Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
leftyangler

Which bird(s) contain large number of aftershaft plumes?

Recommended Posts

The ring neck pheasant has plenty of good 2 inch usable after shafts. Grouse and partridge also have nice after shaft plumage, but they are smaller skins, The ring neck and partridge skins are the easiest to purchase. If you hunt your self there a few other possibilities.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks members.

I'm looking for dyed olive aftershaft to play with Green Drake nymph and emerger patterns. So probably partridge skin dyed olive would be the most reasonable product?

I have Whiting's American hen saddle grizzly dyed olive and I can find aftershaft here and there but not as many as with ringneck or hun......

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The after shaft is grown for insulation, so a bird from colder climes would have more than it would have if it lived somewhere warmer. It is also possible that the time of year it is "harvested" may make a difference, as it does with deer hair.

Cheers,

C.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have found that all game birds have them. The better ones are in the better skins. I have quail raised in SC that have them and grouse from New York that didn't. Condition of the bird, maturity and time of harvest all play a role. Even cage raised birds have good feathers if they are healthy, not over crowded and fed a high protein diet. The migrating woodcock that come through here have some awesome feathers. I have a New York turkey and a red phase ruffed grouse from Maine that have very downy feathers, the rump areas are filled with good ones. Best if you can to befriend a hunter or go to a show where you can put your hands on a lot of skins. Look at EBay too. Look for someone with great feedback selling multiple skins and ask them to pick one for you.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...