Deer Tail

[fiveonomo 0]

A buddy of mine brought me a deer tail for tying.  Do we use this?  If so how should I prepare it to keep or do I do anything to it at all?

[Ephemerella 0]

If it was snipped off the deer, you'll want to slit it and remove the bone and tissue. Or in 2 weeks your tying room will reek. Slit on the underside with a sharp box cutter or scalpel, so the flattened tail will have brown in the middle and white on the outsides. Wash the tail in warm water with Dawn or Synthropol, rinse well. Spread tail out opened and cover top and bottom with borax in a shallow disposable aluminum baking tray. Run a little fan over the covered bucktail. Should be dry and odor free in a week. Shake out the borax (outside!) put in a long zip-lock bag. Mothball optional. 

As for using it, bucktail makes wonderful bucktail streamers, and underbellies on featherwing streamers. A few tips:

• Only use the top 2/3 of the tail as the hair nearest the body will flare with pressure - it is much like the deer body hair with a soft inside.
• After snipping a piece, say 1/8" diameter, comb out the short pieces with a mustache comb while holding it at about 3/4 of the way to the tips. Probably half the diameter will end up in the trash can.
• Tie the bundle on the hook shank after wrapping the shank with thread, forward, and back again. Wrap with medium pressure, wrapping forward only for 8 wraps then wrapping forward tightly for 8-10 wraps. Trim the butts, at an angle. For multiple colored bucktails, you'll want to use smaller bunches, one of each color in the wing. I recommend a drop of head cement after tying them on.

[WWKimba 0]

And if you dye it (or buy a dyed one) don't forget to utilize the brown hairs that include the dye - a lot of tyers I know use the white hairs that are dyed but forget all about the browns that are dyed!  For example, the brown dyed pink can make a nice Rainbow streamer.

Kim

[fiveonomo 0]

@Ephemerella, @WWKimba, Thanks for the responses.  I went and looked at some flies on YouTube, especially Lefty’s Deceiver and that one absolutely uses deer hair.  I have learned about dying the hair as well, this guy can get me a bunch of it if I am interested.  If I get off of work tomorrow, may be told I’m staying for another 24 hours, I am going to trim the tail out, pin it to a board, and then Borax it for a couple weeks.  This will be my first one but doesn’t seem to look to hard.  Kind of cool to use the deer tail too and it not going to waste.  Thanks again for the help.

[WWKimba 0]

For some simpler patterns look to the Catskill/Adirondack streamer patterns, Brook's Blond series, and the Clouser Minnow series (in fact Lefty's patterns were inspired by Bob Clouser's pattern - deer hair is only so long - Lefty saw that saddle hackles would allow a longer tie - also BOTH series were inspired by the Brook's series!).  Besides, you may find the one Achilles Heal of Lefty's pattern - they eat saddle hackles!  When you are more secure in your tying ability then look to the Thundercreek series of flies - I have Keith Fulsher's book with all 22 fresh water (plus six saltwater patterns) and their tying instructions.

Let me know if you need any help.

Kim

[fiveonomo 0]

@WWKimbayou are a continued source of information for me and I appreciate it.  So many things to look at and to tie but I don’t feel overwhelmed, i’ll just pick one and go at it.  

On another topic while we are talking about Lefty, I am enjoying reading some of his books.  I picked up the 25 book little library and can’t get enough of it.  I did something last night that really made no sense, but I did it anyway.  I am sure most of you know that Lefty’s granddaughter is selling some of his fly’s, tool’s, etc. through Facebook and Etsy.  I bought a deceivers last night that Lefty tied.  Of course I have no way of actually 100% confirming this, but some of the people who have made purchases from her I truly trust and feel like it is legit.  I am excited about having a piece of history in my little tying area, even if it is just a fly.  It made me think, does anyone collect flies that the well known people in the industry have tied?  Seems like a fun cool way to pay tribute to the men and woman that have paved the way.   

Anyway, thank again for the help, I really appreciate it.

 

 

[WWKimba 0]

You"ll find MANY famous tiers flies up for sale and normally found in frames.  E-Bay, ESTY and other sites offer them on a fairly regular basis.

Kim

[niveker 0]

Of topic, a bit, but ...

Last night in my insomnolent wanderings, I was reading this from another site on the difficulties of authenticating famous tiers and their flies: 

Buying unauthenticated flies- reproduction cottage industry?

 

[Poopdeck 0]

Lefty's entire fly fishing/tying collection was sold during an estate auction after his death. Things were sold by the lots and were sold dirt cheap. To much stuff not enough people who collect that kind of stuff. Flying fishing is a niche market, fly tying a subniche  and collecting flies is a further offshoot niche. Interesting question though and I'm curious how many fly tiers are also fly collectors

I do enjoy looking at the flies of others, learning from them and at times mimicking their flies and techniques but I have no desire to own or collect flies tied by anybody. in fact I am a collector of nothing, I just don't have that gene I guess. 

[cphubert 0]

1 hour ago, Poopdeck said:

fly tiers are also fly collectors

I have flies tied or gifted by friends some of them notable tiers, I also have materials also gifted to me from friends, silly as it sounds, like a small bag of off pink beaver dubbing dyed by a old friend, I tie and fish one Hendrickson a year for him. Never bought flies to collect, not yet anyway. Hell I don't know who going to get all this stuff after I'm gone.

