After the shot

[mongoose]

I haven't seen this question before, but I've often wondered what other hunters do to clean their arrows after the successful harvest? Do you strip and refletch? Thanks George  

[glenbo]

I usually just hang them in my shop.Good memories  and a great excuse to build more.glen

[Jerry Jeffer]

If I really want to use it again, I just wash it off, re fletch if I need to. I have shot two deer in a day with the same arrow.

[Bill Carlsen]

I generally clean them up as much as I can with warm water and hang them in den.

[mongoose]

Thanks guys, I'm the same way Jerry, I wash it off and if I can I will wash the feathers clean and just reuse  

[J. Holden]

Well, the only deer I've shot was with a carbon arrow.  That bad boy was too expensive to palce on a shelf and not use.  Not to mention dirty.  Now the turkey I killed was with alluminum's.  I've cleaned those but I think I need to re-fletch.  I tried steamin' the feathers but that didn't work so much.  Hopefully I can bring this topic back up to the top in Oct/Nov.

-Jeremy

[Bowwild]

I just wipe em clean. I'll use soap and water if needed. I don't retire any of them -- too cheap. I have steamed feathers to revitalize them. However, with fletching tape (that I just discovered a month ago after 45 years of making my own arrows -- cool stuff). I won't tell the story but in 1984 one arrow was first up in Ontario, Indiana, and then Wyoming. The count was 5 beasties, 4 species.

[ishiwannabe]

I simply use scent free soap and warm water. I had to use two last year on the same deer(one was a "Texas heart shot"), and both are back in the quiver, ready to go.

[Fletcher]

I saved my bear arrow, hair, dried blood and all, but normally clean them up, sharpen the head and back in the quiver they go.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I think for m first I will hang it but from there on out I may clean them up best I can.

[Jim Jackson]

A little household hydrogen peroxide will clean it right up.  May need to steam the feathers a bit or refletch if they are totally botched, but otherwise peroxide makes it easy.

[KentuckyTJ]

I had one that went through three Kentucky deer one year. Washed it with soap and warm water, dipped the fletchings in gasoline to oil them back up and hung it up to dry.

[Huntrdfk]

I can't get myself to clean them, I simply put them om a rack, blodd, hair and all.  Memories of the hunt just jump right out at me when I look at them.........


David

[straitera]

If especially memorable, I'll mount the arrow on the horns or skin just as it passed through the animal. Otherwise, clean & reuse.

[Bow-n-Head]

Retire the arrow !!

[mnbwhtr]

wash the blood out of the feathers, wipe down the shaft, sharpen the head and go kill again.

[rolltidehunter]

if they arnt broke i wash them and re use them

[hardtimes]

I retire mine. Just something else to keep the memory alive.

[James Wrenn]

I keep my shafts waxed with car wax so clean up is easy.I wash the blood off and steam the feathers back to shape and shoot them the next time something steps out untill it is broken or lost.I seldom have to refletch but will if needed.I don't retire arrows or hold on to bent,broken arrows.If they are not shooting they are no good for anything.jmo

[wapiti792]

I re-tire the arrow too until I start to get low on arrows...3 exceptions: the deer in my Avatar, another big 'un from 2 years ago, and a "doe" arrow that is from a hunt with my 7 year-old. Those are sacred with dried blood, hair, etc along with the date in sharpie