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armyflyfisher
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 Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:52 pm • # 1 |
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Joined: 11/20/08
Posts: 594
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Guys....
I deer hunter friend of mine gave me two buck tails today. I skinned the hide/hair off the tail bone and now have them laid out on paper to dry in my garage.
Anyone know how to preserve them so they don't stink or attract bugs?
Thanks,
David
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jkurtz7
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:10 pm • # 2 |
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David, be sure to scrape any fat and flesh off the skin. Get some Borax from the grocery store and then apply it to the raw part of the skin. Once the tail is dried out, then you probably will want to wash the whole buck tail. Use a mild soap or shampoo. Rise thoroughly and then use some hair conditioner on it. Rise well again and then let it dry completely. Keep tails in plastic bags.
J.
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flyflingerandy1
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:32 pm • # 3 |
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What kind of conditioner J? Pantene Pro-V? I wish I was enterprising enough to clean and maintain my own tails.
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jkurtz7
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:51 pm • # 4 |
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Andy, are you serious with that question? HA HA HA HA! Any conditioner will do. Use what ever the wife has on hand, or something cheap from the Dollar store.
J.
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keebranch
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:34 pm • # 5 |
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Hmmm premium shampoo condtioner for buck tails...I see another thread: Does the deer care? or better yet does the fish care?
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Glass Stixs
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:20 pm • # 6 |
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Joined: 11/18/08
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David,
Be sure to lay the tail on a piece of cardboard and pin down the edges with straight pins or tacks to prevent curling. Use a liberal amount of Borax on the skin and allow to dry 2-3 weeks. Check the Borax every few days to make sure that it's not turning off color. If this happens, scrap of the Borax and reapply another liberal dose. After a thorough wash, rinse and condition, hang with a clothspin and allow it to dry overnight. You can dye the tails at this point with Kool-aid or dye-rite. If you chose to dye the tails, let them hang with a clothspin overnight again. Place on a fresh piece of cardboard and pin down the edges again and let it dry for at least 2 weeks before storing in a zip lock bag.
A moth ball in the bag is a good idea. Keep these away from all of your other tying materials until you have them in the bag.
Doug
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flyflingerandy1
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:42 pm • # 7 |
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jkurtz7 wrote: Andy, are you serious with that question? HA HA HA HA! Any conditioner will do. Use what ever the wife has on hand, or something cheap from the Dollar store.
J. More so than you will ever know. I was just wondering if human conditioner would work in place of a pet conditioner. This seems like a whole lot of work to tie some flies.
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jkurtz7
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:47 pm • # 8 |
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You don't have to use conditioner. You want to wash the tail though after it's cured so you can get all the dirt and oils out of the hair and skin.
Conditioner will help fluff up the hair a bit.
J.
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flyflingerandy1
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:07 pm • # 9 |
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Joined: 12/22/11
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It will add bounce and shine? OH MY GOD! I think I need to use it... 
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SteveP
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:44 am • # 10 |
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Joined: 12/01/08
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If you can, see if you can get the belly hair too. It is a wonderful natural white and takes dye very well, lending itself to bass bugs rather easily. Also if anyone wants some natural hair let me know I now have 7 full skins, about 8 hides worth of belly hair, as well as 5-6 tails if anyone is interested. I go through this every year with friends I've tied bass bugs for I always tell them I'll tie them a few if they bring me some deer hair then I end up with so many hides I spend three months tanning it all!
Last edited by SteveP on Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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pearow
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:09 am • # 11 |
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The very best deer hide I've ever had for spinning came from a buck I killed out in West Texas. The hair on the shoulders and flank wasn't an inch long; most of it was 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, but it was perfect for many deer hair flies up to a #6, and they would float forever. I just cut a one foot square out of the deer hide when i skinned it; wish I had gotten more. So, don't think the deerhair is worthless just because its not long like the hair you buy. I never tan any deer skin; just use the process that Doug and Jeremy have described. .......and leave it outside for a year or so, bringing only small sections into the house in a plastic shoe box with some moth balls I wish I knew why some deer hair is fantastic and some isn't worth a plug nickel(for spinning)Some of it will float a long time and some of it will not. I like some of the belly hair also. I bet some of the southern deer are like the west texas deer; not a very long coat, but good for spinning-p-
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