Doing some research for a story. Anyone know the history of this type of fletching. Thanx Bruce
Flu Flu's were first used during a Mardi Gras hunt!
This is a good ? cant wait for the answer.
lol...mardi gras..lol
Good question..
Heck...what constitutes a flu flu?
I mean..when does a big "profiled" feather become a flu?
Does it even have to be a feather?
I have a feeling it will be about impossible to find out.
Just takes an ancient to tie the first feather to the end of an arrow without trimming it first.
Not trying to be mean or anything.
It really is a good question.
But...I'd consider the source and the evidence leading to any definitive answer given before I included it in any report I was writing.
Probably shortly after the first bow came about. I'm sure primitive man made and used what he needed for particular situations. It probably didn't take long to realize if you leave the fletching bigger you didn't loose as many precious arrows when shooting upward.
Nothing in archery, like most everything else, is new. It has all been done before and in many cases way back when.
I used them in the 60s. That's 1960s, not 1860s.
I would think that the first feather tied to an arrow was untrimmed.
As experience grew, humans learned that smaller feathers made less noise and the arrows flew faster.
Killdeer
Let me clarify. Does anyone know where the term flu flu came from and when hunters started using them for the purpose of shooting birds in flite.
My Dad invented it, because he was hard of hearing:
Me : "That one sure flew"
Dad: "Huh?"
Me: "The arrow, it flew! It flew!"
Dad: "Flew-Flew?"
Just kidding. I have no idea. My Dad told me when I was a kid that it was from the noise they made....but he was good at making up historical facts if he didn't know the answer....
It's one of those "roughly/phonetically translated" words.
From latin..
Fluo= a verb meaning dropping,sink,waiver,droop..etc
Flou= flower...
So...Fluo Flou or dropping flower.
Arrows with big feathers kind of look like flowers.
Roughly phonetically massacred to Flu Flu.
...That's my story and I'm stickin to it...
Killy, I stand corrected! d;^)
The term originates from the French. When it was first used is unknown but its been around for a long time.
frou-frou (plural frou-frous)
A rustling sound, as of silk fabric