squirrel tails silencer

[jkyarcher]

I was wondering if anyone has use squirrel tails as string silencers. when skinned out they are

real light and real fluffy I think they would work but I was wondering if anyone has tried it before.

-jkyarcher

[nclonghunter]

cool idea....should work well

[Pat B]

I wouldn't use them untanned. I would think they would pick up moisture from humidity and begin to snell or worse. It is a cool idea though.

[JW_Halverson]

My very first kill with a primitive bow was a cottontail.  I field dressed the bunny on the spot and cut two strips of hide from his back and promptly made silencers for the bow.  The rawhide bunny-balls survived 7 years until it got gnawed off the string by a dadblasted dog!  Of course it hasn't rained those 7 years in the interim, so they stayed pretty dry.

[skyarrow]

Hmm good idea my dog just killed a squirrel yesterday I think il try it out il just cut the strips and salt them till I decide to use them

Sterling

[Md25v]

You mean like this?



I put these on most of my bows and have never bothered to tan them. I egg tan the hide for handle wraps but he tail is just split and twisted in while wet. Then it dries in the shape of the twists around the string with both ends tucked into the strings twists, locking it in permanently. You can remove them later by wetting them for a few minutes.

[JW_Halverson]

The grizzled look of that tree-rat fur is fantastic.  I noticed that in the post with the pics of the grop and silencers, but didn't get around to posting.

I was meaning to ask, with the thickness of the fur, does it effect your grip on the bow?

I've considered case skinning a 13-lined ground squirrel for handle wrap, their coat is much shorter.

[Md25v]

I was meaning to ask, with the thickness of the fur, does it effect your grip on the bow?

There is a big difference in fur thickness at different times of the year. If you want thicker fur or a little extra padding use a squirrel killed in winter. I like the fur on my grips to be thin so the don't effect the handle shape so I use furs from squirrels killed in the summer. When I skin a squirrel I put a post-it in the baggie stating when in was killed and throw it in the freezer.When I need one for a project I pick one out that has the right characteristics, tan it, and use it. Having a selection of hides from different times of the year is a big help.

[jkyarcher]

Nice pics Md25v

[Young Bowyer]

Egg tan? How would you go about that? Ive killed plenty of rabbits bu tive never used the hides, and squirrel, how-to please! 

YB