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jonister

Duck season

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Sitting in line at a coffee stand at 4:30 am, I realized its getting very close to duck season. Thinking back to the last few seasons, I got a lifetime supply of duck feathers for tying. I know it's legal for me to keep them for personal use, but is it legal to give them away? I was thinking I could ship them to members interested. I just hate throwing stuff that could be used away. I believe different state laws occur as this has been talked about before. Thoughts? I don't remember if we came to a conclusion last time. 

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OK so I've got people interested! I keep mainly the feather tips, on teal and mallards and such, with the pretty colors. Belly feathers too. Pretty much anything. I can fill a bag up with one duck. I don't know the specific names but pretty much what looks pretty. Sometimes I just cut the whole wing off and borax it but that makes it a pita to pluck them off when I need them. I freeze all feathers to kill the mites and such. 

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Fried wings, always fried! Hot sauce too, please! Link may answer legality question...

http://www.featherfolio.com/blog/guide-to-legal-and-illegal-feathers-in-the-usa-updated

Looks like Fish and Wildlife is the final authority. I checked the website, but not helpful in this case. We'd probably have to contact them directly.  

 

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https://www.fws.gov/lab/idnotes/MarabouIDGuide.pdf : Seems to indicate no problem with turkey feathers. 

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/featherlaw.html: Ok, getting closer!

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/faq.php: Non-native birds are ok, unless endangered and protected by law. Pheasants and peafowl are ok, starlings are also non-native. 

https://www.fws.gov/lab/idnotes/_PheasantFeathers_final.pdf: Very useful info, and some pics of very striking flies, especially at the end. Still no specific info on duck feathers!

https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/permits/import-and-export.php: Found it, FINALLY! Looks like the answer is oky-doky smoky! Migratory game birds are excepted. Better yet, it's national. 

 

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I posted about this a few years ago.  Had somebody climb up my *ss about it so I looked it up.  Its legal to use migratory bird feathers and other feathers legally harvested for flies and fishing lures.  Its even legal to sell them for that purpose or sell the finished products.  They may not be used on clothes or as adornments, ear rings, etc.  Some feathers may be such as farm raised peacocks, but migratory game birds may not be.  Just fishing lures. There may be some other exception.  Refer to the links posted here by others.  Its been a couple years since I read the relevant documents. 

There may be some other restrictions in the North American Songbird Treaty between the US, Canada & Mexico, but I don't recall anything about using or not using the feathers.  Just that those typically non-game species may only be killed for depredation purposes or to mitigate a public health nuisance where they congregate in large numbers.  I had to look it up a couple years ago when blackbirds and grackles were eating all the seedlings as they popped up for my winter garden.  A scarecrow doesn't work half as well as a deterrent as a half dozen dead grackles laying around your garden after .25 air gun pellet has passed through their skull. 

 

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On 10/28/2017 at 9:41 AM, CNC Molds N Stuff said:

I posted about this a few years ago.  Had somebody climb up my *ss about it so I looked it up.  Its legal to use migratory bird feathers and other feathers legally harvested for flies and fishing lures.  Its even legal to sell them for that purpose or sell the finished products.  They may not be used on clothes or as adornments, ear rings, etc.  Some feathers may be such as farm raised peacocks, but migratory game birds may not be.  Just fishing lures. There may be some other exception.  Refer to the links posted here by others.  Its been a couple years since I read the relevant documents. 

There may be some other restrictions in the North American Songbird Treaty between the US, Canada & Mexico, but I don't recall anything about using or not using the feathers.  Just that those typically non-game species may only be killed for depredation purposes or to mitigate a public health nuisance where they congregate in large numbers.  I had to look it up a couple years ago when blackbirds and grackles were eating all the seedlings as they popped up for my winter garden.  A scarecrow doesn't work half as well as a deterrent as a half dozen dead grackles laying around your garden after .25 air gun pellet has passed through their skull. 

 

 

I like your style for garden protection.

 

 

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41 minutes ago, jonister said:

Yeah so far nothing has moved south. All our dumb birds got shot so now I'm waiting on more to fly south. Geese are here though! Lol. 

 

They are coming most of the birds took off early this year. I did not get much time to hunt ducks/geese this year so there should be a few more dumb ones headed south this year lol

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8 hours ago, StriperCandy said:

Jonister,

Thanks for the feathers! There's a nice variety. Now, does anyone have any experience tying with duck feathers? Any suggestions what kind of fly I should tie with them? 

 

I don't follow patterns and just tie so hard to make suggestions. Duck feathers have many uses from small trout flies to large predator patterns 

Best advice is just sit down at your vice and see what you can come up with

In the past I tied for a number of guides and they wanted my flies because they were original and often out produced known patterns 

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