What part of a Hungarian partridge for tying?
 

Bird hunting season is upon us and I am going to be harvesting some Hungarians, Pheasants and some Rough Grouse.
I could some ideas on which Hun feathers to keep and any other ones on a pheasant or grouse other than the tail.

I fly fish for pike, trout and hopefully walleye soon.

I already tie pheasant tail nymphs.
I am looking for some new patterns.

If anyone is in the Calgary area and wants some pheasant tails or other parts of feathers once hunting season is in full swing you can PM me. The more use out of an animal the better. Unless this is going to be some sort of conflict with sharing of parts.

The whole thing... a good full hun skin will run $30+ in a fly shop

Everything.

https://i.imgur.com/4vq5jwP.jpg

the cul de perdrix

Ah, you must have a copy of "Mouches de peche, l'encyclopedie"?

French immersion wasn't wasted on you!:)

Agree that the whole skin can be used!

Follow up question. How do you preserve the whole skin?


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Boil it in chicken broth.:126fs2277341:

"quoi?":1041:

Boiling in chicken broth sounds good but rubbing it with alum might work too

I've never done one, but understand it is similar in process to deer. Borax to dry. If you google "preparing wild bird skin" you should get some detailed instructions.

Ive done a lot of them.

• Skin out the bird
• Scrape off all the fat with a knife held parallel to the hide. this is an important step in the long run.
• I like to spread it out and use pushpins or tacks to keep it open on a board.
• Get a box of 50 Mule Team Borax and spread a liberal layer on the skin side.
• Watch the hide daily and add more borax as the original coat dissipates or gets moist.

I usually watch it for a couple of months till it's cured. Knock off the Borax and give it a rinse with water. I also wash all my skins fur or feather with a shampoo (one that contains Lanolin) and blow dry.

Lornce has got it right. Only I don't wash the skin as it keeps the bugs from eating it at a later date. i have been doing bird and animal hides with borax or alum for 60 years and I still have pheasent skins that are about 40 years old and still OK. I keep pheseant and partridge skins complete. Tacked to cardboard boxes like Lorance to tan, then into a plastic ziplock bag. I no longer bother with grouse skins but I sure do use Mallard drake skins, They are great for rolled muddlers. One of my go -to flies. Probably my most used fly. I have never had a skin or hide bothered buy bugs that have been preserved with borax.
Bjay