iso18 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2011 Harvested a coot 2-day,cause i remembered seeing a soft hackle that called for coot. What feathers should i keep.I don't wanna borax the whole cape. shane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 In your shoes, I would just pluck the feathers I wanted and store them in small baggies. The most useful feathers for traditional soft-hackle flies come from the leading edge of the wing, the marginal coverts. On a coot there are precious few in the #10 to #18 range, so take care removing them from the skin. I suspect slips from the wing primaries and secondaries would make killer wings, but I have never used them. I would also take a look at the bird's neck and head feathers to see if they are suitable for soft-hackle use. By the way, I believe coot are on the migratory bird list. Is it lawful to hunt them? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KPitt 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 I have a coot skin I have not used yet, but if you google "Using Coot feathers for tying flies" you will find reference to a number of uses. Boraxing the whole skin would not be a big job but plucking them is a good alternative. Somewhere I have heard reference to using the feathers for spey patterns but I cannot remember where I read or heard this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Markbob 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 What the heck is a coot? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mybadhabit 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 What the heck is a coot? A really nasty fish eating waterfowl. Not a duck, because it doesn't have webbed feet and has red eyes, and when cleaned, smells like nasty old fish. Not worth eating!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 coot noun /ko͞ot/ coot, plural; coots, plural A foolish or eccentric person, typically an old man Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iso18 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 In your shoes, I would just pluck the feathers I wanted and store them in small baggies. The most useful feathers for traditional soft-hackle flies come from the leading edge of the wing, the marginal coverts. On a coot there are precious few in the #10 to #18 range, so take care removing them from the skin. I suspect slips from the wing primaries and secondaries would make killer wings, but I have never used them. I would also take a look at the bird's neck and head feathers to see if they are suitable for soft-hackle use. By the way, I believe coot are on the migratory bird list. Is it lawful to hunt them? yell there on the migratory bird list. you can kill 15 a day in WV shane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
utyer 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 Isn't coot and OLD duck? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandflyx 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 pick the hooter feathers for fan wing flies....just my o2 from and old coot... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whatfly 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2011 Would probably go for the wings, neck, and flank feather myself, but this is just a guess. This older thread has some ideas: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=56315&st=0&p=442936&hl=mudhen&fromsearch=1entry442936 Around here they are often called "mudhens". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RickZieger 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2011 You can hunt them but you CANNOT sell them. That is why they are not in catalogues. They have a foot like a flamingo. Body feathers make a great leech pattern. Use red thread and it takes two to three feather for a size 10 hook. Rick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
H.Champagne 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2011 Coots are terrible little birds, they smell horrible and just just swim back and forth through your decoy spread. I hate them. I like the idea of tying flies with them because we need a reason to shoot more of them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted November 20, 2011 You can hunt them but you CANNOT sell them. That is why they are not in catalogues. They have a foot like a flamingo. Body feathers make a great leech pattern. Use red thread and it takes two to three feather for a size 10 hook. Rick Can you give them to your friends? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mybadhabit 0 Report post Posted November 20, 2011 only if you don't want to keep that friend!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowfin47 0 Report post Posted November 21, 2011 Rick is right! As coots don't have a "webbed foot", they are not considered to be in the same category ad "Ducks (Geese) and Swans" but rather they fall in the same category as American Woodcock, morning dove and other migratory game birds that have restrictions upon the marketing of their feathers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites