Bison/Buffalo hair for flies?

[DFoster 0]

My son in law just returned from a 5 week coast to coast family road trip.  Out west somewhere they stopped at place that raises bison and he grabbed me a clump of hair/fur about the size of a baseball. There is no hide with it just a ball of fluff and hairs but it looks like it would make some pretty buggy dubbing.  They simply picked it up off the ground while they toured the place.  I'm wondering if anyone out there uses bison for flies?  If so what patterns?    

[RickZieger 0]

I have put it in a dubbing loop and made a "Hares Ear" type fly.

Rick 

[WWKimba 0]

I bought a nice 3" by 4" hide last year when I went to visit the Catskill Fly Fishing Cener and Museum and just pulled it out to try it out a couple weeks ago.  Be aware that, on the hide, it does have both a fine (similar to alpaca) and crinkly hair as well as darker very fine underfur.  There are a light and near black natural colors also available, but they are rarer and about twice as expensive as the more common brown.

Here are a couple patterns I modified using the stuff, if this helps.

Bison Scrubber  (Inspired by Dick Wigram's Pot Scrubber Nymph pattern)

Mustad 3906, bison hair for tail and abdmn., copper rib (I used the copper from a pot scrubber), PT wingcase. and bison fur for thrx. (the Naked Bison Scrubber has no wingcase.

Kim's B&B Phasant Spider

standard dry fly hook, dark brown thread, black bear underfur dubbed abdmn., bison fur thrx., and a brown male ringneck pheasant soft hackle.

I also tied one using brown partridge for the soft hackle.

I hope this helps get your juices flowing.

Kim

 

 

[DFoster 0]

Thanks all- The particular hair I have is similar in color and Texture to the dubbing on Kim's flies.  I think a dubbing loop "hares ear" is probably a good place to start.