how many tyers harvest their own feathers

[majestyja 0]

last fall a friend of a friend handed me 3 pheasants that he shot and said ,"you tie flies here you go," but I had no idea how to '"cure them"

 

How do you harvest game birds carcasses for tying? :dunno:

[mdwsr 0]

Good question, I would like to use some of my own birds as well. Not much help here but I would like to follow this thread.

[AlG 0]

I do mine in a bag with Borax and that's it. :dunno:

[ashley 0]

I collect alot of my own feathers and fur from various sources.All I do when I get them home is skin the animal if its whole,the next I wash the skins or feathers if its just that.The skin is dried in saw dust then pinned on a board,now I scrape any fat/meat of and cover with borax.

Thats the basic version for better instructions see 'From field to fly' by Scott J.Seymour.

Ashley

[Iowaflyguy 0]

 

 

So far I have never tried to skin a bird. But I have got a lot of feathers just plucking it for roasting.

This week duck season opens and I will get at least a half dozen drake wood ducks. As you know the

feathers are very expensive. I just pluck out the lemon barred flank feathers and the black and white

barred feathers. Then I micro-wave them for 10 sec. I repeat this three times and put them in a

tightly covered plastic container to keep critters out.

 

I have also cured a few squirrel hides this fall with borax.

 

Maybe this year I will try to skin out a bird. If you have the bird saving $ on feathers doesn't have

to be that big a deal. Just my .02

 

regards

-Tom

[ted patlen 0]

after the degreasing, defatting, defeathering and follow up curing...don't forget to wash the materials in warm to hot water to get out all blood, dirt etc...

 

i use regular dish washing stuff like ivroy for the feathers and shampoo for the hairs...

 

my bucktails come out squeaky clean and nice and straight after i infuse conditioner, then comb them out...hey, its hair...right?

 

 

pick out whay you need don't wash or clean the parts that you'll never use...just easier that way

[chrisfish 0]

I just tried some of these suggestions last week Majestyia. And thanks for the help guys. I cut out the cape, laid it flat and covered with salt for 2 days. then shook off the salt and covered it with borax. i'll let you know how it comes out. thank again for the info guys.

[Nebraskaflyer 0]

Out at my place, we raise ringnecks, goldens, and red goldens. Some gentleman was nice enough last year to give us a couple phoenix chickens. I'm thinking next summer, I may have to harvest a few and try these tips out!

 

A.S.

[Streamside 0]

last fall a friend of a friend handed me 3 pheasants that he shot and said ,"you tie flies here you go," but I had no idea how to '"cure them"

 

How do you harvest game birds carcasses for tying? :dunno:

 

 

I cure all my own animal hides / bird skins, and I do them all the same way for more than 20 years . 1/3rd 20 Mule Team Borax, 1/3rd large crystal salt, {either sea salts or Epsom salts} Don't use fine salts like pickeling salt because it will just cake and becomes hard to get off. 1/3rd crushed moth balls. this will keep the pests away for years.

[Harold Ray 0]

This has been a very interesting topic for me. I haven't contributed, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the information y'all have shared.

 

Thanks!

 

Ray

[Joe Hard 0]

There has been several post in the past on this forum about this. Different techniques, how to cure and skin the birds. How to treat animal skins. Might want to do a search here, there is lots of method info from different tyers

[sandflyx 0]

I just go out to the pen and pull.....