I got around to getting my tieing material sorted and bagged and I find I have a HUGE amount of hackle. Some full saddles; some are 1/4 saddles...etc...new still in their plastic bags. Without opening them up, strictly visual now....it looks like they make be "dried out" ??...for lack of a better term.

Can; should or is it even possible to maybe..?? steam them gently to bring some life back into them...or...is it even needed???

Some of the larger feathers ( pheasant tail feathers; good and turkey wing feathers...etc) that were never packaged seem to be fine so I really dont know about the hackleling feathers and certainly dont want to "destroy" what might be good hackleling.

?? How do you spell the plural of hackle anyway?...lol