I know there is a thread going right now about fletching colors, but I wanted to ask a question about it so it wouldn't get burried in the thread and not seen.
I really like all the superb color combonations, and would looke real sweet on the range, but how about while out hunting...What are your ideas on the animals seeing your fletching let's say on a bow quiver? I hunt from the ground, and am a little leary about such bright colors tipping off my quarry. Just looking for some insite.
For hunting the color blue is the only one I personally avoid. Read in the QDMA magazine that the color blue is one that with the way a deers eye works is one that they can "see" as that true color so by extension it would "stand out".
But, that is just my opinion and personal choice. I am certain others will have other.
dunno for absolute sure, but it would seem that any bright solid color would be like a flag to both humans and critters.
dunno if deer and other game can distinguish colors, either. my best guess is that whether or not the colors are bright, the use of color patterns makes objects less likely to be seen.
all that said, fletch hoods for bow quivers, and using deep side or back quivers are perfect ways to hide bright arrow fletchings.
We will never know for sure but at one time Flo Yellow was the most noticable color to deer (don't know who said it, I just always believed it) I use brown and dark colors usually for hunting and don't care if I loose one (I don't get to shoot much anyway).
Lots of Bluejays in Michigan, I shoot blue. I feel those flourescent colors vibrate, shine, glow, whatever, and are more easily noticed. Like you I don't get many shots so I take my chances with the blue.
i use a fletching cover. Anneewakee archery makes a good one.
I hunted with Red and White fletching for 20+ years with no problem now I use Red and Black Feathers with Red and White cresting works awesome.
ALL WHITE FLETCHING. in the past i feel a couple
of my blown encounters were from my fletching. hunting from a tree stand i've had deer look up at me but they seem to have their attention locked on my fletch. i don't climb to high and they were close. i feel they were looking straight at my feet and spooked at my fletch. so i avoid all white. i think it is to much white all in one small concentrated area.
I am team pink all the WAYYYYYY!!!!
(http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae73/Guitararcher/FILE02143.jpg)
I have never had a problem with the pink. There are plenty of other reasons I have been blown and pink it def. not one of them. Especially if the whole shades of grey thing is true, but regardless of fletch color, I still like to use cover, and most of the time, the cover is lower, just like the fletching in my quiver? Hope that helps
QuoteOriginally posted by sunshine:
... i think it is to much white all in one small concentrated area.
i agree - bright, solid colors are too easy to spot.
My arrows are fletched with three, white, 5" parabolic feathers and I've never had problems like some of you are experiencing with the color of white and deer. But, this may be the reason. I don't bowhunt from a tree stand. I bowhunt from the ground.
Doing most of my hunting out of treestands, I don't worry about my fletch color if I have a great treestand setup. Meaning I have a stand site with plenty of background and is arranged so the deer are not looking right at you when they approach, etc. We have a lot of large cedar trees where I hunt and they are awesome. I use white capped arrows with all white or maybe white barred feathers. But, if I was on the ground I would probably pick yellow, or something.
I prefer muted colors, natural barred for hunting. Pay attention to nock color as well. Flourescent nocks really stand out to the human eye; I expect they do as well to critters.
I use either all white or all yellow, because these are the colors that I see best. I want to be able to see where my arrow hits and I can see these colors best on the hit. I also like the white feathers after a pass thru to check the color of the blood. I use a fletch cover on the arrows in my bow quiver. Turkeys without a blind I use gray barred feathers. Mike
I am not a believer that color matters so much as movement. That being said bright solid colors are more easily spotted if they are moving around. I used to use white feathers and believe deer spotted them easily in my bow quiver when I was readying for the shot. I never had a problem with them being seen until I moved the bow.
I still use flo yellow because I can see them in the dusk or dawn but use a fletching cover on my bow quiver. We all know it is important to be able to view the arrow when shot at an animal to verify where it strikes. That is my reason for the bright fletch.
I tried many color combos but have used chartruse the last two years. very visable here in Arizona
One thing with blue is, it's easy for you to see because there's nothing close to it in the fall forest.
I wish someone made a bright teal colored 5.5" shield. I'd like that combo with 2 solid white hen feathers.
When I started bowhunting in the late 1970's, I killed a lot of deer wearing blue jeans. I wear full camo now, but a lone bright blue cock feather should be no cause for concern of a deer reacting to it. My opinion.
Hasn't been a problem for me over the years and I hunt from the ground using my Backquiver 85% of the time. If an animal gets that close to see what color feathers your using....he should be dead.
Seriously, I am more concerned with movement and scent control and the timing of my shot. That bright fletching will be easier to find and if you don't get a passthru, you can tell exactly what type of hit you made.
Mojostick--I never have seen a deer wearing blue jeans! I bet that is quite a sight :saywhat: :D .
QuoteOriginally posted by David Mitchell:
Mojostick--I never have seen a deer wearing blue jeans! I bet that is quite a sight :saywhat: :D .
