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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
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    Dublin, NH
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    Default Acquired a full grouse

    HELP!! I have acquired a full grouse, flew into a friend's door and expired. Now, what do I do with it? What feathers are good?
    Thanks in advance!
    Mike

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    Grand Lake Stream, ME
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    I usually save the soft hackle feathers, you can pluck or skin the bird to get those from around the neck and breast areas. If you skin it you are going to want to at the least salt the skin and dry it out for a while. I'm sure you could find a use for the rest of the feathers though if you do a full skin.

  3. #3

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    skin the entire bird very carefully and salt the skin then tack the skin salted side down onto a piece of plywood. make sure you cut the flesh out of the wing at least to the first joint and salt any areas that might have meat still in them heavily. spread the wings and tail out so that the bird looks like it is in flight, and allow it to dry like that in a warm place for a few days. after a couple of days the main portion of the skin will have dried but the pieces like the wings and tail will still be somewhat soft. Unpin the skin, flip it over and HEAVILY salt the areas that are still moist. leave the skin to dry upside down, on a clean surface until the tail and wings are stiff. once that happens you may choose to either cut the pelt into small pieces so that you can put it into bags in your kit or, my favorite, you can attach the hide to a piece of cardboard that is cut to shape and hang it on the wall at your tying bench. when properly salted and dried there will be no odor.

    I'll try to post a picture later of a pheasant that I have done this way to give you an idea what the end product looks like.

    Fish
    Wet wadin' hillbilly extraordinaire

    Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

    Heraclitus

  4. #4
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    Thanks !!! Pics will help and I'll get to it first thing tomorrow!
    Mike

  5. #5
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    First, you might want to pop it into the freezer for a few weeks. That will kill any of the tiny critters that like to live there. It will also make certian that your other fly tying materials aren't exposed to bugs.

  6. #6
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    Jun 2006
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    Great idea Dave, that's the way I used to kill bugs for science project. Put the bird in a gallon zip lock bag and freeze it, that will keep anything that wants to crawl out contained.
    Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!

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