What do you have to do to preserve a fox or squirrel tail? I have no idea what to do.
I normally hang them butt down from my wife’s clothesline for a week or two, then bag 'em and put 'em in the freezer till needed.
I put some Borax on the butt of the tail and let them dry outside for about 2 weeks. I then bag them in Plastic Zip bags and put them with my other materials. The Borax will help dry out any fluid in the meat left on the butt of the tail. In two weeks out side the meat and fluid will be all dried up and not atract any bugs you do not want. I would also suggest putting something like moth crystals or a flea color in with them for a time. Just to make sure. Good Tying. Ron
I agree with the drying suggestions, there is no need to de-bone. I add that they will look better and be easier to work with if you give them a shampoo and cream rinse before putting them away. They will really shine, be softer and fluffier (honestly!).
Hhmmm, I do lots of squirrel tails but no fox…don’t you have to debone a fox tail?..note he didn’t say fox squirrel
That covers the squirrel tails, what about red fox tails?
Clean any blood,dirt etc dry and use-----BILL
You debone the tails of a Fox. Easy to do. If the tail is still attached to the body you cut a slit in the underside of the tail and then go over the tail bone with you knife so that you have the skin lose all the way around the tail bone. Now just take your fingers and hold the tail bone in a circle of your fingers and pull on the bone. It should come out. They make a tool for this but it can be done with you hands. Next slit the tail down until you get to the bottom of the bone area. Now just put Borax in it and let it dry for a few weeks. Thats all there is to it.
Most everything you will use can be handled the same way. Make sure to get the fat and meat off the skin then Borax it and let it dry. Good Tying. Ron
for the squirrels i just cut the tails off the skwerl and sit it in my garage to dry out. i dont add anything or put any chemicls on it. just sinply air dry it.
I just immediately put in freezer. Got a couple of whole squirrel bodies in there now, gonna use an electric bread trimmer on to make a mound of dubbing.
Is this just to take the crusts off the pelt?
Sorry for confusion, can’t spell, meant beard not bread, Oh Well!
I thought…Man, I’ve never heard of that …how’s he going to do it…
Incidentally, my brother uses an electric knife to fillet his fish…he is an absolute wizard with it…he can fillet a Northern pike with nary a bone left in…
im not shur if i should shave my next squirrel to get the dubbing as stated above, or if i should skin it and tan the hide to have a nice pelt.
what should i do?
dry it out and make zonker strips .
you can still pick out hair for dubbing
from the strips .
THATS A GREAT IDEA! I WILL DO THAT!!!
Hi JKilroy,
I generally slit the tail lenghtwise. Not hard to do, just use a sharp knife, lay the tail underside up, and cut through the skin to the bone. Now skin the bone free from the tail. (The tail bone gets fairly small in diameter toward the tip, so the tip gets a bit tricky…go slow there.)
Wash the tail in hot soapy water, treat the inside of the hide with borax until dry. If the borax gets oily, replace with fresh. The borax will preserve the tail and make it bug free. It will also remove the oil from it. I have never tried the conditioner trick but have been advised that it is worth the trouble.
Regards,
Gandolf
THATS A GREAT IDEA! I WILL DO THAT!!![/quote]
OK, but the strips may be a little stiff :roll:
i’ve never made zonker strips so is there anywhere that can tell me how too? do you just cut the hide into strips? is there anyway that i could mess up? i’d like them to be as good as possible. also how wide would you cut them?
Thanks
Warm Water
duckster: i would tan the hide before i cut it into strips silly 
that way it would be nice a soft.
Warm Water: just make them as you please! you can crosscut them (cutting them so the hair is perpendicular to the strip of skin) or cut them normal. i think the only way you could mess up would be to have the cuts be un-even. as far as how wide to cut them, 1/8" or 1/4" should be good. 1/4" is pushin it tho :!: lol. o and make shur the hide is tanned before attempting to make strips. one it will be easier to cut them and two if it isnt tanned, the hard brittle skin will snap when you try to wrap it :shock: