I R Sonajiso
They now use carbon-fiber composites fairly widely. Back then it was mostly aluminum and fiber-glass. Arrow heads have also improved, causing more damage and thus reducing suffering and chase.

bill
Not much, I still have 6 of the original 12 arrows that came with my bow, 35 years ago. Aluminum, been using them a long time. THey make carbon fiber now, before they had fiberglass, you can't beat the aluminum arrow.

chris w
20 years ago aluminum and aluminum composites were all the latest thing fiberglass was tried for a short period but could not stand up to the high speed and energy of the newer compound bows. Now we have carbon fiber composites that are lighter yet (a result of spy plane technology). Ceder wood shafts were once the best out there even 40 years ago are still made for the traditional archer.

Deerhunter1
they have evolved from cedar and some hickory, to fiberglass to aluminum to aluminum/carbon hybrid to all carbon fiber composition nowadays. The old wooden arrows weren't strong enough to handle the compound bows power, and the fiberglas were either too flimsy or too heavy plus they eventually started splintering and a couple of those fiberglas splinters in your hand, and it's no wonder they never developed a big following. Also, both wooden and fiberglas arrows were hard to equip with broadheads since the points back then either glued on or crimped on ,pretty much.then came aluminum onto the scene with easton pulling the majority of that duty. they were the s#*#. different lengths, thicknesses, strengths, and they came with threaded inserts which meant changing out between field points, and broadheads was ez as 1,2,3. the one major problem with aluminum was they could bend easily, which is what carbon fiber eliminates pretty much altogether. it's either straight or it's broke, but if you do break one, they contain splinters similiar to fiberglass, and they don't come out without a fight. some fiberglas arrows still get used in bowfishing these days.and traditional archers still use cedar and birch or hickory arrows too.