1st buck Tail and Other Materials

[fiveonomo 0]

I prepped the first Buck Tail today, it only took about 10 minutes and it's crazy easy.  I hunt and I am surrounded by Hunters so I can get as many as I want.  I am happy how this one turned out for now, in a few weeks we will see if it all worked out right.  My buddies dad raises Pheasants and Quail so a supply of Pheasant Tail Feathers is going to be helpful too.  Is there any prep we do to those or are they good just as they are?  Also, do we use duck feathers?

Here is a picture of the Buck Tail drying.

 

[WWKimba 0]

Fly tyers use ANY AND ALL feathers and fur!  I recently sent away to an Australian fly shop for some kangaroo and wallaby fur.  If you can get some for free - TAKE IT! (with a nice THANK YOU - of course!)  Think about trading flies, fish fillets, whatever to stay on your sources good side!  (If you don't believe me about tyers using ALL items read the story behind the book "The Feather Thief"!

Kim

 

[Noahguide 0]

2 hours ago, fiveonomo said:

Also, do we use duck feathers?

See Kelley Galloup's latest

 

[skeet3t 0]

I use feathers I find in the backyard. A trip to an outdoor museum resulted in a whole peacock feather. A park behind a motel yielded several gray duck feather but no CDC. Tried to get some but the ducks wouldn't hold still!

[Ephemerella 0]

That's a nice buck tail. After a while you'll notice differences in the hair types on different buck tails. Each with their own use. For example yours has very long and straight hair, so would be excellent for underbellies on featherwing streamers, like Carrie Stevens Gray Ghost. Or for longer or larger size bucktail streamers.  Other buck tails will have kinky hair, useful when you want to add bulk to body without adding too much mass of hair - some smaller bucktails, and related flies might use that. 

 

[fiveonomo 0]

7 hours ago, WWKimba said:

Fly tyers use ANY AND ALL feathers and fur!  I recently sent away to an Australian fly shop for some kangaroo and wallaby fur.  If you can get some for free - TAKE IT! (with a nice THANK YOU - of course!)  Think about trading flies, fish fillets, whatever to stay on your sources good side!  (If you don't believe me about tyers using ALL items read the story behind the book "The Feather Thief"!

Kim

 

Thanks.  I have seen that book elsewhere, looks like I need to pick it up now and add to my collection.

[fiveonomo 0]

Thanks a bunch everyone for the replies.

[utyer 0]

I find used for almost every feather on a Pheasant skin. The tail feathers can simply be clipped off at the base, and then washed and smoothed out to dry.   A full skin would need to be scraped, salted or boraxed, and dried.  I alway keep my "game" feathers in ziplock bags with a couple of mothballs for a few weeks before putting any of that material in with my other feathers.  

 

[fiveonomo 0]

@utyerThanks.  I was wondering what you needed to do to the feathers, and that sounds pretty simple.

[Sandan 0]

Any answer of mine would be superfluous seeing as how your question(s) have been answered.