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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Talondale on August 22, 2008, 11:50:00 AM

Title: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Talondale on August 22, 2008, 11:50:00 AM
I've always gone with muted fletching so I didn't have to worry about it alerting game. Grey with blue or green/blue.  I've decided now that I want something a little more visible during those first and last 30 minutes of light.  I can't follow my arrow flight, especially if under a canopy of trees and aiming at a dark deer.  I'm not sure I want white feathers during hunting season and was wondering what fletching colors show up real well during the lower light conditions.  Suggestions?
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Orion on August 22, 2008, 11:58:00 AM
My brother uses flourescent yellow/chartreuse.  Very bright.  According to him, he hasn't had problems spooking game with the bright fletching.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Peachey on August 22, 2008, 11:58:00 AM
Yellow or pink.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: swampbuck on August 22, 2008, 12:01:00 PM
I shoot 4 4" 2 fl yellow 2 pink ...they stand out pretty good
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: PA stickbow boy on August 22, 2008, 12:03:00 PM
a chartreuse arrow wrap w/ 3 5" chartreuse feathers shows up great... it's almost like they glow
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: BobW on August 22, 2008, 12:04:00 PM
don't re-do your set up.  Put on feather tracers.  I use fl yellow / lime green.  Show outstanding....
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: blueline on August 22, 2008, 12:05:00 PM
I think everyones eye's pick up a little different. However for me the chartreuse is great, I also will be using barred hot pink this year.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: DEERDOG on August 22, 2008, 12:05:00 PM
Same here as PA stickbow boy. The wrap really helps out!
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Apex Predator on August 22, 2008, 12:14:00 PM
Chartreuse for me, but everyone sees things a little differently.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: mnbwhtr on August 22, 2008, 12:19:00 PM
Whats wrong with white? Been going that way for over 30 years and It works for me. Slip over cover for bow quiver hides and protects from rain.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Danny Roberts on August 22, 2008, 12:23:00 PM
I shoot Fred Bear's 'ole favorite, orange, and don't have any problems. Good luck !
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Pat B on August 22, 2008, 12:30:00 PM
White tracers work very well in low light. I have found white to work best of any color under all conditions. If you look around the woods you hunt in you will see, naturally, every color from white to black and all colors in between...and deer don't see colors as we do.    
  I used to use a white crown dip and red barred feathers with a 1" white splice at the back and white plastic nocks. In low light conditions, they were hard for me to see.   Pat
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: woodchucker on August 22, 2008, 12:31:00 PM
I like Chartruse.....(but Joe Skipp will say....."Think Pink")
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: imskippy on August 22, 2008, 12:37:00 PM
I've always had some sort of combo with 2 whites and purple or blue. This year I'm making up some cedars with 2 whites and 1 flo. orange. It looks pretty bright. I may dip them white aswell. Skippy
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Red Beastmaster on August 22, 2008, 01:00:00 PM
White looks too much like a deer tail to be safely used here in PA. The morons in charge of things here allow rifles and in-lines in Oct. My buddy was almost shot at because of his white feathers.

Personally, I use chartruse and orange w/flourescent yellow nock.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Talondale on August 22, 2008, 01:35:00 PM
Found this thread while looking for the glow nocks thread.  More info about the same subject.
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=051526;p=3
Looks like I'll have to experiment.  I put white nocks on last year but can't see them much better than the chartruse nocks I had on before.  Will try to get some maribo feathers tonight and still looking for the lighted nock thread.  I figure fishing stuff should be on clearance and I might be able to find the bobber lights cheap.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Onestringer on August 22, 2008, 01:36:00 PM
Flo Yellow works for me, but I am going to shoot pink this year.  I am comfortable in my manhood and there is nothing pink in the wood, and I need all the help I can get finding my arrows.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Pat B on August 22, 2008, 01:36:00 PM
Red, if they are stupid enough to shoot at a flash of white then they are stupid enough to shoot at sounds. You had better wear bells as you walk through the woods. javascript:void(0)
Wink  
  I am fortunately to hunt private land and have never had to worry about being in the same block of woods with a thousand other guys.     Pat
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: BobW on August 22, 2008, 01:39:00 PM
Tracers on Black & Red feathers....

  (http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/robertwestfall/DSCN3097.jpg)

The tracers lay down on the shot, so no effect on arrow.  You will see them in flight, though it will not work to diagnose arrow flight issues.

Good luck.

BobW
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Talondale on August 22, 2008, 01:41:00 PM
Well I mix it up between private & public (and sometimes my private property seems public, stupid poachers/tresspassers).  I've been using reflective white arrow wraps and nocks and still can't see the flight that well so I'm thinking of ways to brighten it up since most of my buck shots come in those low light situations. So I'm thinking lighted nocks and experiment with a couple tracer colors.

