Ethical and/or Legal Question

[BobVP]

Hi Folks,

I have just been given a very large quantity of old feathers, tinsels, "you name it" and fur. These boxes came from the estate of a man that tied flies from the late 30s to the early 60s. Some great stuff in there....more than I will use in my lifetime.

But that is not the question.....In the bag of furs there are some things that are not "available" today. Some white fur for instance. I will probably never use this in the flies I tie, or several of the other furs, and I was thinking it might be good (given my very bad financial situation these days) to sell this stuff.

But what are the implications of selling fur and small pelts from/of animals that are NOW considered endangered or protected? I believe that I know the legal answer: Can't.....'least that is what I gathered from a Stienstra article a few weeks back.

What about the ethical question of using fur from an endangered or protested animal, especially from one that died 45 to 70 years ago?

The good news is that the pelts were all tanned very well and there seems to be no trace of salt on any of them. So using them is a pleasure...Yep, I have used them but only the rabbit, elk, deer and goat so far.

[jbird]

you cant sell the endangered stuff so Ill take all the polar bear ;-)

[Richard Wright]

Would there by chance be any Spotted Owl feathers among your find? :D

Seriously, I don't think I'd take the chance of selling stuff you thought was now endangered. And how do you know exactly what you have is endangered, unless you've visited a zoo or museum lately. Or is it labeled in some way?

[oldtrout]

Use the fur you can't sell, it's great stuff. Perhaps you can trade it for materials you need if you don't feel right about using it.

PS What do you need? lol

[Bob Laskodi]

Send it all to me and I'll worry about the ethical/legal aspects!!!!

[ptychocheilus]

Keep all legal records of the transfer, preferably with the materials (as well as a copy with flies that you tie with them). The animals are long dead already, might as well put them to good use. Keep in mind that if you tie flies with them and travel, you might not be allowed either a) into your destination country of b) back into the US with them. Even transport across state lines without paperwork could potentially be interpreted as a Lacey Act violation...

Seems like a pain in the tail, but man, some (ahem) materials really have "magical" moves in the water...

[Darian]

Some feathers/furs are illegal to possess. Not sure but I think one of them is Blue Heron. I'll bet there's a list of these banned materials somewhere on-line.

there's not too much to worry about unless you start trying to sell these materials around. :|

[BobVP]

I appreciate the replies to date and to reply....

Yes, all of the fur products are marked on the back. There is in fact a little piece of large white creature of the north and you ain't gettin' it jbird (Though I admit I have no idea what to tie with that stuff). I think I'll just place it somewhere where it catches the light....it is only about 3" x 4".

I really appreciate the thoughts about traveling with flies tied from this material. If things do turn around enough I would love to go see the cousins in Belgium and fish the Ardennes again....

Guess I'll do a search for fur and feathers not legal to have in possession.

[Troutstalker55B]

What a trip! I too was handed down stuff from the same era from a man who lived at Graeagle Meadows while I was there. All I can say is use the materials. I tied up some double bunnies using some seal skin and the action is amazing with those fibers. I had triples of everything and kept many in the original Herters package with a hope they could be worth something someday.

Jon.

[jbird]

oh man! Use polar bear in place of buck tail. Clousers, whistlers, sea habits etc. It moves better and it has a glow that no other material has, Something about the way it catches light, kinda like peacock. It can be dyed too.

[aaron]

I believe that if the material was harvested before a certain date it is perfectly legal to sell. You'll have to look into the specifics.

I remember feathersmc was taking a currently endangered material from surplus army coats in order to be legal.

[davkrat]

Ever think of donating it to a museum? I bet a place that sets up reenactments of days gone bye could use those no longer available fibers. I'm thinking the big fly fishing manufacturers or even the big chains like Bass Pro or Cabelas who have displays in their stores. Would be cool to see that stuff sitting around a table with some old bamboo poles, Hardy reels and wicker creels.

[Troutstalker55B]

Well I took some pics of the materials, these are all Herter's products. I do not remember the mans name but he passed on and his wife Ruth gave me a box of stuff, a vice, and a materials organizer - all Herter's. I even got a couple of old bamboo rods and some old leaders.

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b1_1_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b2_2_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b3_3_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b5_4_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b6_5_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b7_6_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b8_7_1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i424/moto55b/b9_8_1.jpg

Any idea What year this stuff is from?

Jon.

[David Lee]

All seems kosher from here , nothin' illegal .

D.~

[Troutstalker55B]

Yeah, I used up the seal, and wolverine so it's all legal, I'm just stoked to hold onto something from the past when it comes to anything flyfishing.

Jon.