Deer Hair

[danielp]

Hi guys and gals

I have just really started using deer hair (elk) in my fly tying and have just about got too grips with spinning it and using it as wings etc... Up until today i had only used elk hair which was brilliant and floats like a cork but below size 16 looked a bit too thick. I have just bought some coastal deer hair and some natural roe (which is a beautiful colour) and am just wondering if they can be used in the same way just on smaller flies as the fibres seem to be much finer?

Also i saw moose mane and was tempted but the fibres are as thick as my arm, what is this used for?

Dan

[emerger1981]

yes mate..
the moose is used for mayfly/duns as tailing material also on some dry daddy/terestrial patterns as legs..

[darwin]

Coastal deer and fur labeled Comparadun should be good down to 20 or so..
I have a patch of Roe that I used as well.

[danielp]

Cheers for the replies, Roe seems to spin much easier than elk and is putting a nice head on my small CDC and roes.

Is there much difference between roe and fallow or even muntjac? My Dad shoots a fair few deer and I have always been tempted to try and treat/dry a few skin patches for fly tying. Is this easy to do? Which part of the skin do you use? He shot an albino fallow doe earlier this year and I was very tempted then, would albino be better for dying than natural or would you still need to bleach it first?

Dan

[roll cast]

Davie mcphail uses coastal deer hair on his cdc and deer hair comparadun pattern

YouTube - Tying a Deer Hair & CDC Comparadun by Davie McPhail

YouTube - Tying a Deer Hair & CDC Comparadun by Davie McPhail

I'm not sure about dying materials though but surely if the albino deer hair is already white you wouldn't need to bleach it?

AL

[darwin]

Originally Posted by danielp

Is there much difference between roe and fallow or even muntjac? My Dad shoots a fair few deer and I have always been tempted to try and treat/dry a few skin patches for fly tying. Is this easy to do? Which part of the skin do you use? He shot an albino fallow doe earlier this year and I was very tempted then, would albino be better for dying than natural or would you still need to bleach it first?

I have never worked with fallow or muntjac, only seen pictures. Air drying the skin takes a bit of work, you have to scrape all of the fat off of the hide, stretch the hide and cover it with a mixture of borax and salt. Not sure how this would work in a humid environment like the UK. You might be better off finding a tannery and asking about them doing the hide for you. White fur is good for dyeing to most colours, dark fur dyes to dark colours. Bleaching is a nasty mess and I want nothing to do with it. Belly fur is usually white but often has many broken tips. Here is a link that has good but very basic descriptions of fur use Fly Tying Hair & Fur hope that helps

[danielp]

Cheers for the link Darwin, very informative. Will see about getting a hide tanned professionally next time Dad shoots a white deer (apparently there are quite a few on the estate he culls).

May try dying them up a few different colours I hoe the effect should be interesting.

Dan

[emerger1981]

Originally Posted by danielp

Cheers for the link Darwin, very informative. Will see about getting a hide tanned professionally next time Dad shoots a white deer (apparently there are quite a few on the estate he culls).

May try dying them up a few different colours I hoe the effect should be interesting.

Dan

Definately salt and dry it yourself.. the last skin i had tanned made the hair absolutely stink!
scrape as much fat off wash it in a mild detergant then salt it and pin dry it iv had one that was just scraped and salted, turned out fine
but im no profesional so you might need to borax it for long term

[darwin]

Originally Posted by emerger1981

Definately salt and dry it yourself.. the last skin i had tanned made the hair absolutely stink

If you are going to pay someone to tan or process the hide make sure they know what they are doing and tell them its for fly tying. I have wasted alot of money on poor quality furs, some I ordered and some I did not really look over in the store. Find someone to do it for you or learn before hunting season starts.
Best of luck to you Dan, let us know how it turns out.