What do you guys do with the tail feathers?

B

Bob Peters

Well-known member
I'm just wondering what you guys do with the tail feathers? I know some people save them, just curious on some of the uses.
 
I use them to tie pheasant tails along with other flies- haven’t bought a tail for fly tying in years. There are plenty of other great feathers to save on a rooster as well. Same thing for pretty much all game birds and waterfowl.
 
A friend who owns a flower shop uses mine for floral arrangements.
 
My wife makes wreaths decorative knick nacks but we always have a pheasant tail feather Christmas tree as I have hunted for over 35 years and have brought lots home over the years.
 
Also seems early on no one but myself wanted any tail feathers but now seems everyone wants them so only get what is my share now. It was always my job to clean or at least help clean birds so I did have more chances at the tail feathers as I did not cook or do dishes or do many domestic chores but my hunting buddies were fine with it as they did not like to clean birds.
 
At some point I started keeping the 2 long ones from each bird, assuming they hadn't been pulled out or broken by my furry assistant.
Have about 900 stuck in various containers.
I recently saw this wreath somebody made & thought it was pretty cool. Might make one for my office wall. (wife says not allowed in her house).
I guess the inner black ring is drake mallard curls. I'll have to find something different to do there. He said they're just stuck into a styrofoam ring he got at Hobby Lobby.
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Might keep a couple of the longer ones over the course of a season, but they tend to get thrown out before Spring. Do the same thing with drake mallard curls...
 
Like several noted, keep one from each rooster. Admittedly I do keep 2 on a mature bird, to upgrade the entire collection. Young and short feathers get disposed. Been doing that since the early 1970’s
An aside there is a woman locally that does pheasant feather art! Stunning, just ordered one for a gift.
www.montanafeatherwork.com .
perhaps someone could pull in some pics for others to see her site.
 
decorate and give them away. relatives stick them in their Christmas trees. very attractive.
 
I currently have been sticking them in the topper of my truck. On the ledge. I plan to attach them to the inside roof somehow once I have a good collection.

My cousin has a ford van that he uses just for hunting and he's got his stashed all over inside it. Feathers from turkeys, pheasant, sharpies, ruffed grouse, pretty much every game bird has a representative in his van haha
 
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