SteveO had some lighted nock demos that I found:
  http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=329794  

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMqLT-4ezzk

KyleAllen did one back on 06
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=037004;p=1
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Deadbolt on August 22, 2008, 01:56:00 PM
For my eyes chartruse glows in those conditions you described...I often shoot at night and I can see them suckers a mile away.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Froggy on August 22, 2008, 02:42:00 PM
Chartreuse.... Like a beacon in the night !!
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: joe skipp on August 22, 2008, 03:15:00 PM
Flo Chartruese and white especially on a crown dip of flo chartruese or blaze orange. White on white is also very effective. Hot Pink...great visibility but not when the "zipper" starts to come down deep in those woods.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: woodchucker on August 22, 2008, 03:18:00 PM
WHAT!!!!!   :eek:    :scared:    ;)  Ya suprized me Joe!!!!!

(I still LOVE the Chartruse arrows you did for me!!!!!)
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Red Beastmaster on August 22, 2008, 03:31:00 PM
Pat B.

Yeah, get this, our Game Commission has put a ML week and a four day rifle season in the third week of Oct. The four day season is for youth and seniors, the two age groups with the worst judgement. With the amount of cover we have at that time it's pretty dangerous for us archers.

My friend walked out of the woods at dusk with his recurve bow quiver full of white fletched arrows. He was wearing the required orange vest and hat. When he hit the field edge there was a muzzleloader hunter out in the field ready to shoot. He was sure Mike was a deer but was waiting to see if he was a buck or doe!

I usually stay home that week.

You don't want to hear about Fall turkey season!
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: BMOELLER on August 22, 2008, 04:00:00 PM
Another vote for chartreuse. Then I like flo. orange.  Pink is ok. Then white.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Rufus on August 22, 2008, 04:04:00 PM
Several buddies and I have always used orange. Easily seen and actually in the extremely rare circumstance of an arrow missing it's intended point of arrival, (ha), orange is generally easier to find in the grass.  I've caught the attention of animals with white but can't say that orange has ever bothered anything but turkeys. Turkeys be another matter all together.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Widowbender on August 22, 2008, 04:25:00 PM
I always have used either chart. or white...use a fletch cover...been thinking about lighted nocks myself...they are not pope and young legal, though...

David
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: beyondmyken on August 22, 2008, 07:02:00 PM
Talondale, I did a lighted nock how to.  see   http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=055042;p=1

Solid fluorescent nocks shows better than translucent ones.
Not sure what deer see with their range of UV light ability but lots of natural stuff lights up with black light flashlight.  Also, I have read that deer see blue quite well.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Terry Green on August 22, 2008, 08:21:00 PM
Flo Yellow/Chartreuse
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Daddy Bear on August 22, 2008, 08:24:00 PM
IIRC the auto insurance industry spent tons of money testing human visibility of colors during day, dusk, and night. I think it was one of the yellows that proved most visible in low light. This was why Fire Departments began switching away from red to yellow. White may have been the best for night which is why many police departments switched to white. I don't recall the best day color, but I do recall that red appears black when the lighting is poor.

Daddy Bear
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Fletcher on August 22, 2008, 08:32:00 PM
Sounds like the chartreuse pretty popular and it is my preference for low light, too.  I fletch most of my arrows with regular yellow and a few with the chartreuse.  The bright goes on the string when I get on stand.  I can follow plain yellow pretty well, but it doesn't come close to the chartreuse during the first and last 15 minutes.

I like the chartreuse nocks, too.  Put them on over white paint and they get even brighter.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: James Wrenn on August 22, 2008, 08:43:00 PM
I see chartreuse best at last light.After trying lighted nocks my feathers don't matter as much any more.Those are the best thing since peanut butter for showing where the arrow goes through at. :)
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: AdamH on August 22, 2008, 08:48:00 PM
Flourescent Yellow or Chartreuce, there were times I lowered my bow to the ground almost Dark, could barely see the ground, but could still see my feathers real well, they are bright, when you really need them to be, and the Turkeys think so too, didn't bother the deer much...
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: joe skipp on August 22, 2008, 09:06:00 PM
Even flo orange, flo lime and even Hot Pink do not show up well in the evening. Great visibility until that darkness settles in. This past spring in Canada, I used hot pink feathers on a white dipped arrow with a partial dip of Aurora Pink...Super until the "zipper starts to come down". Then I switched over to either a blaze orange dip or flo chart dipped arrow with Chartruese feathers. Another great combo is flo chart dip with all white feathers....
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: WidowEater on August 22, 2008, 09:18:00 PM
i like a hot pink crest wrap with pink and white feathers
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: b.glass on August 23, 2008, 12:37:00 AM
white tracers
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Coop on August 23, 2008, 08:36:00 AM
I like a white wrap or crown dip with white and either lime or chartreuse feathers.

