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Feathers ... will any old feather do ?

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Phil Rees:
Over the years, I, like many other members of this forum, have fletched arrows with a variety of feathers from different birds and from all parts of the bird.  I have to say, I haven't noticed any dramatic difference in the performance of the arrows when fletched with  left or right wing feathers, tail feathers, or plume feathers.
So my question is, would our forefathers just make use of the feathers that were available to them at the time, or do you think they would have been using specific feathers from selective birds as we do today?

Pappy:
I would guess they would use any ones the had,I am just blessed with Turkey/goose wing feathers so that is what I use. :)
   Pappy

recurve shooter:
i got to start turkey hunting. no gooses down here. lots of crows though.

scattershot:
I have seen arrows fletched with leaves and tufts of grass, or not fletched at all, so I'm sure just about anything would work and has been used in the past. Durability is another matter, though.

wolfsire:

--- Quote from: Horace Ford on September 04, 2009, 04:57:44 am ---So my question is, would our forefathers just make use of the feathers that were available to them at the time, or do you think they would have been using specific feathers from selective birds as we do today?

--- End quote ---

Both.  Tradition and availablity woudl have dictated choice.  It being part of their culture, they would have understood the properties of feathers.  Where available the stronger and larger feathers of the water foul and birds of prey probably would have been favored.  Where not, they might conserve by using 2 instead of 3, or come up with alternatives like using 6 or so whole small feathers.

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