Squirrel tails.

ajshoots · Oct 20, 2016

With all the tree squirrel hunters on here, do any of you collect the tails?My 7 year old son loves em, so I prepare them and we hang them up in my shop. I used to use them for tying spinners and flies but haven't saved tails for along time. We are just starting our collection this season, but have only taken 1 fox, 3 grays, and 1 black. I don't do much squirrel hunting till after I get my deer tags filled for bow season and usually by then it is good and cold. I hate early squirrel season before the frost, cause the bugs on and off the squirrels are terrible.

Willie14228 · Oct 20, 2016

I've used tail hair for lures good floater properties

Smaug · Oct 21, 2016

I've never saved one; I throw them out with the skin.

How do you prepare them? They do have some meat in them, so it seems like they'd get rotten if not prepared right.

ajshoots · Oct 21, 2016

I cut the tail off at the base then carefully skin back enough to get a solid grip on the tail bone with a pair of pliers. I work the tail bone out of the hide. Now you are left with just the hair and hide of the tail. I use a pen or Phillips screw driver to work salt all the way through the hole the tail bone used to be in. I then tack the tail to a board so the salt can cure the hide. I normally wait a couple weeks and then work the salt out to check if the hide is cured. Brush off any loose hair and hang them up.

ajshoots · Oct 21, 2016

Smaug · Oct 21, 2016

Thanks AJ; I might just try that, and sew one onto the back of each family members' hats.

Is that all there is to curing hides? I think it might be fun to do an entire squirrel hide, next time I get a nice big fat one...

ajshoots · Oct 21, 2016

I have only ever done a few hides and I just salted them and let em dry. I know they make chemicals and such for tanning, but I have never got into it. I have a buyer near me that has always bought coon, mink, fox, etc whole and still payed good prices. Since it was never more than a fun hobby to trap, I never learned how to properly prep and tan. The old salt trick has worked but it makes the hide hard as a rock.

Yote · Oct 21, 2016

I find it a lot faster to leave the tail attached and while peeling the hide off doing the tail at the same time .

ajshoots · Oct 22, 2016

I always nearly pull the whole squirrel apart trying to get the tail deboned with it whole. If I skinned right after killed when still warm, would probably work well. However, they normally have stiffened up by the time I get to skinning.

Yote · Oct 22, 2016

Yea I like to carry a zip lock bag and getter done while waiting for the next victim

Guest · Oct 28, 2016

Pull tailbone out while it's still warm as possible with pliers while pulling back on skin. I never salted them, just hung to dry. Not so hard that way. I wanna see if Cabela's, gander mtn, etc by them. Seems to me gander mtn said they buy tails & neck hackles, skin on?

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Squirrel tails.

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