As I sat at home contemplating how I was going to turn the bag of donated wild turkey primary feathers into usable fletching for my hunting arrows, I thought about all the ways that you can take the trophies you find, or kill and turn around to make them a part of your hunting or fishing in seasons yet to come.
I know I've always received a little extra satisfaction turning a pheasant I shot, or fox or deer hair into fly fishing flies. Using that "gift" if you will of that animal to possibly take or catch something else.
Animal fur,hair and feathers for fishing lures and flies.......hides for pouches and accessory bags, turkey wingbones for turkey calls. Heck have any of you guys considered something as simple as using a matched set of sheds from a certain buck to try to FOOL that same buck the following year? I think that would be a really cool closing to a "circle" or story of a certain special animal to call and kill a buck fooled by his own antlers.
Tarsal glands or urine for scent lures, you name it......there are probably interesting or cool ways to reconnect with the game you pursue by using something found or taken from a special hunt that you've never considered.
Maybe even turning a favorite fallen tree into an actual bow?
One of my goals "someday"is to shoot a deer and a gobbler with my longbow that is fletched with feathers taken from a wild turkey I shot the spring before. At my current pace and knack for killing turkeys that should happen sometime in the fall of the year 2028 but that's beside the point.
Lets hear how you guys return those "trophies" to the woods and water as something functional that adds a little extra special meaning to what you are doing.
Closing the circle......actually using your trophies?
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