Hunting for fly tying materials

[dc410]

I spent last Saturday (the last day of regular small game season) bumping around the ridges of Perry County with shotgun in hand. My real hope was to harvest a ruffed grouse so I could skin the entire bird out for fly tying. Well, I'm not a died in the wool bird hunter and never had a bird dog so walking through the thick stuff trying to jump and shoot one can be a daunting task. Many species of small game were in season for the last day of regular small game season this past Saturday (turkey, grouse, squirrel, pheasant or rabbit). I would have been happy acquiring any one of them to support my fly tying hobby. As it turned out, I couldn't locate the local turkey flock and never managed to jump a grouse but was offered the opportunity at a gray squirrel as I headed back to the cabin late in the afternoon. I can't remember the last gray squirrel that I harvested but I decided to take this one and skin it out for fly tying. Squirrels are kind of tough to skin but it turned out pretty decent with a nice streak of red hair down the center of the back. It is probably enough squirrel body hair for dubbing for nymphs for the rest of my days and the tail will contribute nicely in tying up some Picket Pins (one of my favorite streamer/wet fly patterns). Squirrel body hair is known for its spikey quality for dubbing and its ability to create air bubbles embedded within the spikey fur which imitates the bubbles that are present around natural nymphs as they develop and molt. I used gray squirrel fur mixed with rabbit fur for the bodies on the Sparrow Nymphs that I tied for the most recent fly swap here on PAFF. Good huntin' and good tying.

 

[laszlo]

I manage to find about 4 dead squirrels around the bird feeder during the winter months for some reason. Skinning one sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the info.

 

[sandfly]

hope you ate the meat and not waste it

 

[steveo27]

Nice.

I literally just did that with a section of the hide from the deer I shot on Monday. First time doing it with deer hair, hopefully it turns out. What are you using to dry it?


I shot a giant grey squirrel a few weeks back and wish I would have saved the hide but for some reason at the time, it didnt strike me to save it.

 

[dc410]

steveo27 wrote:

What are you using to dry it?

I fleshed it out real good making sure all of the meat and fat was removed from the hide. Then I started with a mixture of salt and borax. The second day I used another liberal amount of borax rubbed into the hide. By the end of the second day it was pretty well cured.

Oh yeah, Sandfly. Mmm, I do love a little fried squirrel. It's one of those novelty dishes just like a nice young groundhog!

I'm experimenting with the gray squirrel dubbing on a cress bug pattern. I post up a picture on this thread if I like the results.

 

[Fishidiot]

Squirrel hair is a great material and I probably use more of it than any other fur for nymphs.

I don't hunt much these days but could definitely use a new fox squirrel hide. They're not common in my neck of the woods but I saw a road killed one yesterday and it was tempting if I wasn't in a hurry.

 

[dc410]

Here is a very simple cressbug that I tied up tonight using the gray squirrel fur for the dubbing. It is tied on a size 16 Daiichi 1130 hook. Five or six wraps of .20 lead wire (flattened with pliers). 8/0 olive unithread. The body is the gray squirrel fur tied in using a dubbing loop. Trimmed close on top and brushed out on the bottom and sides.

It is a very simple tie but I really like the look of the squirrel fur body. I also tied some with a palmered grizzly hackle over the squirrel which also looked decent but I think the squirrel by itself certainly achieved the look and profile that I was trying for.

 

[steveo27]

dc410 wrote:

I fleshed it out real good making sure all of the meat and fat was removed from the hide. Then I started with a mixture of salt and borax. The second day I used another liberal amount of borax rubbed into the hide. By the end of the second day it was pretty well cured.

Cool. Thanks for the tip. I did some research and I found a few options - salt, borax, borax/salt combo, borax/water combo. Im currently using salt only. Ill have to pick up some borax after work tomorrow and give it a go.

 

[REDNECK_FLYFISHER]

I have been hunting for materials for years, and yes the meat too. Squirrel is good and love squirrel pot pie, Yum . What I have done with the hides after I flesh it out I first use the Borax/salt combination Wait about 2 days and use borax/water combination. Let it dry and in usually in 2-3 days ready to make some flies. Also works with deer and rabbit.