It must be the start of trapping and huntning season

[dusty153 0]

HI everyone.

I am truly blessed to have a lot of friends who hunt and trap. So far in the past year I have recieved 12 squirrel tails of different colors. 5 pheasants, 8 ducks, 2 geese, a full caribou hide, a bear hide, and this morning I received a opossum and a raccoon.

I am not sure what to do with the raccoon, does anyone have any suggestions? Dubbing? So as you can see I feel truly blessed to have friends who hunt and trap. LOL oh yea I skin em, pluck em or whatever.

[Scud 0]

Thats a sweet load of skins.

[Guest rich mc]

raccoon tail works on clousers. rich mc

[hopperfisher 0]

i know that raccoon fur is a decent sub for hare dubbing if you clip it off and put it in a blade type coffee grinder to beat it up a bit. It has nice long guard hairs for leggy nymphs and stuff. I hear that caribou makes fantastic dubbing, very thick.

[dusty153 0]

Thanks for your input on the raccoon. Another guy brought me a couple muscrat today to add to the collection. I usually dry? them over the winter and next fall they will all be ready to go. The biggest question my wife has is when is enough enough?and are you ever going to use all that?... LOL...I can't refuse the free gifts from friends.

[SILKHDH 0]

Well, as long as you pay attention to all the Federal Fish and Game laws, you can sell extra. I live in Kansas and I get tons of stuff from friends too. Check out my "Death by Stout" fly I made and gave to my brother. Search- fly tyer- DOUG STOUT. I get Gadwall, Teal, Pintail, Mallard ,Wigeon, WoodDuck, Shoveler, all awsome flanks for Full Dress Salmon. Turkey, I got more then I will ever use. All kinds of animal pelts. Pheasants out my ***!! Deer tails by the gross. I turn them away now. More than I could ever use. If I kept everything I was given, I would have to kick the wife and kid out. All harvested legally and clear. So as long as I only use them for fly tying Im good. I don't sell materials, but have sold display flies. Crazy though the feather must be on a hook and in the form of a fly to be legal to sell in display. A feather alone not tied to a hook is a no, no...I have spent hours on the phone with Federal Fish and Game on this topic. I dont want to be in trouble for having something Im not suppose to have. Neither do you. All song birds are a no, no,.. Does not matter how you got the feather. "FOUND IT IN THE YARD" nope you can't have it. So that pretty Oreol or cardinal in the grass with the pretty feathers, leave it there. Same with raptors, like hawks and owls. I stay totally clear of them. Even when my child brings me a bird feather from the yard I kindly tell her that daddy cant have those kind of bird feathers.

Please note "pay attention to the laws". Migratory birds feathers "like your ducks and geese" can be used and sold as fly tying and pillow stuffing only. NOT DISPLAY!! The last time I talked to the officer. Best to recheck every so often to keep up on changes though. You may need a fur harvesting and or trading license to deal with the animal furs but if you are getting the product for free, well it would be the only cost you would have. Make a buck or two. That will keep the wife happy I bet. LOL "MONEY SOOTHS THE SAVAGE BEAST"

 

P.S. You got to watch those laws though. The migratory birds laws are kind of tricky.

Oh, and the coon hair does make nice clousers and other streamer minnow patterns like thunder creek. So does coyote.

Some one on here has a quote " teach a man to tie flies and he'll pick up road kill" Made me laugh till I cryed!!Guilty!!!LOL

ONe more thing. Take some of that fur and feathers, slap it on a hook, make a hat pin or something and give it to those guys harvesting for you. Believe me when I say "they will love it"

[dusty153 0]

Thanks for all the iinformation. Love the Death By Stout.

[jacktjl 0]

You could make a coonskin cap for those cold days in the field.