Had some heavy rains here in central Florida last few days. Got a little break yesterday but wanted shoot even though it slightly sprinkling. One arrow found a soft spot in my bale and buried in the wet hay. So I decided to see how it shot anyway.

These arrows fly excellent bare shaft so I figured they should still fly good with wet feathers. 20 yards. The wet one is on the right. Did this more than once. I'll never worry about rain while hunting again and it rains in Florida a lot. Except maybe if it's so hard it's washing away a blood trail.

Great post Bob...

I have used enough feather for years so that it doesn't matter whether wet or dry....  I use enough that the fletching is out of the equation no matter the situation.   Once fletched I no longer have to worry no matter the stance, position
or cant angle . 

Treat your feathers with this and you're done. At Walmart in camping section.

Harkens back to the "trad vane" discussion. The wet weather argument for them seems to be a mute point.

Last step in tuning, once broadheads are flying great-- dunk the feathers in the pond, mat them down and see how they fly...

Looks like your set up is ready sir!

I shot at the N.A.L.S in Logan Lake BC this year and it rained every day we were there I never had a problem with feathers I did not waterproof my feather all arrows with field points and broadhead flew great. 

I shoot a 2"+ wide cut broadhead. I'm not shooting wet vanes, ever.

Scotchgard

My 2 wide tree sharks and battle axes shoot just fine with with wet feathers.

5 inch 4 fletch.....fletch it and forget it!  My feathers are totally out of the equation.

Quote from: Terry Green on July 30, 2019, 01:01:10 PM
My 2 wide tree sharks and battle axes shoot just fine with with wet feathers.

5 inch 4 fletch.....fletch it and forget it!  My feathers are totally out of the equation.

Saw your earlier posts on the idea of 4 fletch and others with experience shooting same 4 fletch. Have ditched the 3 fletch and gone the same way.
Now I can orient broadheads the same way with just a nock adjustment instead of trying to screw in a head twenty different ways.

Agreed, well tuned arrows and wet feathers are not a problem.

Quote from: Terry Green on July 30, 2019, 01:01:10 PM
My 2 wide tree sharks and battle axes shoot just fine with with wet feathers.

5 inch 4 fletch.....fletch it and forget it!  My feathers are totally out of the equation.

I use the same, 5" 4 fletch. The problem is, arrow is perfectly tuned with dry feathers. Add water weight to the back of the arrow and now it acts WAY stiffer. At 12 yards and under my tree sharks fly great wet or dry. Past that distance it's a free for all on impact. It acts less erratic with a 4-4" fletch wet out to 25 yards. I assume it's because there is less water weight because of the smaller feather?
I just caution anyone taking longer shots with wet feathers until you shoot at that distance with a broadhead and make sure everything flys good. We owe it to the animal.

My .02

 
  That is my experience too. I am constantly bareshafting and tuning many different set-ups. When larger feathers get wet, they get a little heavier. Then a new dynamic enters--It is not the steering capability of the wet feathers, it's the weight. Anyone experienced in bare shaft tuning knows that any extra weight on the back end creates a stiffer shooting arrow. It doesn't take much either. Dr Ashby demonstrated this as well. That's why he (me too) prefers to tune a bareshaft to be just slightly weak (slight point right--slight tail left if right handed) before fletching it up. I shot in the TBOF tournament (Ocala) one year in a downpour. My 5 inch feathers got wet and heavier. Initially my shots were off-point left -tail right (stiff). I adjusted my aim and was okay and as the feathers dried, even though they were a bit flattened, they flew perfectly straight again. I can add or drop 50 grains of point weight and get less "left-right bareshaft reaction" than adding 10 grains of back end weight. Arrow Tuning is rewarding, yet frustrating at times with certain bows. 

I have found that the better tuned the arrow is, the less wet feathers matter. If not so well tuned I have found the feathers MUST be weather proofed. Pretty simple concept.

I agree Sam.  I go as far as bare shaft testing with my broadheads.  I've not had an issue.
That said if it is raining lightly or misting I may hunt.  Moderate or harder rain, in sitting in camp with a cold drink.😉

A good tune trumps nearly everything else!!!

Good shooting!

Bisch