I've seen many different methods for displaying beards and spurs, but what do you all do with your turkey tails? Seems like some of the guys here take 5 or 6 or more birds a year. After a while I would think that you would run out of wall space to display them.
I just discard of them unless someone ask for one. Wife did a christmas tree with tail feathers once dang cat almost run us crazy.
I pitch them unless someone wants them.
I am putting one in my office this year. (I share it with two women!!!!)
I was just talking to my wife about this the other day. Every time I kill one I still cut the fan off, kind of wrap it in plastic bag and throw it in the freezer. I've probably got at least 30 in 3 different freezers. I use to do quite a few fan displays. Gave some away and have keep certain ones, I mean there's only so many you can do, right? Guess I'm going to start throwing them away because I don't have any more room for them and don't really know what I'm going to do with them anyway.
I already have a bunch on the wall and a big stack still sandwiched between cardboard and borax sitting the garage. I started pitching them this year.
I toss em unless they are unique or off a big bird but not big enough to mount
If I don't use them in a mount or multi-fan mount I just clip the good feathers off at the base and store them in plastic bags, usually after freezing them for several months. Plenty of fly tyers out there that love to get free quality turkey tail feathers. At $3 to $4 for a couple feathers it's a nice gift for them to get a nice package of them for free. Turkey tail is good for wings on caddis flies and grasshoppers. Makes great stonefly nymphs. I also save the feathers from the base of the tail as they make excellent pheasant tail style nymphs. Primary wing feather biots make great knotted legs for nymphs and hoppers, wings for small caddis flies and midges. Secondary wing feather also makes good nymph bodies, wing cases and wings on caddis flies etc. Natural marabou makes great wooly buggers. Have used mottled feathers off the leg area for wet fly hackle. The covert feathers make great iridescent wing cases on nymphs too.
The point is, IMO it's a shame to throw away such a beautiful work of art. Someone somewhere can surely use the material and would be glad to get it. I've sent free packages of turkey feathers to fly tyers from Florida to Niagra Falls NY.
Quote from: turkey_slayer on May 12, 2014, 02:25:13 PM
I toss em unless they are unique or off a big bird but not big enough to mount
:icon_thumright:
I generally trash em. I do however, save some of the different subspecies and give them to a buddy of mine that does feather art.
I have my fans off the first three longbeards I killed on display in my dads man cave that we killed when I was younger, I have the first three my wife killed and will mount them on a Triple fan mount right now they are in the basement. After 3 I throw them unless I ever kill another sub spieces than I will keep one of those.
Beard and spurs are always kept
Unless I plan on doing another fan mount I just throw them away. I keep every beard and spurs over one inch.
Your local or favorite taxidermist may be able to use most or all the parts that you don't use.
Along the same lines. I have been giving my wings to an area police chief. He is a primitive bow hunter and makes his own fletching. Always nice to have a cop who likes you.
I keep some, toss some. I like to keep one from each state I hunt and make a plaque in the shape of the state. Added WA and ID this year.
pitch them
I have several that I kept and mounted on panels with the beards. I now give them away to fellas like myself that tie flies for flyfishing. One tail has enough feathers to last a lifetime. At this point I keep the beards and the spurs, that's it.
After I dry them I screw them up side down across my man cave windows and use them as a shade.
I can't see throwing away fans, unless it got pretty messed up upon the shot I save them, way to pretty to let go to waste.
I never let a tail go to waste. Most of them are on display at my house or my camper at the hunt camp. The rest are used as fans for my decoys.
If i had the problem of getting enough birds to throw away fans I'd be in good shape lol. Mine are still going on the wall, then my decoys, friends decoys, fly fisherman, I had a woman at work ask for one for Indian art, etc...it seems like a waste to throw it away IMO.
If DSD could get you all to send your trash fans to them, their decoys would be that much better!
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Another good use of the tail feathers is to give them to Indian Tribes. Plus like others have said the fly tyers could use them. The crafters love turkey tailfeathers too.
I have saved all of mine. I have two full body mounts, four rug mounts, ten fan and saddle mounts and one fan mount. I have another fan and saddle mount drying in the building.
Toss em unless someone wants one. Same with spurs unless they are 1 1/2" or longer.
I bag and freeze until I or someone else finds a use. I have 3 on plaques and thats enough for me! I have sent a few full fans out to artists to paint on and may give that a try someday.
I have lots of practice canvas:)
Agree to dang pretty to toss:)
I forgot about the wings. I use them for fletching my recurve and longbow arrows. You can die them with Kool-Aid to give them color. I did some with cherry this winter and they look great as hen feathers next to natural cock feathers.
I save them, too pretty to throw away. I've got a pile in a few different freezers.
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Just counted I have 37 above the garage and another 19 in the shed. For some reason at one time I kept them all. Was thinking maybe I will never get another one. LOL mice have found most of them tho.
I recently learned that beekeepers prize tail feathers for their craft. Seems they are outstanding for brushing the bees around and away from the hives. I'll have to ask some I know if they need any. I have one on Borax right now...not sure what to do with it.
I have saved mine for many years. I save the boxes that my air conditioner filters come in to store them in. Fill the box and drop a moth ball into each one. I recently moved interstate and opened the boxes to check them and all are in excellent shape.
Gman