How To Keep Feathers Dry

[Ray091]

I will be hunting in Washington state and it rains a lot here. Have been told that if my fletching get very wet it will greatly affect the flight of my arrows, so what are some easy but efficient ways to keeps fletching dry but easy to retrieve from the quiver (which will be mounted to the bow most likely)  and nock onto the bow string?

I already know some of my hunting will be in eastern Washington where the sage brush can get thick and as tall as an average sized man. Last year while rifle hunting we had squalls hit us for 4 days off and on so it does rain in eastern Washington some times.

The rest of my hunting will be in the west side of the cascade mountains where it will probably rain on us and is also bushy and some times tough to get through the vine maple that grows in some of the areas i will be hunting.

[kevsuperg]

Never wet spray, not the two step one but the one made for fabric.
Any hardware store should have it.
Some folks use camp dry.
There are specifically made products available from many traditional archery dealers.

[Sam McMichael]

I have a powdered product that works pretty well, but I can't remember the name. I bought it at a shoot a year or two ago.

[Zradix]

If your arrows is well tuned a wet feather won't throw you off much if you shoot with good form.

To be on the safe side I use a product called Watershed. I think the company making it is called Hairline..or something like that.
It's made for waterproofing fishing flies
It works pretty darn good.
It comes in a little dropper bottle..think visine bottle.

You just squeeze a bead of the fluid along the base of the feather and it wicks it's way to the ends of the barbs.

Takes a few hours to dry.
At first when it's wet there is a little smell..but that smell seems to completely go away after drying.

After treating my feathers with this stuff I've ran them under the faucet and dunked in a bucket. The results were not perfect...but pretty darned good. They still held up good to water after shooting em quite a bit too.
The feather would still matt down if you press the feather and TRY to mess em up..but just a dunk in water they hold up.

I'd say you could get at least a couple dozen arrows done with a bottle.

Also there are fletching covers (bags)  that can be used.

[Zradix]

I've heard goose feathers work great too

[M60gunner]

I used to use the powder sold by Gateway Feathers. You put some in a bag with the feathered shaft and tossed it around. Worked pretty good but the powder is toxic or so it says on bottle.
I gave up on keeping feathers dry. Went to vanes.

[Msturm]

I use scotch guard.

Msturm

[Squirrel Hunter]

Waterproofing sprays and powders help, but if it's going to be raining, you need to cover them with a plastic bag or a catquiver. I like a plastic bag from the grocery store, then, over that, a fleece or wool fletch cover with elastic straps that tie to the quiver. 100% waterproof, quiet, and durable for walking through brush. It works with both hip and bow quivers. If the rest of your equipment will allow it, a cat quiver is completely waterproof and puts your fletch up out of the way of the brush.

[dragonheart]

Many people find vanes unappealing for aesthetic reasons, or to shooting off the shelf, but arguably one of the best bowhunters there ever was used vanes after his experiences with the weather of the northwest...

[katman]

Vanes for my ilf setups with a rest. Otherwise just a very small amount of tire wet works. If its raining hard I don't hunt. Glad I don't live in WA.lol

[Terry Green]

Yeah several different products over-the-counter work plus I use a Fletch cover or SafariTuff. I really don't have a problem with wet feathers... and yes I hunt in the rain all the time.

[6feathers]

I use either a catquiver or safari tuff quiver.

[rainman]

IF you tie flies the spray for dry flies works well.

[Roadkill]

Anytime I travel, I pick up those cheap hotel showcaps for use in rain.  Binos and fletch can easily be covered. They easily pack in your gear.  I gave one to some university field researchers to put over a battery servicing a bat noise monitor.
I have a catquiver, but no longer  have use of it here in Nevada, as it seldom rains in August

[dragonheart]

I know a guy that uses Baby bottle liners for individual arrows...

Rain proofed with a fly pop-up blind about 400 yards from my car sitting in short grass with no cover.  First week of the season a voice came from it, "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't walk down the field road from now on."  The problem was that most of the public land was down that field road.  One day a storm was coming and since I had not seen the owner since opening day, I jumped in. It had a nice chair in it.  A bit later a kid with a compound asked anyone in there?  so there we sat, in a little tent stuck out in a terrible thunderstorm, but we were dry.  There should be a light weight easy to pack umbrella or easy to tie up fly or awning when we get caught in a down pour.   There are limits to how much any spray application will help when things get really wet.  Maybe a Frog Tog poncho.

[BAK]

Geesh, just put a fletching cover over the feathers.   Pretty simple.

I have a green water proof bag, meant for canoe camping, that I put over the arrows in the back quiver.  Good enough for an all day sprinkle.  My arrows always get the light spray, not enough to make them stiff.  But really, who wants to shoot a deer in a real hard rain.  No one that I know.  I shot a deer on a Christmas day blizzard once, that was crazy enough, good thing the deer went down fast.

[bowslinger]

I have used white powders called fletch dry, rain fletch, and I think one other trademarked name.  Think is some king of fine white silica powder,  Brush it into feathers and they will last weeks or months with one treatment depending on how much.  Warning labels recommend to not breath it in.