My Dad taught me how to tie fishing lures. I've mostly used the tails. I just let them air dry outside around the barn hung up where the foxes and cats and stuff can't reach them.
Then after about a week or so, they stop stinking. You can clip a pinch of the tail fur and use it whenever you're ready to make some. I have used grey squirrel, fox squirrel, white and black tail deer fur, red and grey fox, raccoons, and just about anything with a tail will do.
You can even use whitetail fur and dip it into RIT clothes dye and make it any color you want. Purple. Yellow. Whatever.
I generally snip a pinch of the hair and use string to wrap them around the hook. After tying with a string, use clear fingernail polish to seal it up. It'll last for years, or until you get it hung in a tree and your line breaks.
