Which part of bull elk hide to keep for fly tying?
 

I have an access to a complete skin which was taken off a bull elk a few hours ago. Which part should I keep for tying, if anything? I have never used elk hair before and know nothing about it. The skin will be disposed off in hour or two, so I would greatly appreciate it if someone with knowledge and experience provided me with an advise.

The belly!

the scrotum

^ Serious or kidding?

Thanks for the reply, nick0danger! I got some belly, some mane and some random piece that looked good (likely will end up being useless).

You have never heard of the elk hair caddis? Stimulators? Wing posts for parachutes? Elk hair has lots of uses....

I did hear about those! But I also mentioned, I have no experience with elk hair whatsoever in addition to being new to fly tying in general. I think I have been at it for about three months now, maybe. Just about as long as I have been fly fishing. So yes, I have no idea which part I should be keeping :)

There will be (hopefully) more opportunities for me keep some skin from both a bull and a cow elk this hunting season, so if anyone wants to chime in, I would greatly appreciate it. If you guys want to take it further and suggest some certain flies I can look into and the part of the body the hair come from, that would be even better!

Thanks!

it is all good. Tail, mane, body . Get some pieces from diferent parts and colors.

Hocks,i like the hair to have a curl[outside],great for michalak sedge,not to coarse..

Thanks for the replies guys! Greatly appreciate it!

Different length, colours, thickness of hairs, all good for different type of flies and to experiment.

How are the pieces being prepared/preserved?

Borax? Salted?

This ones are just frozen. I was thinking to salt them, but figured freezing might be better (uneducated guess). Does it really matter?

I think the general consensus is that Borax works best. If you Google how to treat "deer hair" you will get lots of great step by step info. Basically, I clean it off best I can, then tack it (hair down) to a board, cover it in 20 Mule Team, and leave it for several days.

Greatest stuff ever!
 

I got some years ago from a friend and I have pieces with more than one colour, they are the best. As has been said elk hair caddis flys are deadly but my all time favourite is my horrible looking elk hair hopper ( actually it is just a bigger caddis the way I tie it) and they won't sink, and you don't have to treat the fly.

You have been offered a priceless gift. I never treated mine and years on the hair started to fall out, but still worked fine for flys.