Squirrel tails are routinely used making fishing lures and fly's.
Squirrel tails are routinely used making fishing lures and fly's.
is that what they call 'em these days?
Retail stores would actually sell the tails? Or just the hair from the tail?
They will sell the actual tail, or parts of it depending on how much you want. typically sold in the fly fishing section.
Mepps lures will buy tails. Not sure if Oklahoman's are allowed to sell them to Mepps, but here is a link to their buying program.
http://www.mepps.com/programs/squirrel-tail/
Mepps fishing lure company has a squirrel tail program to recycle your squirrel tails. It is too easy to go to the store and buy a Mepps lure, I haven't ever tried to make my own.http://www.mepps.com/programs/squirrel-tail/
My dad used to send them gray squirrel tails. My parents property had several big pecan trees and he'd trap them, shoot them both.....they just kept coming, year after year. If they were in season, he was killing them. Told me he was building up my inheritance lol.
I was looking for a few fox squirrel tails yesterday in order to have some custom road runners made for myself and some friends. I did not have any tails in the freezer. I called the, latest arrival, sporting goods box store to hit OKC and asked for the fly fishing department. The operator connected me with the fishing department. I asked if they had any fox squirrel tails in stock. I was met with.....................................is that a brand name? Huh? Do you know what a fox squirrel is? "Not really" was the response. Do you know what a grey squirrel is? "Not really" was the response. Do you hunt? Can you guess the response?????? "Not really". "Get me somebody that hunts". GEEEZ LOUIS!!!!! Is this real? "Hello, may I help you"? Do you hunt? "Yes". Do you know what a fox squirrel is??? "Yes". I am finally getting somewhere, I think. Do you have any in stock?? PAUSE, "we used to but we have been sold out for 3 -4 months". This is a consistent pattern with this particular box store. Nobody knows anything about their department, much less where anything is located in the store. Who the devil hires these people? Are they not asked if they have any knowledge about the department they will be working in? This is not the first time this has happened in this store. Please excuse my rant, but what is this world coming to??
I finally located a pile of tails from a hunter who did not ever work in a box store. Thank the Lord for someone who hunts.
Was at Bass Pro Shops Branson filling daughters tackle box while wife was shopping. Looked aisle aisle after aisle for simple road runners and finally asked clerk who had no idea what I was asking for. He found someone who did and they said they did not carry them anymore.
I was born in Orange Cali.
But grew up mostly in Moore OK. I would always be at the ponds and creeks fishing for something.
I would walk the barbed wire fence lines with a shoe box and collect all the hair and fur that was stuck on the barbs and make the bodies of my flies and spinners from this.
That started in about the 6th grade.. My neighbor fished with me and he had a blue healer.. Yes I took the dog hair off that dog to use for my lures.
I almost always had squirrel and deer tails and turkey feathers.
But grew up mostly in Moore OK. I would always be at the ponds and creeks fishing for something.
I would walk the barbed wire fence lines with a shoe box and collect all the hair and fur that was stuck on the barbs and make the bodies of my flies and spinners from this.
That started in about the 6th grade.. My neighbor fished with me and he had a blue healer.. Yes I took the dog hair off that dog to use for my lures.
I almost always had squirrel and deer tails and turkey feathers.
I am old and have pretty much given up on hunting....everybody wants a day rate + a trophy fee +++++ even for hogs.... it has indeed become a rich mans sport....when I was young most farmers / ranchers would let you on their land especially for fishing or hunting nusance animals....far too many people are no longer farmers they are now business people that farm ....just the way it is these days....its all about the money...
guess I was just lucky to be born into the last days of an era
guess I was just lucky to be born into the last days of an era
