The edge of the back feathers on their wing is uneven, which breaks up the wind coming over the wing. This diffuses the air flow off the back of the wing and quiets the flight.  I don't know how much it effects the speed of the bird though.  So, I thought maybe we as archers should try notching the edge of the feather fletching and see if it quiets the arrow in flight...?  I don't know if it would make the arrow more unstable in flight or if it would slow the arrow considerably or not. Just an interesting thought.  We usually take what God has created (i.e. birds and their ability to fly) and try and accomplish it.  Now even the Air Force is looking into this to quiet their aircraft.

[Brian Krebs]

I burned some fletch one time and they shot great- until I shot at a deer with one! Most arrows are pretty silent; but fletch noise can get their attention!
 I shot at a buck with that first arrow; and it dropped and the arrow missed it. The buck looked at the arrow and took off back the direction where it came from.
 A while later it came back by my treestand on pins and needles.
 I shot another 'flopper' at it and hit it- but the angle of the arrow kind of tells the tail of how it could hear the arrow.
 I was shooting from a treestand; hit it on the bottom of its chest; the arrow came out over the top of its shoulder; and went into the ground. As the buck took off- it broke off the broadhead; and about ten inches of arrow: that was buried in the ground!
  After that I learned to shoot new fletch shapes where I could hear them ...before hunting with them...
  I don't think notches would work; maybe barely burning the edge of a fletch would create a 'feathering' like you described- but most popular shapes are quiet enough to miss and not scare off the animal.... not that 'I' know that for sure  :rolleyes:  

     

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I read somewhere that the noise you hear is from the arrow going though paradox. I have also seen/heard my arrows scream when I have a bad release....I will try burning the back side of my nana's and see/hear what happens