As it accelerates, the tail of an arrow carrying three soft vanes resembles a goose flapping its wings. This is not ideal. Stiff fletchings were taboo in the days before drop-away arrow rests, but they make a lot of sense now.

When an arrow fishtails or porpoises, the last thing you want your fletching to do is flap around. That is exactly what soft vanes do. It is much better for the fletching to hold its shape and resist the sideways flow of air, and in so doing bring the arrow under control more quickly and consistently.

UNDERSTANDING FEATHERS

Feathers are perfectly suited as fletching because they flatten easily if they hit your arrow rest, but they hold their shape doggedly if you press them from the side. These are the two reasons that feathers are more forgiving than vanes.

Weight is also an issue. If you replace four-inch vanes with four-inch feathers, you remove 20 grains from the back of the arrow. You can now remove 20 grains from the front of the arrow without significantly changing the arrow’s balance point. The arrow is now forty grains lighter and as much faster. Removing weight from the ends of the arrow has the added benefit of also making it act stiffer. In my experience, a stiffer acting arrow usually flies more consistently and groups better for release shooters.

Once I’ve tuned my bow, almost nothing will tighten my groups like feather fletching. Put a set of four-inch helical feathers on your fixed blade broadhead tipped hunting arrows and watch your groups shrink.

Yet, despite my praises for feathers, there are also plenty of reasons to hate them. They’re noisy in the quiver and they’re noisy in flight. Feathers collapse when they get wet and lose their ability to steer the arrow - and they are fragile. You’ll replace your feathers three times for every time you replace your vanes.

STIFF VANES ARE THE FUTURE

Once shunned, stiff plastic vanes are making a comeback. One example is the Speed Flyte by AAE and the Blazer by Bohning. They are lightweight and stiffer than most vanes. I believe this is the direction of the future. Expect to see many stiff vane options in the coming years.

Feathers may be the best solution for those who release with fingers and anyone that doesn’t use a drop-away arrow rest. However, a stiff vane is ideal for release aid shooters who use a drop-away arrow rest. Give stiff fletching and try – it will improve your accuracy.