Howdy,

I’m just about finished processing hides for the season, with the exception of a possible cow elk hide, depending on the late season hunting success.  So far this fall/winter, I’ve tanned and processed 1 Bull Elk, 5 Blacktail Deer, 2 Antelope and 1 Black Bear. 

Black Bear Hair

I’m really excited to get some the Bull Elk hair out into tiers hands.  This was an older bull with very long, coarse hair.  He had very dark, root-beer brown hocks, thick blond body hair and mane hair up to 7″ long.  Personally, I prefer cow elk for most of my tying needs, but this stuff will be great for larger flies like Stimulators and Hopper patterns.

Elk Mane Hair

I’m using a slightly different bleaching method this year that is less destructive to the hide.  I’m very pleased with the outcome.  When dried, the hide is much more pliable.  Not that it matters much to a fly tier because the hide is disposed after the hair is used, but it does make it easier to handle.

Bleached Deer Hair

An often overlooked hair is that from the Rump region (including the tail) of a Blacktail Deer.  Bucktail is generally from a Whitetail deer because of the vast amount of long, white hair.  However, the tail from a Blacktail deer is a great source of hair.  The hair is shorter than that of a Whitetail and doesn’t have near as much white hairs, but the colors of the browns/blacks is quite sharp.  It’s a great choice for winging on size 10-14 streamers like the Black Nose Dace.

Blacktail Deer Rump Hair

New this year on the website is the availability of  Deer Specialty Packs and Elk Specialty Packs.  Choose a multi-pack of hair of different colors, or different regions of the animal body.  This is especially useful for the tier that uses a variety of hair types and colors.  Great for matching the hatch as the fishing season progresses.

Be sure to visit the website soon – the special pieces of hide (hock, rump, mane, etc.) go fast!

Tight Lines,

Dave