Is this normal?

From what I hear it is a normal symptom of an abnormal condition.
 
I have been clipping my cats for a while now too. Cats are great. Aside from their own coat, they bring back all kinds of good stuff without the tread marks.
 
So sure, the wife thinks I'm a bit goofy. The neighbors do too. They wonder why I'm casting a fly rod across the lawn all of the time.
 
You get used to it.
 

Careful, fellas. Ever take a microbiology course? Dead critters can be nasty.

Oh yeah, it's got you. Welcome to the insanity!! 

Glad to hear I'm not alone in this! I'll tell the wife I joined a "support group".
Actually, per Pa. State Game Laws, I believe it's illegal to pick up any road killed game animal without obtaining a permit, but as long as it's for personal use, what's the harm? No harm, no foul (fowl)!

horse tail makes good stiff legs on spider, terrestrial and nymph patterns. cow tails make good segmented bodies on nymphs. never pass up a fresh fox fur. red tailed hawk wing feathers make great shades of hopper wings. (i find these in my yard)
i've trimmed some of the hair off my bear rug for grannom patterns, he didn't seem to mind.

There used to be a Pheasant Farm up the road from my shop. Often I'd find a roadkill escapee along the highway. The last one I pulled over to had the tail clipped off. Someone beat me to it.
 

Saw a roadkill red fox on the way to work last week. I figured that I would cut it's tail off on the way home. Guess what - someone beat me to it.

ORIGINAL: doubletaper

ORIGINAL: fishmonger

Saw a roadkill red fox on the way to work last week. I figured that I would cut it's tail off on the way home. Guess what - someone beat me to it.

i actually had no use for the tail in tying flies.
the fur you want is the pinkish urin stained under-fur near the rear end and belly. (tups indispensable was actualy tied with sheep/ram urin-stained fur but fox works) also the belly fur is used much for cream colors. on a red fox i also use the reddish soft fur around the upper legs and neck.
you'll see many patterns call for fox fur.

 
Yep, so true.
Light cahill was originally dubbed with urine stained fur from a female red fox.
The females, I guess, are a little bit more messy when it comes to peeing. 
 

i use the pinkish fox fur for tying female hendricksons. they are a good one to try when nothing else is coming off between hatches. hendrickson's do not hatch in great numbers but they do emerge spratically throughout the day. the pinkish ones will work when a dark hendrickson might not.
when i fished the great smokies a few years ago the guide tied on a pinkish body adams on my tippet. the brookies didn't hesitate to take it. this was in june when hardly anything was coming off the water. always fun to try new patterns and see what works. ~dt 

Ok here we go!  I have collected:  Fox, coyote, phesant, turkey, quail, dove  The long grey feathers make great wings.  Squirrel, rabbit, mink, raccoon,  skunk  (the white hair and the black make great bodies but I'll only get the ones that don't stink (there are a few).  Buffalo.  Elk.  Deer.  Black bear. and I have combed my cats and collected dryer lint  (makes great body dubbing, and comes in colors).  There is a farm down the road from me and they save every rooster head/neck they kill for me.   My tying friends are very close to me.  Because I get barred rock, leghorn, rhode island red, golden and cross breeds.
     Now for the good part.   I don't tie!