One can find tanned rabbit hides for 6 or $7. Rabbit is so thin and fragile it's a pain in the butt to process without tearing and my time alone is more than worth the price. If one is simply after dubbing sources, do a good job fleshing, rub in some alum on the flesh side, and let them dry. No bug issues at all. Same treatment for fowl skins as well.
Much like today's reloading components, those small almost sample size fly tying materials are worth a fortune in the shops with I think a 300% markup. For a lot of items, I go downtown, look up and down the street to see if anyone is watching, and try to sneak unobserved into sewing shops.
Last edited by 1minute; 08/05/22.
