Kip, I've never finished a hackberry bow, but have cut and split several staves. They twisted so badly as they dried I finally abandoned the idea. Not to discourage you, hackberry tends to have a knot-free, even grain. The wood is fairly easy to work, and the tension and hardness is comparable to elm. I have also read that the stiffness, or ability to "snap" back is much slower than elm. Looks to me like you have a pretty descent, large stave, I'd try it. Keep us posted, Eric
