Buck tails

[springpin]

How do you cure a bucktail, for fly tying??

Thanks gang,

Chad

[hunter1993ap]

use fine salt and try not to get any in the hair, might also just be able to dry it outside where it is cool without anything.

[Walking Buffalo]

Wash the tail in warm soapy water to remove any blood. Hang to drip dry. Skin out the tail-bone, then salt, use lots. I like to tack the tail on to a piece of plywood before salting it. Remove the wet salt after 24hrs, re-salt and let it sit for another day. Remove salt and then just let it dry. Remove the tail from the board when it is dry.

You can use the same technique with Polar bear tails.

[hunter1993ap]

if you are tying bucktails use polar bear, or yak hair. way longer and easyer to work with than bucktail, mind you its more expensive but you will catch more fish.

[steel_ram]

Good luck finding long enough polar bear. Some of the other substitutes are ok but a few strands of flash may be needed to add the luster. Yak, arctic fox tail, some type of asian dog and goat.

[The Dude]

The hump hair from a kermode bear works well also.

[LiquidGuides01]

Walking Buffalo uses the same method as i do, Prob the best way to do it and alwase turns out good. Borax with salt is even better for the cure

[835]

All i do for my Naturals is stuff them in the deep freeze for a long time untill they are freeze dryed.
But make sure you store your naturals seporate from store bought. This is why i do the freezer thing, i lost a whole bunch of material due to some bug thing..... Deep freeze kills bugs.

[Sofa King]

The hump hair from a kermode bear works well also.


:-D
even some dyed cougar might work in a pinch.
the trick is to get invited back to their lair and sneak some from their hairbrush while they are getting "more comfortable".

[rocksteady]

A buddy of mine, who is an avid fisherman, and now a budding hunter said to bone it out, wash it, shake it hard to remove water and then just hang it in my shop to dry. I am not a fly tyer, so it works out, he ties my flies and I take him hunting :)