Good catch. That is funny. I'm just trying to get a new color scheme together for the next set of woodies I pick up at the GLLI. I have chartrues and also white, but just not sure what I want to go with just yet.
Grapes, when you figure it out, post the colors and spine and I'll try to have a set ready to bring. :bigsmyl:
Flo yellow has never been a problem. I do keep the fletching covered and will only have an arrow nocked in a tree or blind. Turkeys are another matter as they can spot you blinking and do see color.
There is a bit of debate about whether critters like deer and elk can see colors, if I'm not mistaken, some new research is showing that they can see more than just shades of blue and red. One thing to keep in mind is that there are all kinds of colors out in the woods and the deer don't freak out whenever they come across some flagging or garbage. Being that deer and elk are prey animals, they are much more likely to react to excessive movement and most importantly, smell. Personally, I prefer 2 white and 1 white barred for my fletching, only because I see it best while in flight. I think that being able to see the arrow while it's on the way to the target is more important than concealing it while in your quiver. If you're worried the fletching will spook game, just cover them up. That being said, I've never seen a cougar or coyote that was fluorescent green or pink!
What about a small, bright, fur tracer behind a drab color?
I hunt with pink and white. I made a bracket for my quiver so it comes off as soon as I get to stand or blind.
I have almost always used yellow (38 years worth) but I don't use a bow quiver so I don't have a large patch of yellow in the line of sight of my quary (usually deer or turkeys). Only the yellow flecthing on the one arrow that would likely be headed in their direction. I have almost always used a St. Charles or Cat type quiver so my fletching stays concealed and dry (Michigan falls and springs are most generally wet).
We have a lot of fashion conscious deer in my area. LOL
The doe's like Calvin Klein jeans. LOL
My .02
There have been far, FAR too many deer killed wearing red flannel and blue jeans for me to put *too much* weight in the "deer see blue" thing. There may be truth to it, I'v just seen waaaay to many pics.
I love white fletch, and I partly love 4-fletch because it lets me put that much MORE white on the end of my arrow!!! lol
However, I DON'T like to put white feathers on a white crest-cap. I prefer red or green or...(gasp!) blue! ;) To me, that does turn into a big ole block of white and I find the white fletch w/ dark cap are MUCH more benefit than dark fletch w/ white cap.
aannd... I love my safari tuff quiver...and that means only one arrow is out at a time.
My nocked arrow is all yellow fletch when I'm in a treestand. The ones in my quiver are natural barred. When I'm in a blind they are usally all yellow. Never really cared for fletch covers.
If youre like me......I try to hide myself as much as possible ie; camo and whatever else I can get an edge on as the critters are wise and weary! I use natural barred feathers as much as possible as i feel they blend in better and break up outlines...plus they look really cool! jmo but why risk it!
I think the muted natural barred feathers look really neat and are harder for the animals to see, but I'm in the camp that likes to see my arrow when I shoot. I prefer chartruese or red and a white cock feather on my arrows.
Due to issues with school and football, I have to hunt during Utah's rifle hunt. That means I need to wear blaze orange. Last year on my first hunt with a bow, I managed to draw on a small 2 point wearing a blaze orange vest, orange beanie, blue jeans, and a t-shirt. That buck was no more than 15 yards away.
I'm not too worried about my fletch color...
After all this talk about animals seeing color, I just noticed in my avatar, I was out goose hunting with a bow and took my limit wearing blue jeans. I was not in a blind like the rest of the gang, but kneeling down hunched over. So I guess I answered my own question.
Chuck Adams recommends red as the best color.
Looks medium gray in a black and white yet fairly bright to us.
He has done enough hunting for me to listen to.
Floesant orange shafts and floesant yellow or chatuse/sp fletching.Movement is what will get you.
Canadian goose or barred feathers for me
I usually use yellow or orange feathers--lots of those colors in the fall woods where I hunt. They also are visible enough to me to see where my arrow hits so I can decide better what to do next.
I use chartruse, most visible to me, but even with a fletch cover I think deer spot even the one arrow I have nocked. They seem to "glow" at dawn and dusk. I think I'm going to switch. I want to try fur tracers. I hate to go electric, but I think lighted nocks are a good idea.
Orange hens and whatever is handy for cocks for me.
Three 5 inch white or yellow feathers for me.If a critter gets close enough to be able to discern my fletching choice they will likly be a nice bubbly shade of red.
Movement is what gets you busted not color my $.02
For years, I have used 7" orange/yellow fade wraps with three 5" orange shields, and my son uses a 7" yellow wrap with three 4" chartruse feathers.... we have have not had a problem with those colors spooking game -- that we know of :-)
I use wild turkey feathers and dye te cock feather red. This year I decided to try some splicing and added a piece of chartruse to the ends of each. It really helps me see the arrow in flight and is not to large a block of bright color, though I will probably have to use a fletch cover on my bow quiver for turkey.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_012814.JPG)
Exactly what Joe Skipp said!!
