Buck tails

I have a few bucktails I saved from hunting season. Is there anything I can do to brighten up the hair.

first thing I'd do is de-bone them - have some borax ready (regular laundry detergent 20 mule team) get as much meat off as you can, have an old hair brush ready and then wash the tail in dawn dish soap and while it's wet brush it not only does it help keep the hair straighter but will help get dirt out. Rinse clean and then take some regular un-scented hair conditioner and work it in by hand and the brush and then rinse well.

Squeeze it well and get a bunch of water out of it, then lay it on some paper towel and put more paper towel on top and get more water out of it. Get a piece of wood that will fit the tail and tack it down on the board. Spread the borax over it covering it completely and leave it - check it every couple of days and if you see any wet spots take a spoon and take them off and put a little fresh borax on it. After a few weeks dump all the borax off and see if the meat side is dryed out.

If it isn't or is you can try scraping more meat off then re-borax the whole thing. I've taken up to a month to get one really done nice, and having clean materials to tie with is nice they always seem to tie in better. You can shake the heck out of the tail to get the borax out and re-comb. I put it in a big ziplock bag with a piece of flea collar. I always keep them away from my regular materials even after cleaning for about a month - I call it my Quarantine period. Never gotten any bugs and don't want any.

That's how I do everything. I also don't believe in the put the stuff in the freezer!!!! If the bugs can live on them in the freezing cold a freezer sure isn't going to kill them.

The tails are deboned stretched and dried. Prob should of washed them first. They are clean but not as bright white as I would like.

Go ahead and wash them now.just stretch them out and dry them again.You may be wishing for a white that they just aren't,they will still tie great .

I debone and clean the same day! I clean with dawn soap and rinse then lay flat in freezer which will kill the bugs (24hrs). I just laid out three yesterday and will borax today. For me I am very similar to FM on the process. Was at Target yesterday and picked up more Borax. Today I will Borax then and then 24hrs re-apply re-scrape off old borax and then start over. Should take about total time 48hrs and they are complete (temps are critical). I do not tack down on board I just dump the borax very liberal over the entire tail.

I just picked up some dye and am debating going down the process FM did on the feathers with a tail. I have farm stores around my area that have bigger mason jars than could work to take a full tail.