ring neck pheasant tail

[TedderX 0]

I've only had one feather. It was black and goldish until you got to the edges, it turned a reddish brown. That feather came with kit so I thought it was low quality.

 

I looked at the store today at entire tails, they were all the same way. Is this how they naturally are? Does it have a bearing on quality?

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

Natural color pheasant tails come in a wide spectrum of colors from almost black to blonde. However the middle of the road standard is sort of a gold ochre center section where the dark barring occurs to the light red/brown iridescent tips.

No the color has absolutely no correlation to quality.

 

Select tails with the longest barbules and the color of your choice. BTW, the center tail feathers are the ones that have the barbules that you mostly use. The feathers on the sides of the center feathers only have those barbules on one side of the plume.

[flytire 0]

i would buy the entire tail as shown below

 

 

not every tail feather will be perfect. the center feathers will have the longest fibers while the outer feathers will have the shortest fibers

 

with a little imagination ALL of the feathers can be used for fly tying in one application or another

[troutah 0]

I have seen what you are generally describing and have begun to think it might be sun damage as the red brown color seemed to correspond with where the feathers stopped overlapping, if you know what I mean. I could be making it up, but from what i've seen it may make sense and will make me double check what I buy next time.

[essequamvideri 0]

TedderX,

If I may add my two cents.

 

I have had great response asking other on the forum if they are up for a swap or willing to sell some feathers that they have from their hunting trips. I have had wonderful response everyone I have traded with.

 

Good luck.

 

Michael