But Red Beastmaster is right you have to be careful here in PA. So I now also use a fletching cover for this reason so when I am walking I don't look like a target. It is no fun to walk out and be in someone sights because they saw the white.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: pointy sticks on August 23, 2008, 10:15:00 AM
flo green nocks I couldn't beleive how much light they gathered and how easy it was to watch them in flight.

 (http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a144/shelhebeen/RSCN0960.jpg)


only light coming in the room is from a window in another. Note the arrow is positioned so it's not getting direct light.

 (http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a144/shelhebeen/DSCN0950.jpg)
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: buckeye_hunter on August 23, 2008, 10:44:00 AM
I was suprised how easy it was to see arrows fletched with hunter orange feathers and the same color wraps.  We were shootind at targets near dark and it looked like the arrows were illuminated. I bet bright pink would work well too.

-Charlie
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: SERGIO VENNERI on August 23, 2008, 06:47:00 PM
Where can you purchase the Tracers? Anyone?
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: BowHuntingFool on August 23, 2008, 06:53:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by buckeye_hunter:
I was suprised how easy it was to see arrows fletched with hunter orange feathers and the same color wraps.  We were shootind at targets near dark and it looked like the arrows were illuminated. I bet bright pink would work well too.

-Charlie
I hear ya there! I use all orange feather with orange wraps! Works great, I would like to try the tracer feathers, they look great in the above picture!
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: JEFF B on August 23, 2008, 07:09:00 PM
lime green and other choice orange. all 3 feathers same colour
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: LBR on August 23, 2008, 07:33:00 PM
Chartruese nock, cap, and feathers for me--and chartruese tracers on some of my hunting arrows.

Sergio, I think 3-Rivers sells them.  I just bought a big pack of marribou feathers at a hobby shop for about $1.  Strip them off the quill and glue them on.  They don't hold up all that well for target shooting, but work great on hunting arrows.

Chad
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: dino on August 23, 2008, 07:53:00 PM
Couple of years back I shot at a deer with about 15 minutes of legal light left.  It was the first year that I was shooting arrows with chartruese caps feathers nocks.  That arrow TOTALLY DISAPEARED.  Something about the light that time of night I could not see that arrow at all. Missed the deer (another story) but I couldn't see arrow till I got out of my stand and seen it standing up in the ground.  Never shot them again.  Went back to white unless it is snow covered I shooted yellow caps with yellow feathers.  Chartruese is good for target shooting for me, but never hunting again.  Don't want to take a change of not seeing an arrow.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: hawgslayer on August 23, 2008, 08:44:00 PM
:wavey:
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: zilla on August 23, 2008, 10:36:00 PM
White wraps, flour yellow 5" feathers..
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Deff on August 24, 2008, 11:57:00 AM
I use three chartreuse or florescent Lime feathers over a reflective white arrow wrap. The wrap really helps to intensify the glow of the fletches.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: joe skipp on August 25, 2008, 01:32:00 PM
Taken last evening...Left to Right...

 (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/sf1oak/P7250005.jpg)

Blaze Orange/Chart Feathers
White Crown/White Feathers
Chart Dip/2 White 1 Chart Feather
White Crown/Partial Blaze Orange/ Flo Orange feathers
White Crown/Partial Aurora Pink/ Pink Feathers

Low light conditions....
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Talondale on August 25, 2008, 02:00:00 PM
I picked up some maribou feathers and bobber lights this past weekend.  Found the feathers hard to get to stick to the arrows with fletching tape but got enough to check out the effect. Wasn't as much an improvement as I wanted so I'm going to make a couple of lighted nocks.  Before I couldn't use those because my aluminum shafts were tapered but this last dozen use unibushing nocks so I'm going to give it a try.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: Footed Shaft on August 25, 2008, 05:12:00 PM
I am going to use  home made lighted noks this year, it does not matter what color fletching you wanna use then. The way these things streak to the target is just TOO neat!!!
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: StickBowManMI on August 25, 2008, 06:07:00 PM
Chartruce Wrap and three chartruce 5inch feathers show up great for me. Never had a problem with deer seeing them. They usually see me first through movement. Hard to see still on the ground for a long period of time. Just when you move is when the deer happen to be coming in.
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: StickBowManMI on August 30, 2008, 07:44:00 PM
That should read "Hard to Sit Still"
Title: Re: Brightest Fletching at Dusk
Post by: bluegrassbowhunter on August 30, 2008, 08:47:00 PM
Chartuese feathers & wraps.
 (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/bluegrassbowhunter/IMG_1147.jpg)