Post
by DOUGSDEN » Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:47 pm
Wow Guys! And Ray!
Thanks for posting this! I would be glad to explain the surgical techniques (notice my scalpel) but at a later time!
I do like squirrel as a dish but not like I used to! Their hides are more valuable to me in recent years! Worry not, I have lots of folks around me that gladly take the cleaned carcasses off my hands when I don't want to fiddle with them!
This animal was a road kill, plain and simple! I found him not far from the house on my way to work! I stopped, looked him over really good, and threw him on the floor in the back! I found no broken bones not even in the head! Talk about a once in a lifetime find! In the same way, when I shot them I like to use my trusty .22 and indeed shoot them in the head! When a shotgun is used it tears them up too much! So yes, I'm getting picky in my road kill collections and my shot placements! It pays big dividends down the road. If you're wondering....no, this redneck did not eat this particular rat! It went too long between harvest and cleaning!
This animal was particularly well furred out and mature! I real pleasure to trim! I wish the fur was reversed on fox squirrels. When you mix and tie for Whitlock's famous Nymphs, you use way more belly fur than back and side fur! Each fur is incredible to tie with! When you mix the right colored antrons with each, Wow! Blending and mixing each fur is not as easy as it sounds! It is very easy to put too much antron in and the temptation to do this is always ahead of you! Dave W's 50/50 mix is really close but, I have tweaked it to 60/40. Sixty percent fur and forty percent antron!
I also buy on occasion SLF Spiky Squirrel Dubbing in both thorax and abdomen. This stuff is wonderful to tie with! Talk about light! I am basing many of my thoughts and observations on their product and how it behaves when applied to the hook! I like mine dubbings too! It's a hoot to gather the harvest and trim and store this incredible fur!
Thanks again Ray for posting this! I hope everyone enjoys this! Did I talk too long?
Dougsden
Fish when you can, not when you should! Anything short of this is just a disaster.