How to make fletchings from wild turkey feathers - making arrows 

Hi Alan, they will work on carbon or aluminum as well as wood. One thing I've noticed about wild turkey feathers is they hold their shape much better in the rain than processed commercial feathers.

Clay, you make some Great videos! Easy to understand, very helpful! Thanks for making them!

I got some feathers from domesticated turkeys, gonna try making some fletchings now. very helpfull video, i didnt know anything on how to start, now i do. thanks

This was very helpful, thank you. I'm dispatching a couple farm turkey's this week and turkey season is next month so I've been looking forward to building a bunch of arrows. You pointed out a bunch of things that I wouldn't have thought about. Great video!

Sweeeeeet. Splitting seems best option. Exacto knife good to split or maybe carpet cutter. Thanks for sharing Clay!

Yes, I'm planning on doing an arrow building vid. We'll cover self nocks, sinew wrapping and all. It may be a few months before I get around to it. Elk season is just around the corner.. Stay tuned. ch

excellent, straightforward instruction. Wish I would've seen this one first. Good job!!!

Thanks for simple and easy to understand videos.

I've used goose feathers. They work, but they're a little soft. I believe that's what the English fletched all their arrow with back when the longbow was ruled the battlefield. Worked for them...

Hey clay, if you don't have a belt sander a clamp made out of two blocks of wood held together with screws and a flat piece of wood with sandpaper will work. Put the feather upside down in the clamp and sand away on the quill. Trim the sides of the quill with an exacto knife. But the belt sander looks to be quicker. Think I'll try it.

Clay, your videos are awesome and really motivated me to start making my own arrows. With that, question: I have a right wing turkey feather, but both side of the quill is about even... after splitting it down the center, would both sides of the same feather be considered right wing?

Awsome video this will help so many people out. Thanks for all the time you put into it.

If you do find a bird with lice, you can stick the feathers in a trash bag and spray a little insect killer in there. Tie it up and leave it for an hour or so. no more bugs. that's also a good idea with bobcat hides which harbor fleas.

you made that look easy !!! i believe i can do that .. thanks for the video!!! ever use cicken feathers?

Gonna try this some time. Perhaps the softer part of the wing could be used for youth arrows.

my friend showed me a great trick! use super glue! cut your fletch to size, leave an inch or two of quill membrane at the front of the fletch so you can handle the fletch easier. put a little glue at the back of the fletch and hold it on the shaft with tweezers! then when its dried, put a tiny bit and let it run down the membrane channel of the base of the fletch, make sure you leave a tag end so you can grab it and hold it tight and sight down the shaft from behind and quickly lay the fletch in the proper orientation . start with the cock feather! thanks jason :)

Everything explained very beautifully... Thanks sir

Awesome video, do you prefer wild turkey feathers? Have you tried other types of feathers? Thanks for sharing so much information

Thanks man! Do you notice that certain feathers from other birds are better than others?

i am a super beginner, and i really enjoy your videos. so much great info. what is cool is everytime i think of something you have a video. thanks for sharing, also do you sell you own aarows? if so, whats your site?

How much does the relative stiffness of fletching and their shape and size affect the arrow as it cross the rest? I've watched some other videos recently that present the idea that a short fletching with a reduced Height still give good stabilization...WHo knew the arrow science was so complex. less steering at the rear might let me go lighter up front and flatter trajectory?

Clay, what are your suggestions about storing feathers. I will probably get turkey feathers this spring but I’m not sure I’ll be ready to make fletching. What to do? Thanks!!!

Have you ever used duck feathers? Would they be too small or too soft though?

I wish I had one wing. Lifetime supply of arrows. Nice vid! :D

Hey Clay. I love your videos. They are helping me a lot. Could you recommend a low cost fletching jig? Or should I just start by hand?

Hey Clay, when you harvest your feathers, what do you use to clean /disinfect them with? I have read of people soaking their feathers for 24 hours in alcohol and then in soap- my concern is would that compromise the feathers in any way as to make them useless in fletching? The sources I found were for decorative purposes i.e. jewelry and the such, so I'd imagine the chemicals would make the feathers flimsy. Any thoughts on that?

Love the videos thanks for all your work and time. Gonna pick up your book soon.

I want to start fletching my own arrows. I'm using Taditional Hunters, the factory fletching seem fine for now. Any tips on a decent fletching jig, and fletching to buy? OJAM March 19-22nd 2020

I've tried many times over the years to rip them bare handed and always wrecked them. Too clumsy and rough I guess. I use the knife or a flame. Does using larger feathers make the stripping by hand easier? I've tried with crow and wood pigeon only as they are so plentiful. Thanx

Great video. I just got my first recurve and would love to do some flu flu arrows out of homemade feathers someday.

Do you have any video's fletching arrows with the turkey fletching?

I'm not far from Lewiston, ID.

Will you be showing how to make your own arrows? I am sure it would be interesting as well as arrow heads..... Thanks for sharing. David Buck/Canada

Usually I make arrows with soft feathers at the top and at the bottom of the arrow and a harder feather and the side, but for my own arrows I use soft at the bottom only because I got the arrow on the left side of the bow

Clay, what grit sanding belt works best for this? Thanks!!

Thx for the video.Will these work on modern carbon arrows? Thx.

Well, honestly I've never seen lice on a wild bird. Maybe that's only a problem in certain parts of the country, or in domestic birds.

Any way you can send me some of the remains of the feathers?? I am learning to tie flies, and the biots are used for the tail. I would be happy to pay the postage if you would send me the other edge of the same feathers you are using for the fletchings.

they used goose feathers because they constantly shot off hand(so soft feathers were nice) and because everybody had geese back then.

Ill be saving my feathers this season

when you pull feathers to split them are they still a left or right wing or does it not matter at that point?

so how many fletchings do you think you could get off one bird?

DANG IT! I watched this and ran right down to the liquor store and bought fifth of WIld Turkey...Not a feather to be found...but I am now so happy...I don't care ;)

nice job man!!. where do you live by the way??

exactly how rip out nicely plz gives tips

How do you rip the feathes without breaking them?? :(

HERES THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION, HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THE LICE ON THEM?

rotary cutter works, Olfa

Secondaries are better for the "two fletch" method or "flu flu" arrows (arrows that aren't meant to go very far)

As far as left over feathers and being wasteful comment ......I know with what ever is left over one can tie up some sweet fly fishing bugs ......I tie all my own flies and I'm sure Clay can too or give them to his buddies that do . Heck I use everything even my own dogs fur ......( ha ) !

can you give a turkey feathers

I have to thank that turkey that stupidly walked in front of a car or truck on Camino Tassajara here in California for his donation of two whole wings and a tail full of undamaged feathers.

thnx

No hat??? Grumpy

Grinding is a Bloody waste of time.

I think it's so wasteful to only use the primary's and then only get 1 feather out of each full length. A feather is a feather I'm surprised this primitively guy is so picky about feathers. Put the things on and shoot em. It's not rocket science

Got a jig video?