Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

Does any one else not keep All their turkey fans? I always put the beard and spurs on display but unless their is a significance to the bird I dont keep the fan. I have the fans from my first bird, my only double beard, my biggest, and 2 from the year me and my father took 4 birds in 4 days all over 20lbs and we made a display of them together.

I just dont have the room for them, but my buddy acts like im tossing the beards in the trash when I say didnt keep them.

I don't keep mine either. I don't have the room to keep them all. I just have one displayed with multiple beards. I also only keep spurs over an inch.

I toss them all the time. I have one from the first bird I ever killed, and thats it. I'll keep the ones from other subspecies, after I start my slam.

I keep 'em if they're in good shape.  I don't do much else with 'em anymore, though.  I have a stack in the garage.   :D

I donate mine to the Black Hawk County Conseration Board for the Hartman Nature Reserve Center for use in their Interpretive Education Center where they teach kids and adults about nature and history.

I have saved a few feathers for tying flies, but I don't use too many. Sending free ones to other tiers is very generous, and it insures that much more of the bird is being used. Great idea!!

I only keep the ones that represent a  "first" of something. First bird in a new county, state, first new subspecies, first double beard, etc.

(http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/Gobln2/006-6.jpg)


  Here's a Christmas wreath my wife made out of some tailfan feathers.



    vaturkey   :newmascot:

That would be great and appreciated!

 :drool:

Crazy room!!

I no longer display my fans.  I have 3 displayed but now I just keep them in the freezer or pluck all the feathers.  I have a box full and just use them for crafts or give them to those that need them for crafts.  I am hoping to start painting on them.

I also keep all the wing feathers, I cut them off.  I use to give these to a traditional archer for fletchings.  But recently I have been making arrow feathers for our cubscout pack for the arrow of light awards, I make a illuminated arrow for every scout getting the award.

I have recently even passed on pic of my birds.  I have so many and they all look the same year to year.  I do display the beard and spurs.

If I had the room to display them I'd keep all of them.

There are a number of people who purchase fans for $8-$10 a piece for use on decoys, displays, etc.

I usually don't keep them.....I pull the middle tail feather out of the fan and keep it in my truck....this year I kept them all but I am going to make a 20 year display with them for my anniversary to the sport.

Whe I first started this madness 30 some years ago I dried and displayed each one. Then with more success came less room so now we do save the fans and wings but they are given to our turkey dog for off-season training

So whats this project?  I am low at the moment because I sent out 5 fans last year to a gal that paints on them.  Of course I have not heard from her since :angry9:

But am interested in your project, quills only have me intrigued.

I'm not sure how much fishing I'll need to do to get to the coverts, but I should be able to easily measure the others from the backside.

Quote from: 2ounce6s on May 24, 2012, 04:29:49 PM

Quote from: stinkpickle on May 24, 2012, 03:28:02 PM
I'm not sure how much fishing I'll need to do to get to the coverts, but I should be able to easily measure the others from the backside.

That's what she said!

   :TooFunny: :TooFunny:

Quote from: 2ounce6s on May 24, 2012, 04:29:49 PM

Quote from: stinkpickle on May 24, 2012, 03:28:02 PM
I'm not sure how much fishing I'll need to do to get to the coverts, but I should be able to easily measure the others from the backside.

That's what she said!

:z-winnersmiley:

And the fishing is good!   :D

I don't save all of them, but I keep a few for decoy fans.  Dry them out good, then put JB quickie weld between the feathers, this makes a super hard base that keep the feathers together.  The quickie weld is a nice dark brown so there is no need to paint it also.  This is not regular jb weld, the only place I have been able to find it is Advance Auto.  A good friend and taxidermist turned me on to it.  It works great. 

I'm only getting ready to hang my 12th one but  eventually i'm going to run out of room, but until then i'm hangin every one of 'em
(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/slawman_01/IMG_2119.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/slawman_01/IMG_2112.jpg)

I don't save mine anymore. I mounted the tail fans on my first couple birds but now just do it on really good birds.

I just started keeping some full fans this year.  I've kept feathers over the past few years because my mom likes to paint on them, and I give a bunch to my friend that dresses up as Joe Cain for Mobile Mardi Gras.  Hell, I just started preserving the spurs and beards in the last 3 years, or so.  My blood boils when I think of all the beards and spurs that rotted in a grabage bag, were thrown away by my mom, etc. over the years.  I plan on keeping and preserving all my beards, spurs, and fans/feathers now.  I did this one (my first) for my mom this year and hope to more:
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/vgj5/IMAG0398.jpg)