Free furs and feathers??

[rookieflyguy 0]

Here's one topic that I hope will start a long discussion. I am a rookie fly tyer. I've read about natural materials, along with easily found materials, and I'd like your input on what uses, if any, these critters may be. If they're useful, can you suggest a fly in which they will be used?

(I've tried to avoid the most obvious)

Thanks! Have fun, everyone!

FUR:

Grey Squirrel

Red squirrel

opossum

red fox

cat

dog

raccoon

beaver

skunk

beaver

horse

deer

OTHER ROAD KILL/EASILY FOUND FUR?

 

 

 

FEATHERS:

pigeon

mallard

sea gull (or other sea bird feathers)

goose

crow

turkey

hawk

OTHER EASILY FOUND FEATHERS?

 

Thanks, and have fun!

Hugh

 

 

 

[kindaso 0]

Im no master tyer but ill do my best.

 

If you have the whole skin of the squirrels then you could you could use a fine comb and get dubbing from it. This dubbing could be used for any kind of nymph like hairs ears and czech nymphs. Dont suggest for dries because its a little to rough. If you have the tail then it could be used for different salmon whole wing flies and such.

Ive never used opposum to i couldnt tell ya

Never used fox either but i understand that you can use the tail hair to use for streamers.

Im not really sure about cat but dog can be used the same as the squirrel. Depending on the dog you can use the under fur for some nice "buggy" dubbing. I have a chocolate lab that use all the time for dubbing, but then i have an english springer spaniel and she has no under fur, so it cant be used.

Ive never used raccoon

Ive never actually used beaver either but understand that its basiclly the same as muskrat. This can be used for dries or wets. The muskrats and beavers underfur sheds water, and therefore is a good dry dubbing.

Ive never used skunk

Horse can be used the same as bucktail in patterns such as clousers.

Deer bidy hair can be used for wings in comparaduns. Also can be spun for poppers. The tail can be used for clousers.

 

As far as the birds go, most birds have tail or wing or shoulder feathers that can be used for such things as classic wets. Most of these have the quality of being able to "marry" to other sections of feathers. They have microscopic hair like things that can combine with other feathers. This gives the bird the ability to fly, and without it the bird wouldnt be able to fly because the barbs would seperate.These charecteristics basically go with all the feathers on your list.

The turkey feathers have many uses. The flats can be used as wings on your dries. The tail and wing feathers can be used the same as above. They can also be used as wings for your dave hoppers and can also be used as wing cases for your nymohs. I personally never use them for cases because i can use a much cheaper feather and still have the same effect. If you have any other questions you can PM me.

[utyer 0]

Squirrel skins can also be cut into strips for zonker typg flies. The red fox squirrel belly is a use in a popular and effective nymph pattern. Beaver under fur maks excellent dubbing. Horse hair (tails) can be used for midge bodies, and Potts stlye flies. Dog hair is good for nymph dubbing, cat not so much. There are hundreds of uses for deer hair.

 

Feathers you listed are a mixed bag of birds, and here you have to be very careful. Hawks, owls, and other birds of prey are protected. Having the feathers in your posession is not legal. You can't even pickup found feathers from raptors and birds of prey. All the common song birds are also protected. As a general rule, if its legal to hunt a bird then you can use the feathers in fly tying. I use goose wing quills, duck quills, and flank feathers from many different ducks. Pheasant skins are very useful, when you can get a whole skin do so. Turkeys are great for many of their feathers. Turkey tails, secondary wing quills, back feathers, are all uses. Natural turkey skins contain a lot of great marabou. Its all a gray to black color but still useful.

 

Remember any and all road kill or game birds or skins must be properly cleaned and cured before use and storing them with your other materials.

[rookieflyguy 0]

This is great! Keep the answers coming!

[rookieflyguy 0]

How do you clean and cure critters?

[perchjerker 0]

Please see my reply under your other question. You have listed several species that are under both state and Federal regulation. Before you embark on 'collecting' any of these materials, you should first familiarize yourself with both your state laws, and particularly in the case of birds, the Federal "Migratory Bird Treaty Act", which has been on the 'books' since 1916! Under the Federal statute, if you pick up a single feather of a protected bird and put it in your car, you are subject to fine, imprisonment and forfeiture of your vehicle!

 

How do I know these things? I spent 28 years of my life trying to keep a major utility company's employees from violating these laws. Thus minimizing the forfeiture of equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the "CEO" from going to prison. Beware that the Feds take these laws seriously!

