Fletching colors
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
Ok gentlemen... I ordered new arrow shafts and am deciding between white wraps with orange vanes or white wraps with yellow vanes... which ones do you think stand out better? and btw I am not interested in other colors. So if you shoot pink/blue or neon green/purple, I don't care lol. Orange and yellow are the two I am considering.
Yellow wraps with yellow vanes.
You could leave the cock vane yellow, and the other two orange...or, if shooting 4-fletch...use both colors.
I use yellow wraps, but they stand out really well at a 3D shoot, when other arrows "disappear" at a distance.
I try to match the late September Aspens...lol !
Yellow and green for me. Old eyes see green better. :)
Pink stands out the best for me. My buddy’s can spot me from a long ways a way just by my fletching
I am now leaning towards orange/white.. orange wrap and white vanes or vice versa.
I would go yellow if you’re hunting from a tree stand or where there are no aspens, because the lighter colors are easier to see in the air. And if you’re shooting from a tree, then your arrow will probably be stuck in the dirt anyway.
With a lot of bright yellow leaves on the ground, I would go with orange so that you have some contrast to find that arrow. Two orange and a yellow would be my compromise option, or two and two if you like 4-fletch.
Just a little something to think about… Putting some helical or moderately aggressive offset on your fletchings will vastly improve the visibility in the air. Straight fletch are almost impossible to see, unless your flight is so poor that they’re flying sideways.
GF.. haven't been in a tree stand in over a decade. And I do hunt in aspens... so I think orange/white combo is what I'm thinking
Iike 2 yellow barred & a solid yellow cock feather
I’ve been shooting orange and white for a few years. This year I added some copperhead wraps from Onestringer.com
Of your choices, white vanes. Though I started shooting 4 pink several years back and have had nothing but good luck.
White wrap with (Saturn yellow).
Last year I shot white fletch on orange wrap at home it was great trying to find my damn arrow after I missed a bull in an aspen patch sucked
I shoot 4- 4" feathers, two flo- orange, two flo- yellow and a white wrap, easy to follow.
Florescent wraps and white vanes. Easy to see flying and easy to see on the ground. Based on personal knowledge and experience !
I would not use orange or yellow hunting out west in the Aspens. I'm not sure I would like them out east either when the leave drop. So given your parameters, I'd go white wrap with yellow feathers or white on white.
And FWIW, if I can figure out how to make the feather splices work, I’m thinking to go with gray-stained shafts, capped flo orange with Canada goose feathers from a couple of Paul’s yard-hoppers... natural color to preserve the oils and the last 3/4” or so spliced in with more flo orange to keep them visible in flight. All-Weather capability.
I shot a white wrap and combo of white and orange vanes for years, but used Flex Fletch flight red (basically pink) on my most recent dozen for better visibility.
I was shooting blaze orange and white for a few years. Last year, went to flo yellow vanes and wrap. I was amazed how much easier it was for my older eyes to see the yellow in flight and on the target.
The human eye has a tendancy to pick out blue better above most colors.
You'll need white wraps if you use either yellow or orange. Yellow and orange are #2&3 on the list of colors that are hardest to find though. Only black is harder to see in the fall foliage.
2 white & 1 fl yellow before the snow hits the ground. 2 fl pink 1 fl yellow after the snow hits the ground. No wraps.
With the responses, I'm now I'm thinking slightly differently. I think yellow is out... I should have stated, I four fletch with a 4 inch wrap.. so I'm thinking flo orange wrap w/ white vanes or hot pink wrap with white vanes.. or possibly pink wrap w/ yellow vanes. Previously, I've always fletched with white wraps and yellow vanes, but it is difficult to locate an arrow during September colors in the mountains.
Orange and white has been for many moons Lewis
I find that fletching color doesn't really matter when my arrow is covered in blood, so I just use colors that are appealing to my eye. White with a red cock vane has been my favorite for years.
;-)
Matt
Pink & Yellow are most visible for me. Pink most of the time for me hunting.
For lost arrows you want pink/blue. For blood covered arrows, you want a bright light color such as white as a wrap..... For me, that's a white reflective wrap with pink/blue fletching. Once the leaves start to fall, everything on the ground is either yellow or orange by nature. Never understood putting those colors on your arrow.
