Originally Posted by
aged_sage
MR.JML:
What does what the deer was killed with have to do with the quality of the hair? It is what it is at the time the animal was killed; regardless of what it was killed with. Diet will have a definite impact on it's quality, according to Chris Helm, one of the better known deer hair tiers of the day.
The present, and former, commercial tiers of my acquaintance do not put down a thread layer on the hook; they just jamb knot and start spinning or stacking; whichever the pattern requires. (Each technique has it's own 'procedure' for a 'perfect' job.) I do NOT mean to imply that a thread base will not work; just that it is unnecessary.
I have tied with whitetail deer body hair for years, of every color imaginable, and have NEVER found it to "...become[s] a bitch...". We have had 8 and 10 year old's tie like pros with it in our club's fly tying classes. It is a snap if you use the proper techniques for both spinning and stacking. Each method has it's own technique for performing with no difficulty.
None of the outstanding deer hair tiers of my acquaintance use Kevlar thread: you can cut the hair with it. In fact, most advise AGAINST it's use. Most use either Flat Waxed or Size A tying threads for the larger 'bugs'; some may use Gelspun. In fact, most advise AGAINST the use of Kevlar. Some of these individuals are, or were, commercial deer hair bug tiers and have used every thread available.
Cheers!