[mikechell 0]

2 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

I am a collector of nothing, I just don't have that gene I guess. 

That's me.  I'm not a "fan" of anything, or any sport.  I like to fly fish.  I tie flies for my fly fishing.  I like to bass fish and I have a tackle box with the lures I use.  Other than that, I don't have collections of anything.  I'm not a collector.  I'm not nostalgic for times past.  I'm not important enough to worry about the old adage, ""Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It."  If I repeat my own history ... well, I hope it's as fun the second time around.

To the original post, I've had a couple of buck tails sitting around for years.  I've yet to use any of the hair off them.  I don't tie many different patterns, and none of the productive flies I tie require it.  At some point, here in the near future, I'm likely to offer them, and a few other materials ... since I haven't used any of it.

[fiveonomo 0]

18 hours ago, WWKimba said:

You"ll find MANY famous tiers flies up for sale and normally found in frames.  E-Bay, ESTY and other sites offer them on a fairly regular basis.

Kim

Thanks!

 

17 hours ago, niveker said:

Of topic, a bit, but ...

Last night in my insomnolent wanderings, I was reading this from another site on the difficulties of authenticating famous tiers and their flies: 

Buying unauthenticated flies- reproduction cottage industry?

 

Very interesting and I think right on topic.  Thanks!

15 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

Lefty's entire fly fishing/tying collection was sold during an estate auction after his death. Things were sold by the lots and were sold dirt cheap. To much stuff not enough people who collect that kind of stuff. Flying fishing is a niche market, fly tying a subniche  and collecting flies is a further offshoot niche. Interesting question though and I'm curious how many fly tiers are also fly collectors

I do enjoy looking at the flies of others, learning from them and at times mimicking their flies and techniques but I have no desire to own or collect flies tied by anybody. in fact I am a collector of nothing, I just don't have that gene I guess. 

Yes they were, I wish I had of been around for that estate auction, although I am sure there are a fly or a tool here and there with his family.  Years ago when I tried to pick up fly fishing I always enjoyed reading his books.  Anyway, fast forward to today his daughter and granddaughter have personal items they are parting with, not many things, but a few of his things here and there.  What research I can do I did (which isn't a ton) and I felt secure in my purchase.  The story checked out and I am ok with it.  With all of that said, for a long time I made my living arresting people that loved to lie to me about everything.  They would stare you right in the face and tell you a bold face lie about everything from larceny to murder, many times they began to believe their own lie. 

I do encourage you to check out the FB pages though, some of the pictures that his daughter/granddaughter have posted are pretty cool.

14 hours ago, cphubert said:

I have flies tied or gifted by friends some of them notable tiers, I also have materials also gifted to me from friends, silly as it sounds, like a small bag of off pink beaver dubbing dyed by a old friend, I tie and fish one Hendrickson a year for him. Never bought flies to collect, not yet anyway. Hell I don't know who going to get all this stuff after I'm gone.

Good stuff my friend!

13 hours ago, mikechell said:

That's me.  I'm not a "fan" of anything, or any sport.  I like to fly fish.  I tie flies for my fly fishing.  I like to bass fish and I have a tackle box with the lures I use.  Other than that, I don't have collections of anything.  I'm not a collector.  I'm not nostalgic for times past.  I'm not important enough to worry about the old adage, ""Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It."  If I repeat my own history ... well, I hope it's as fun the second time around.

To the original post, I've had a couple of buck tails sitting around for years.  I've yet to use any of the hair off them.  I don't tie many different patterns, and none of the productive flies I tie require it.  At some point, here in the near future, I'm likely to offer them, and a few other materials ... since I haven't used any of it.

 

13 hours ago, mikechell said:

That's me.  I'm not a "fan" of anything, or any sport.  I like to fly fish.  I tie flies for my fly fishing.  I like to bass fish and I have a tackle box with the lures I use.  Other than that, I don't have collections of anything.  I'm not a collector.  I'm not nostalgic for times past.  I'm not important enough to worry about the old adage, ""Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It."  If I repeat my own history ... well, I hope it's as fun the second time around.

To the original post, I've had a couple of buck tails sitting around for years.  I've yet to use any of the hair off them.  I don't tie many different patterns, and none of the productive flies I tie require it.  At some point, here in the near future, I'm likely to offer them, and a few other materials ... since I haven't used any of it.

I am on the other end of things I guess.  I like history and enjoy collecting things from the past.  Not everything, but a few things I have grown to like in my 50 years. 

Looks like the buck tails are used in some small mouth flies I want to tie and definitely for the salt, glad I have an endless supply of them.  I did my first one today, extremely easy and should be good to go in a few weeks.

[cphubert 0]

1 hour ago, fiveonomo said:

endless supply of them.

If they are discarding the skins trim away the white belly skin, clean and cut into strips for dying. you can find a lot of nice hair on a skin for tying. You will need to clean & preserve prior to learning to dye hair.  if you have the time, you can go deeper into the rabbit hole.....

[fiveonomo 0]

1 minute ago, cphubert said:

If they are discarding the skins trim away the white belly skin, clean and cut into strips for dying. you can find a lot of nice hair on a skin for tying. You will need to clean & preserve prior to learning to dye hair.  if you have the time, you can go deeper into the rabbit hole.....

Good to know, I may look into doing that as well.  Thanks.

[Sandan 0]

Has anybody mentioned stacking the bucktail after snipping the clump and cleaning it?