These are my favorite.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Bow%20building/Sas%20TD%20RC%202011/CIMG0525.jpg)
I bought one of Rod Jenkins Safarituff fletch covers halfway thru this season and I think it helps. I've long been a fan of visible arrows and really like chartreuse, but used mostly yellow to keep things toned down a bit. With the cover on my bowquiver, I can go all bright.
I like to see my arrow in flight, so I use white mostly. But I have been splicing for a while now. It seems to lessen the big white blob effect. These are the latest. I think for this years I will go with chartruese on the back. I like some above think movement is the key.
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h160/steadman_2006/arrow-1.jpg)
Nice to see this brought back up again. I really like the look of those Ryan. I think I just found the next pack of feathers I'm going to get, brown barred and membrane splice some bright solid colors in them along with bright colored cresting paint.
I am not a believer that color matters so much as movement. i like to shoot all white so that I can see them when they fly.
All white for me. I don't shoot with my quiver attached to the bow.
James
I have had deer nearly standing nose to nose with me staring me straight in the eyes.. only to walk off with a little snort and a flick of the tail. Never once looked at my fletchings. lol
I am convinced that whatever color you're using, movement at the wrong time will be noticed. I use all white, except in the snow and then I use green wraps with chartreuse nocks and feathers. But I do shoot with a bow quiver so I am thinking about making some individual arrow socks that you just pull off and pocket.
I shoot all white fletchings. I tried pink and never had a problem with it I just couldn't stand the way it looked on my arrows so now I use a reflective white cap wrap with 3 5" parabolic white feathers.
I've used orange and yellow parabolic for years,then I switched to sheilds in orange barred cock and grey barred hen. My standard is yellow cock and orange hens with a green flo nock and one arrow in the quiver with all yellow for late day hunts. But these days I'm using more of the red barred fletch as well.
I like all white 5" sheild with a white wrap. I like to see'em when they fly.
Jason
I like others like to see my arrow when it's flying and/or in the quarry I've shot at. I also believe that it's the movement of the bright color that catches their attention. My solutions? No more bow mounted quiver when hunting. I recently went to an Elite side quiver and this covers the fletching for rainy weather and "deer sight" protection. In addition, I have added a small 3/8 wide white reflective strip to the end of my arrow shafts near the nock end. This allows me to find my wayward arrows especially after it gets dark!
I don't like white fletch -- goes back to an incident with coon dogs along the Cahaba River in southern Alabama in 1975 with me wearing a hip quiver full of white-fletched arrows.
I used to like blue best because I can pick that color up better than most in the leaves. However, recent research shows that deer see blue better than we used to think.
I like shield 4" barred feathers in almost any color except blue or white. My favorite, when I can get them, are home-made from wild turkeys.
I like white for visibility, but when I go hunting my arrows have natural barred feathers. I worry about the white being visible but can't say I've ever been busted because of them. The real turkey feathers boost my confidence a little because I think they blend in better. They also seem more durable than the white domestic turkey feathers.
I really like the look of natural, but the cost is steep. I still like plain white for all-around shooting. Nothing like seeing the flight of the arrow.
My favorite fletching colors are;turkey and red barred with a ruby nock.
This was the first year that I hunted with bright lime green fletchings instead of previously hunting with muted feather colors. I have to be honest and say that there was no difference in being spotted by deer. The fletchings are four 3 1/2 inch parabolics.
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j456/jalariso/DSCN2161.jpg)
Any color works for me as long as it's bright blue. No other color is easier to find on the forrest floor in my experience. I worry about movement, not color, being seen by a deer. The one color I will NEVER use during hunting season is white. Way too many morons out there in this area who will shoot at anything they think might be the hint of a deer. Flashing white feathers in the woods during hunting season just never struck me as being a good idea; at least in Rogues Island.
I've read and heard that deer can distinguish blue. I'm reluctant to believe it. (On occasion, I have worn my buffalo plaid (blue and black) Filson jacket while hunting. Deer took no notice.)
Think about this. One of the brightest colors a person can wear is BLAZE ORANGE. I've had deer within several yards of me when I was wearing solid blaze orange. They looked directly at me and didn't know what I was because I was stock-still and the wind favored me.
I believe that hunters, particularly bowhunters, make way too much of camo, clothing colors, etc.
Mark
Splice an inch of white behind a muted color. You can see it spinning into the boiler room, and have a muted arrow until that second arrives, just my opinion and my way
I've been able to see these well in the woods.
Haven't scared any deer with em...as far as I know..
Looks fine in black and white.
My next dozen I'm doing red just to change things up a bit.
(http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx121/Zradix/Bestfortradgang.jpg)
(http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx121/Zradix/tradbowpic.jpg)
(http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx121/Zradix/tradbowpicBW.jpg)
My latest batch for anything other than turkeys:
(http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/7804/img0127sr.jpg)
Use a fletch cover (such as this awesome one from Safari Tuff) and fuggetaboutit.
(http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/3299/savannahp.jpg)
I like yellow and orange, both bright colors. I want to be able to find my arrows. Haven't noticed any game reaction...I am careful to remain out of sight, bow with arrows included. Also I like a bright yellow nock.