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troutguy#1

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One thing that I found out is that if you go to farms that have chickens, hoses, goats, sheep, or any other livestock, the owners are most likly to give you wool and feathers for free!! we have a peacock farm nereby... and I have peacock to boot. There is a family that raises chickens... I have over 100 chicken feathers( courtesy of the kids that were eager to find as many feathers as they could). If you just ask around, people don't think that you are paying a couple of $ for a few feathers when they have them everywhere. Try it, it works!

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troutguy#1...Don't forget "roadkill"! Need some bucktail? Racoon tail? Squirrel tail? People might think your evil, but roadkill are just going to be compost away or thrown into a landfill...SullyTM

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Look for birds of prey and watch them where they roost, under them will be scatt of fur and feathers, some might be usable. Good for a nature walk as well. There is always feathers in the woods and the shore some are illegal. If theres ducks arround there are feathers.

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We have a large local park with 3 lakes/ponds I like to frequent to keep my casting sharp, and it usually draws a bit of a crowd and alot of questions because most people have never seen this type of methods and gear. The park is full of peacocks, ducks, geese, and a multitude of smaller birds. Feathers are everywhere!

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Sounds like my great-grandmother's yard! When I was young, I would run around her yard and find all sorts of feathers. Kids are always eager to help, if you make it a game then you end up with more than you can count.

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Several years ago, we visted a place in Florida that had a lot of tropical plants and birds in it. Can't remember just what the place was but it was one of those places you pay to go through. At any rate, I was looking at all those fancy feathers on those exotic birds and knew if I plucked any I would probably be shot. But later, I was talking to one of the workers and mentioned that I was a flytyer and she went into a back room and came out with a whole bag of feathers that the birds periodically molt. So, the point is it pays to ask if you are ever in one of those places that have a lot of exotic birds.

 

Dave

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just be sure to fumigate them before introducing them to your tying room. They can carry bugs that will damage your other feathers. Also be sure that you aren't carrying the ticks into the house with those deer tails.

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Look around the edges of ponds for duck and goose feathers. Also ask a local pet shop that has parrots to put aside the moltted feathers for you. You can get some really exotic feathers for free

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If there is a game farm near you, stop in. We have one near here that breeds pheasants for different colorings. You could have pheasant tail nymphs across the color range from white to almost black, with no dying. I'm also liking the natural brown marabou-like feathers on a pheasant to match the gray-brown leaches that you see.

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I don't know about anyone else, but I seem to have my local taxidermist on speed dial. I have gotten mountain lion, bear, goat, antelope, Fallow Deer and a few more oddities. Plus... he had a good chunk of whitetail already tanned for me. I gave that away since I already have boxes full of deer.

 

 

Mike

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Good Day,

 

Don't forget your local pet and or parrot store. Birds "shed" feathers and sometimes the shop will be willing to give them to you. However, I did find a parrot shop that charged for the feathers as so many were asking for them!

 

Steelie

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hello all,

 

 

I strongly recommend getting to know your local furrier/ fur shop. If they do alterations, repairs and other custom work, the chances are really good that they have more fur scraps than you could use in a lifetime.

 

Trust me- I know, I know!

 

keep it deep,

whippersnapper

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