A newbie question about turkey feathers. I had a friend that cooked his own turkey this year. I found out as he was leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday. I asked him to save some feathers. I believe he saved virtually all of them in a couple of paper feed bags. My questions are this:
Anybody know of any good sites to show photos of the useful turkey feathers? I need to know which ones to keep.
Once I sort them out, what should I do with them to store them? Let them air dry? Wash them? Put some type of powder on them? Suggestions?
Quick suggestions on easy flies to use them on? (I am primarily bluegill/bass fisherman that has only just started tying)
I love this site and am glad I have taken the plunge and take an active role in it. Thanks to all in advance for any help offered!
WELCOME LONGHORN!!! LOTS OF INFORMATION TO BE HAD ON THESE BULLITEN BOARDS!!!
well i am not shur which feathers are the most useful, but i do kno that the large feathers from the back of the tail and most of the other tail feathers are good to use. i have never plucked feathers, so i do not kno what to do afterwards. but some good patterns include muddlerminnows, anything that requires a wingcase, it can be used instead of pheasant tail, it can be used as wings on some dry patterns, or you can make up your own patterns with turkey being the key ingredient:) Have fun, take care
Turkey tail feathers and primary wing feathers are both very useful. Especially if you have some dark feathers and some light ones. Both make great wings for wet flies, wing cases for nymphs, and you can get biots from the primaries.
I would be surprised if other feathers were not useful, but Iāve never seen a turkey skin up close.
We did a swap last winter using turkey feathers, and from the looks of it you can tie just about any style of nymph or fly by substituting in wild turkey feathers. The duff makes wonderful natural-colored marabou. I love the irredescent colors in the body feathers and use them to tie simply nymth. Al Campbellās simple flies section has the patterns. I have a couple of swaps going right now, but after the first of the year I may run a second turkey swap. The first one was really fun with tons of creativity. JGW
I am alzy. When I get he wings or the tail I take the feahter off of it and donāt bother with trying to dry them.
I do have some large zip lock bags and run them thru some freeze and thaw cycyles. I have never had any trouble with them.
I use the wing and tail feahter like pheasant tail feather.
I dye some of the body feathers and use them to tie midges. One or two barbas off a body feather makdes a nice midge body. I have dye them 6 colors so that gives me some varitey.
What is the purpose of freezing, thawing, freezing, thawing, and refreezing? I was told that leaving them in the freezer for a few months was good enough to kill any bugs, virises (virii?), etc.
Diane,
The idea is that some eggs, etc. can withstand freezing ā¦so rethawing theoretically gives them a chance to hatch and then the adult is killed with refreezing.
Can/should I use them before they have gone through a few freeze/thaw cycles? If I just use a couple feathers this weekend before they get to the freezer, is there something I should do? I donāt want my meager flybox to go mangy on me by putting in egg laden feathers.
I have not gotten a chance to look at the feathers yet. I will get them out this weekend and sort them with my 7 year old son. It is right up his alley, feathers, bugs, etc. He is in to all that stuff. Iāll report back what they look like with maybe a photo or two if I need help identifying anything.
Thanks all!
Diane, being lazy I do it on a weekly schedule.
I week in the freezer, then a week in the bag(zip lock. I do this twice and then I look at the bag under magnification to see If I cana see anyting moving around.
I then let them set for about 2 months in the bags to see if there is any ādustā at the bottom ofthe bag, indicating bugs.
Rick,
by the way you wrote it, is sounds like when out of the freezer, the feathers are in a bag, but when in the freezer, they are not. Is that the case?? You donāt just put the feathers straight into the freezer do you? Just curious.
Rick,
Iāve been lazy tooā¦usually with feathers they go in the freezer till I get back to them then some time Iāll sort and sealā¦quarantine for awhileā¦havenāt had a problem and I watch like you doā¦have you ever noticed evidence of critters before going through those steps?
I might say also Iāve had no problems with squirrel tailsā¦ not even freezing themā¦
The feathers stay in the bag the whole time.
Most of the time it is a day or two after the folks have been hunting before I get the feathers.
I think the bugs are dead or gnen by then, but I want to be sure.
I like Rick Zās idea of alternately freezing and thawing feathers that are suspect, but that led me to another question. Somewhere I read that a flea collar piece will kill the bugs on furs and feathers. Does that include all tiny creepy critters;i.e., mites?
I found out as he was leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday. I asked him to save some feathers. I believe he saved virtually all of them in a couple of paper feed bags. My questions are this: