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Mick, "fur" is always the winter coat. The summer coat is just "hair". The difference is not in the length of the coat, but in the under fur. For our purposes the dubbing comes from furs while hairy skins are never made into coats in the first place. There is basically no market for "hair" in the world of fashion. That is why areas don't open trapping seasons until the furs prime up. When your dog sheds his winter coat, he goes from being furry to being hairy.
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Thanks for that Ed.
In the UK fur or even hair is not used as much as over there. We have no real resources like you have. Our native deer is not hunted. Some are culled but it is not naturally available. We have access to squirel tails, bucktails, moleskins and hare etc. But in general tying with fur and hair is not as common as over there.
Buying deerhair in the shops is expensive and provides tiny patches. Its not often that even the type of deer is revealed let alone where from the animal it comes.
I am on a mission to increase the use of fur and hair here, because it makes much more robust flies.... so any information I can glean from here is useful.
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Mickporter,
Have you ever seen W. H. Lawrie's book "All Fur Flies and How to Dress Them"?
In this book the author seems to be on a similar mission even replacing feather hackles with fur hackles. Bill
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No its a new book to me.... But I am sure he is right. I am sure that most of our feather patterns here can have wings at least replaced by fur or hair.
My own flies take a real beating when mouthed and tugged by a toothy trout.
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Davy Crocket wore a "Coon Skin" cap (made from Racoon Pelt), not Beaver. Stetson Hats are made from matted Beaver Hair.
~Parnelli
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, Greatest State, in the land of the Free.
Lived in the woods, so he knew every tree, killed him a bear when he was only three.
...Davy, Davy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier....
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hehe I saw that film too... your giving away your age now!! I once had a Davy Crocket hat too. Didn't know about fly tying then. Could have kept me going for a few seasons that hat!!