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Lower profile Vanes

So I have been shooting Blazer vanes for years. I changed my anchor and increased my draw length. I have killed 3 whitetails this year and hit and lost a huge buck. The whitetails I killed were all 25 yds and under and the hits were horrible. Just not shooting well on animals cause in the yard I can keep my shooting to under 4"s at 40 yds. Come to find out with my knew anchor I am pressing my chin ever so slightly into one of my vanes and it is moving my arrow on the rest in towards the riser. I want a vane that is lower profile yet will still shoot my big 175 grain fixed blades well. I was thinking maybe the AAE Stealth vanes but anything with a profile under .50 may help! By the way I shoot a QAD drop away and a Mathews Traverse is the bow. Thanks! Shawn

Shawn, I shoot max stealth out of two bows with larger fixed blade heads, Solids, Irownwills and Ox cut ultra 4s and they seem to work very well and have enough surface area to stabilizer the bigger heads.

Why not refletch and move them forward to eliminate the contact?

I had some arrows (with OEM fletching), had some contact at full draw. Reflected and all is well.

I know you are asking for opinions on lower profile vanes, but I would say that if your anchor point is affecting your arrow flight I would adjust your anchor point. I know i tried to switch my anchor point and for the last few years I've continually shot to the right and couldn't figure out why. I went back to the old anchor point and I'm hitting dead center now.

I started shooting AAE max stealth 4-fletch this season and couldn't be happier with arrow flight. I'm shooting a 1-1/4" wide 1-1/4" long main blade Day Six Evo-X broadhead, 125 gr. plus a 50 gr. GT FACT weight added to the insert.

The AAE vanes are very tough just like my previous Flex Fletch.

If you refletch, suggest using four SK-300 vanes. Buy them on ebay, 50 pack for $18.99

I did adjust anchor over the summer and redid my whole shooting style. I cannot move the vanes that far forward on the shaft. I shot recurves for years and my anchor even with a release was similar, string was never in center if nose and I used the cock vane in corner of mouth. Never shot wonderful that way but killed lots of stuff. On the advice of a world class shooter, I changed everything. I now shoot lights out in the shop or in the yard but when the pressure is on and in the heat of the moment I am doing as described. I know more repetitions may help but I had a total shoulder replacement in April and have not shot a ton of arrows. I realized what I was doing when I shot a doe the other day and gut shot her twice at 10 yds. I feel going to a smaller diameter arrow and a lower profile vane may do the trick, maybe not but I hate to rework everything right now. After season maybe but right now I was thinking quick fix! Thanks! Shawn

By the way I refletchec with the Max Hunters and get perfect hole and great flight out to as far as I care to shoot with broadheads but have same issue with them! Shawn

Maybe consider four, 4" feathers? Buy a 3-d deer target for practice. Focus on the small spot.

I shot Blazers for years too, but started getting occasional fletching to cable contact on a different bow and then only with a bit of unintentional hand torque. I figured if I torqued sometimes on targets, I'm more apt do it on animals. I switched to four Fusion II vanes that are 2.1" long and .40" high. No contact, better sight housing clearance, arrow can't get nocked wrong and you can fletch four different colours if you want because there is no cock feather. Many of the low profile vanes are .30" tall and that seemed very low to me, but I guess if you went longer that would make up for it. Maybe buy some twelve packs of a few different ones and try them in this off season.

I fletch mine in the old fashioned 75 - 105 configuration on an antique Bitz. That gave me the best rest prong clearance as well.

It's easy and unnecessary to go overboard too. I see no point in being "over fletched" and negatively impacting trajectory and down range energy. If your max hunting range is forty yards, keep adding more vane surface area and/or helical until you have good arrow flight to forty. Now keep adding a little more and shoot the arrows with the same sight pin and keep doing that until you notice a significant or unacceptable drop in arrow impact at your max range. You only need to fletch one shaft for a test, just shoot it multiple times.

Don't need 3d targets I can put 3 arrows out of 3 in the kill zone on my 3d targets at 70 yds. It's just as of late. I killed a good buck 3.5 year old on Nov 6th and at the time thought how the hell did I hit him where I did. I know now and if I make a conscious effort and look at my arrow in the rest I can correct but I don't want to have to do that, it should be automatic. Thanks! Shawn

Flex fletch makes some really nice vanes. And a verity of them.

Automatic: Man do I know that feeling. Muscle memory better have a better memory than I have of late.

What fletching jig do you have. I’ve always used a Bitzenbuger but have played with a couple of Arizona Easy Fletches and they fletch foreword quite a bit. Probably close to 1.5” foreword. It looked odd to me using 4 inch wraps so I went back the bItz. The last one I bought was the helical mini and it sure puts a curve on a short vane! Probably should just stay with blazers and fletch foreword figure the rest out in the off season?

Try the tradvanes. They are very soft.

How far down from the nock do you put your fletching. I put mine at least an inch down and I don't have issues.

I use both a bitz and Jo Jan and place my vanes down close to 1.5"s. I changed my anchor to increase my draw length and to be more consistent added a kisser button. I ordered some AAE Pro vanes that are .46 in height and will give it a go. Shawn

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