# Fly Tying with road kill



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

Disclaimer. Collecting road kill may be illegal in some states BUT---that being said, I can't imagine getting ticketed for a squirrel tail. I do not collect feathers from Spotted Owls, Bald Eagles, Snowy Egrets or Manatees.

Here are a couple of photos of Fox Squirrel tails I have collected recently. The black tail came from a squirrel found dead on Hwy 19 in SE Georgia maybe 30 miles north of Monticello. The orange tail came from a squirrel found dead on Hwy 69 about 40 miles east of Dallas, TX. The cream colored tail came from Citrus County here close to home.
Dorsal surface















Ventral surface.

I keep a pair of ***** and some gallon Zip-Locks in my truck. When I find a 
squirrel I clip the tail and store it in the plastic bag. It must be cooled or processed ASAP.

I remove the bone then wash the tail with dish washing detergent then rinse thoroughly. Next I make a strong salt solution using non-iodized salt (pickling salt) and soak the tail 24 hours in the salt then tack to my barn door and dry for a day or so. Rinse again and thoroughly dry. I usually sun dry the tail and then dry it more in a Zip-Lock with Silica gel. After a day or two, I dust the tail with Sevin dust and store it in another plastic bag. When I get ready to use the tail for tying, I vacuum the tail then break it into several pieces. Breaking a tail into several pieces makes it easier to use and I think I get more flies out of it that way.


----------



## CaptHarry (Oct 13, 2007)

Lol, for the cost of all those zip lock bags, you could have just ordered a tail.  You can rest assured I won't be snatching up them bug infested road side tieing supplys, they all yours.


----------



## grum man (Nov 4, 2011)

When I was a kid growing up in the late sixities early seventies all of the kids in my neighborhood were into making lures and fly tying. We used anything we could find. We shot many English starlings and sparrows with our pellet rifles and put those feathers to good use including the squirrels during small game season. My mother used to cringe at the stuff we brought home but she made great crock pot squirrel !


----------



## OTTE*DA*WORM (Feb 12, 2011)

captken said:


> Disclaimer. Collecting road kill may be illegal in some states BUT---that being said, I can't imagine getting ticketed for a squirrel tail. I do not collect feathers from Spotted Owls, Bald Eagles, Snowy Egrets or Manatees.


So you're saying I should be showing people my Manatee Feathers? I had no idea....:whistling:


----------



## wtbfishin (Dec 2, 2011)

I wasn't going to say it, but I have to agree w/CH @ less than $3 for ready to tie tail that is a lot of work, ea to his own have fun!


----------



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*Quality*

You will never find a squirrel tail in a shop that will approach the quality of the big black tail in the photo. If you order on line or from a catalog, you get what you get. Some shops have a fair selection.

I use lots of natural squirrel tail. It moves far better than bucktail and maybe even better than any other hair I can think of. Fox is pretty good too but I like squirrel.

Some folks have said I am going to pick up some sort f exotic disease but I have cleaned and processed all sorts of wild game as well as beef, pork and fowl for 60 years and, so far, I am still kicking pretty high for my age.


----------



## wtbfishin (Dec 2, 2011)

you're right those are some fine looking tails and they do beat the hell out of store bought, glad there put to good use, I may change my mind if and when I see some like you have found, when it's real cold :yes:


----------



## Paymaster (Jan 9, 2012)

Coyote is good as well. Nuthin wrong with using fresh road kill tyin material in my book.:thumbsup:


----------



## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

If we're going to eat what we find then we might as well tie with it!


----------