 

NOW: to your basic question, any and all of the materials you have listed can be used. Just be sure they were obtained LEGALLY!

 

perchjerker

[rookieflyguy 0]

Message received and understood. I work as a naturalist at a conservation area in the summertime, and I would absolutely never cause any injury to these birds. Because I'm outdoors often, I do come across the occasional raptor feather. However, you certainly make a good point about the violation, and I will leave them where I find them.

 

Thanks for the response. I'll look forward to reading your reply to my other question.

 

 

 

Please see my reply under your other question. You have listed several species that are under both state and Federal regulation. Before you embark on 'collecting' any of these materials, you should first familiarize yourself with both your state laws, and particularly in the case of birds, the Federal "Migratory Bird Treaty Act", which has been on the 'books' since 1916! Under the Federal statute, if you pick up a single feather of a protected bird and put it in your car, you are subject to fine, imprisonment and forfeiture of your vehicle!

 

How do I know these things? I spent 28 years of my life trying to keep a major utility company's employees from violating these laws. Thus minimizing the forfeiture of equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the "CEO" from going to prison. Beware that the Feds take these laws seriously!

 

NOW: to your basic question, any and all of the materials you have listed can be used. Just be sure they were obtained LEGALLY!

 

perchjerker

 

[lewy271 0]

Skins can be cured with borax and salt. My suggestion is to leave road kill on the road unless you just hit it yourself. The major fear of every tier is bringing bugs into their treasured tying materials, I suggest that your quarantine all your materials in the freezer for a few weeks before bringing them into your tying area, even those that you purchase. After they have been in the freezer for a few weeks zap them in the microwave for a few seconds... at a time. Make sure you don't cook the skins, you can ruin them. Then throw them back into the freezer for a bit a week or so.

 

Always inspect your materials that your purchase!

[c-denby 0]

I would also suggest going to your local furriers or taxidermists. Alot of furriers will happily give you any cut offs and any leftover bits and pieces because they would just be thrown away anyways. That is where I get the majority of my furs. She trades me fur for helping her move heavy boxes or bring items down from her storage area.

 

 

I have a friend that hunts and has a favourite taxidermist that he uses. Well, when he took in his deer, he asked about feathers for me and I ended up with a full set of turkey tail feathers and a coyote tail and a bunch of chunks of tanned deer belly hair.

 

Always helps to ask around your local hunting shops too. Some people may not GIVE you furs but may sell you some at a huge discount of what it would cost you in a fly shop.

 

Good Luck

Cheers,

Chris

 

 

[perchjerker 0]

lewy271:

 

Your points are well made and it definitely pays to be safe rather than sorry. However, your recommendation on treatment may be a bit on the 'overkill' side. Three or four days in the the deep freeze and a couple if 15 second 'nukes' should do it.

 

I do not share your concern about pre-packaged materials from the fly shops. You must remember that the wholesaler may have hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in their inventory, and are not about to jeopardize it to vermin. The same holds true all the way to, and through, your local fly shop. Thus, they should be pest-free. Moreover, the type vermin that are most likely to be on pelts and skins 'in the wild' are pests of the host animal, such as fleas, mites, etc., and therefore will not damage the materials themselves; though they can be irritating to people too. (I hope no one here ever enters a chicken house full of mites!!)

 

One is more likely to get damaging invaders from someone who donates old, excess tying materials that have not been stored under the best of conditions than from materials bought from the shops or from 'roadkill'.

 

As Education Director for our club, and responsible for our fly tying courses, I am constantly getting materials donated to the courses; some of which have been really infested with moths. About a year ago I received a couple of large boxes of stuff, amongst which there were more than half a dozen $60.00 + capes that were almost totally destroyed by moths; simply because they had not been properly stored by the donor. What a shame! I eliminated the live bugs, and saved the packaged remains, fecal material and all, to show to our beginning students as a reminder of what can happen when you don't take proper care of your stored materials. I very often find mummified ticks on the deer and elk hides I am given that have come from the taxidermists, but have yet, after 12 years of doing this, found any live bugs on them. In fact, older taxidermist mounts were treated with an arsenic powder to keep the mount from being damaged by vermin. I was recently given an old grizzly skin rug for the classes that most definitely came from this era of taxidermy, and definitely has no vermin on it. The point of this is, it definitely pays to take preventive measures, but it can be overdone; particularly if you know the 'history' of the materials and they come from 'reputable' sources.

 

perchjerker