Preserving Wild Pheasant

[lastchance]

Before anyone starts, I am on a work computer and it doesn't allow me to go many places.

My buddy gave me a pheasant tail clump and some wings (not the entire skin). How best should I preserve them? I have them in a freezer right now. I've read a few days in there will kill any bugs. Is that all I need to do?


PS. I think the secondary tail feathers are called "the reeves." Are there any uses for them?

[Tig]

It must have something to do with where people live because I have gathered many grouse skins, wings, bucktails, squirrel tails etc and have never had a bug issue. Nothing has gone into my freezer. I simply salt them or use borax until they dry and bag them in plastic (sometimes). They last forever. The only issue I did have (once) was some molding on some bucktails that got damp thru storing them in a basement that could have been drier.

[Kytroutbum]

I'd suggest tossing a couple sections of flea collar in the packages, just to play it safe. I was given some chickens to skin, thought I had them clean, but spent a lot of time cleaning out my supplies.

[Jayatwork]

PS. I think the secondary tail feathers are called "the reeves." Are there any uses for them?

Reeve's Pheasant is a species of bird, not a particular feather.

As for preservation, I'd remove any flesh or fat, apply borax to the skin, allow to dry thoroughly and then bag it.

[Taz]

You have been given some good information. I always keep the new wild stuff separate from my main fly tying stuff for a couple months. You need to get all the meat and skin off the feathers that you can. Plucking them may be the easiest way to do that. I always toss mine in a paper bag with some borax to completely dry them out. The paper bag will allow the feathers to breath and dry faster. You can put it in a plastic later if your want to. The piece of a flea collar is always a good idea. It not only kill bugs, it keeps them out of your stuff.