Wild tying materials

[R. Michael Charske]

I noticed while looking through past posts in the forum that there were concerns about storage of self-procured fly tying materials.

As a bird hunter here's my method.

ASAP wrap the entire carcass in multiple layers of plastic wrap. No powders, no rinsing of blood or other matter, just warp it up neatly ASAP in plastic. This does two things. Keeps all the feathers or furs in original shape and deprives ANYTHING living on the carcass of oxygen.

Take that well wrapped and sealed carcass and place it in a large garbage bag and wrap it loosely. This also does two things. Most moisture will collect between the plastic wrap and the garbage bag or even on the outside of the garbage bag. And this is HUGE !!! You are going to them put the carcass or fur patch in the freezer. The Garbage bag prevents anyone (especially a non- hunter) from having to look at the carcass every time the freezer is open.

Sometime in the next 6 months (after that I have found frost creeps into things). Remove the carcass and let thaw for about two hours. (more than and the 'smell police' will be at your doorstep). Fur ? You need to heavily salt the hide. Give it a few days, brush off the salt and repeat until the skin no longer weeps. Depends on the thickness of the hide. For birds, remove the feathers you want and dispose of the rest of the carcass. Place the feathers in zip locks and remove as much air as possible. This has nothing to do with old bugs or bacteria but keeps new invaders out. I like to separate wing quills into matched pairs in individual bags. flank feathers and the like are in small bunches.

Here's a picture of a duck I just took out of the freezer. All in the same order as it was 3 months ago. I am quite sure this has saved me hundreds of dollars over the years.

ps, If you know a taxidermist... they should be your new best friend. Every mount they have have left over trimmings. And often they will call you if they get an animal or bird that for some reason isn't suitable for mounting. Mine lets me take what I want and then disposes of the carcass for me. WARNING: Be familiar with State and federal laws regarding transporting of the stuff you get from the taxidermist. If you didn't do the harvesting yourself, there could be legal consequences.

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Thanks for the ideas. I've read so many ways to do this that I get confused.

[R. Michael Charske]

Bruce, Just my way Bruce. Your mileage may vary.

This took all of 30 minutes. By the way AND THIS IS A BIG BY THE WAY !!! I CUT the quill of of bird carcasses. I DONT pluck them. This method will leave some residual meat on the quill. Doesn't matter to me, I'm not making pens. LOL