I use a combination of two pink one white. I have always felt pink is easiest to find and I like the white cock vane to help with blood. Will probably keep this combo for the rest of my bowhunting days. Works great.
Scott, the brighter the better. Pink fletch, pink rap, green lighted nock.
Scott, the brighter the better. Pink fletch, pink rap, green lighted nock.
natural colors like white, yellow, ect will just blend in with the
environment
natural colors like white, yellow, ect will just blend in with the
environment
I use a bright orange rap when goose hunting
I use a bright orange rap when goose hunting
and when Coues deer hunting in AZ.
and when Coues deer hunting in AZ.
Thanks gents. I think I have decided. I'll fletch some up and post pics
I put these together for a rainy day.
I'd err to all Neon yellow or Orange, which ever you like better (big help I am, huh?).
That said, I'd like to lure you to the "Hard to lose side" which is electric blue wraps and Neon yellow, white or orange vanes. There is nothing blue in the woods, and it's amazing how well it stands out.
But if not, given ground and aspens, I guess neon orange wraps and vanes/feathers win.
Only down-side to blue is that it sticks out to cervids, too.
Funny thing.... I love blue for a lot of things, but arrows.... not so much. Although blue barred with a ruby red nock looks pretty sharp.
Cervids will smell and hear you first...
"I find that fletching color doesn't really matter when my arrow is covered in blood, so I just use colors that are appealing to my eye."
Mic drop.....walks off stage.
My favorite color scheme when I shot feathers. Two yellows and a gray barred. Looked sweet, never an issue finding it.
Bright orange & yellow stand out.
I shoot traditional with feathers with my number one arrow being florescent green/chartreuse, the rest are natural barred...
Back in the day when the bright florescent colors came out I spent a couple evenings experimenting right at dusk/dark shooting judos in the yard from different ranges with all white, all hot pink, and all florescent green/chartreuse.... For my eyes the florescent green/chartreuse stood out the best...
Learned a loooong time ago, a quiver full of flashy arrows will shook game so I only use one florescent green/chartreuse and when nocked and close to my chest readding for a shot the pointing feathers have a lower profile...
I have been doing white wraps and all white fletching for the last few years and love it. Only thing is in snow its tough to find...the wraps are reflective though which helps! They sure look good after a passthru!!!
Yep, I like all white as well, might do white wraps too next time I’m reflecting. You can see the jungle I mostly hunt, otherwise it’s planted pine flats
Even a half blind guy can find these white wrapped, neon orange and neon yellow 4 fletch arrows in New England foliage or winter snow. They show up well in flight too. I must keep fletching cover over the arrows in the bow quiver.
Baby blue dip white Fletching. Worked great in the UP.
my arrows are orange (wrap & vanes) with one white.
I have a question for the people using wraps. Which style is better, the shrink wrap or roll wrap? I used to paint my arrow ends back in the day for a fancier look, but it was a pain in the a$$ when it came time to refletch. Thanks J
I'm color-blind so I take very advantage of finding arrows I can. Flo yellow arrow wraps with Flo yellow fletchings and one black one for cock vane.
Swamp buck, I have not used the shrink type, but the roll on ones work quite well for me.
I've only used the roll on wraps and they work well. Some better than others. The ones I got from Sagittarius Archery are of great quality, and if you want to get crazy, check out Onestringer.
I primarily use roll on wraps and prefer them. I enjoy fletching my arrows too. I've never had an instance where I spooked a deer from seeing my white fletched/wrapped arrows that I'm aware of.
I make my own fletching out of wild turkey feathers. Makes it a blast looking for them when I miss with my longbow but they fly well and are good in wet weather, plus cheap. For hare hunting, I paint the whole arrow fluorescent orange. I only shoot wood that I make for hare.
I've been using wraps by Onestringer. Some really cool wraps, easy to replace. Just run under hot, hot water and they peel/scrape right off.
I use four white fletch. Maybe I should use four different colors since the arrow can’t go on the string wrong anyway. I don’t use wraps because it was a genuine pain if I had to replace one fletch.
White fletch and white wrap, big help in determining the true color of the blood to help with after shot scenarios...
Like others have said, Onestringer, makes good wraps and reasonably priced. I fletch four 3” feathers on flo orange wrap. The feathers are two white and two gray barred from turkeys I’ve arrowed.