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joshgamble

Road kill

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Haha. Boot is the trunk yes. Parcel shelf is the bit of cheap stuff that goes across the top of the boot just behind the rear seats. It can store light items and stops people looking into the boot through the rear window. In cars where the boot and rear window are one. You lift the whole thing up to gain access. Not just a small door like a BMW. Hatchback would be better term. It was a ford sierra if they ever sold state side.

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my buddy picked up a roadkill skunk thinking he would practice his amateur taxidermy skills, he was in his wife's car. In a senior moment he forgot to take it out. when momma got in the car a few days later she definitely was not happy. LOL!

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boot = trunk (we use that here in the South as well.)

saloon = sedan

parcel shelf = rear deck, or shelf or whatever you call the board that covers the trunk area on a small car that doesn't have a discrete trunk.

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Here are photos of 3 Fox Squirrel tails I collected on a trip to Oklahoma summer before last.

The tail on the far left was from a Fox Squirrel in my neighborhood in Crystal River.

 

The middle tail was from a squirrel found on SR 82 SW of Dallas, Tx.

 

The big black tail was from a Fox Squirrel found on US 19 in SW Georgia.

 

These tails point out the genetic diversity among Fox Squirrels.

 

BTW, I wear disposable gloves and place the tails in Zip-Loc freezer bags.

I dispose of the gloves then wipe my hands and forearms with antibacterial wipes.

 

I could not process these tails imediately so I kept them on ice in a small cooler.

When I got home, I split the tails, removed the bone and salted the inside of the tail

then tacked them to the wall of my shed. Ater several days I washed the tails in warm soapy water to remove the salt

then dried them thoroughly. Just to be on the safe side, I put them in a Zip-Loc with a little Sevin dust.

 

Later, I vacuumed the tails and began to use them.

 

I sure would like to have some really good northern bucktail.

post-50879-0-50517600-1391128305_thumb.jpg

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I posted this tale elsewhere on this site a few months back to illustrate what can happen when collecting RK.

 

This actually happened to me recently but YOU AIN'T GONNA BELIEVE THIS S--+.

Yesterday, I saw a fox on US 19. It hadn't been hit too bad so I decided I'd cut the tail off for fly tying. I took my shears from my tool kit and walked over to the Fox. I bent down to grab the tail and the fox got up and hauled butt. It wasn't limping at all. Heck, it only hit the ground in high spots. He saw me with the shears and said, "I'm outta here."
This morning, there was a coon in the road near the C-40 ramp. When I came by later after fishing, there were several buzzards enjoying brunch. All except 1 flew as I approached and the other one waited until I was mighty close. I swung into the other lane to miss the coon and the buzzard. Evidently the buzzard had the same idea. The buzzard knocked my right wiper almost off and I really thought it had broken the windshield. Lotsa buzzard poop on my truck.

Two days in a row. Gosple truth!

 

If there is anything to be learned from this I guess it would be, collecting fly tying supplies from road kill is risky business.

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Greetings all,

 

This is my first posting on this site, so hopefully this has not been covered before (but it probably has). I used to trap and I never had a problem picking up raccoons or fox (although fox have very thin skin and they must be skinned and fleshed within 12 hours or so of their demise) and skinning them out for their fur. The key is to scrape the fat off of the flesh and stretch the skin out to be dried. Afterward, I would send the ones I wanted to keep (the ones I didn't sell locally) to Moyle's in order to have them tanned.

 

My question is, would tanning fur in this manner be the best way to get the fur prepared for fly tying, or is simply drying the flesh and putting Borax on the flesh to dry it out good enough? I would consider trapping again on a small scale to get fur for this purpose if I can take care of it myself without shipping it out of state. Muskrat seems like a really good fur - it is waterproof and easy to get.

 

Also, I have bird dogs and do some upland bird hunting (pheasant and quail primarily, but occasionally woodcock or chukkar). Does anyone know the best way to preserve their feathers/carcasses after they are harvested from hunting?

 

Thanks for listening - I enjoy reading the posts.

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Love this time of year in Kentucky. Most of my natural bucktail cache comes from road kill deer with thick winter tails. With any road kill harvesting, use caution. Number one, make sure it's legal in your state, or watch for Johnny Po Po and his buddies. Number two, if the animal smells gamey or is becoming rancid, it's often not worth saving unless it's a very unusual find. Number Three, use a little personal safety and never try to remove an animal from the road or harvest an animal that is too close to the lane of traffic. Number four, WASH you hands and scrub your nails if you're not using gloves.

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