Hawk, i wrap the ends also, like I said earlier i really don't use any special tecnique, if I walk past it and see it stemed up inside pretty well i add a few more slits. when I quit seeing moisture on the plastic I get a bit more aggressive with the slits and will soon unwrap it and let it air dry. Some woods I rough out the staves leaving the handle area thicker, the limbs will dry out pretty well without cracking but the handle area i wrap as it will crack if drying too fast. Steve