How to recycle a turkey

[Rancid Crabtree]

I use the feathers from the birds we harvest to make my own arrow fletchings. I make the c0ck feathers from the wings of turkeys that I harvest. I am a traditional archer and bowhunter and I make all my own equipment.



I like to use whole uncut white feathers for the two hen feathers and a homemade c0ck feather. I found 7 good looking specimens (one is a spare)



Next I split them to get rid of the side that I won’t need.



Then I find the best section in the middle of the length and cut off the ends. These are longer than I need but I will trim them later



Because the split base is way to thick I need to thin them down.



I use a belt sander with a fine grit belt because the bases are pretty soft. I finish them with a sanding block



The thined feather is a lot less beefy.



Next I cut them to their finished length.



After fletching, I use a feather burner to give them their shape.