How to recycle a turkey
 

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.

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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)

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

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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

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

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

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The thined feather is a lot less beefy.

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Next I cut them to their finished length.

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

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