Bamboo?

[Tower]

I've a question for all the bamboo shooters out there.  First of all I love primitive hunting,& by the grace of the Lord I live in a state where it's legal. TEXAS, given it's sharp & wide enough. I've been hunting primitive for a while( years), before I knew there were people who understood& appreciated it. I've always hunted with cedar, but I've moved to an area with lots of river cane . I have harvested 2 kinds of bamboo. Young & some fairly mature but seems the right size. The young ( new growth) seems too weak when dried. I do not have a spine tester & my ancestors didn't either, as far as I know. So my question is to those experienced in bamboo. What am I looking for.

[ricktrojanowski]

It's my understanding when you harvest cane or boo, you don't want to cut first year growth.  It has not matured and lacks the strenght fibers.  You want to cut 2 yr old boo.

[aero86]

yup, thats right, cut second year.  cut plenty of them too.  second year will have the branches, and the sheaves around the nodes will have faded, standing out from the green of the culm..  its how i cut mine.  what area of texas you from?

[Tower]

Thanks for the advice, It will help. I'm in Wharton county, southwest of Houston. About 1 hr drive.

[Pat B]

Be sure the cane is actually a bamboo. Plants like giant reed cane and Phragmites will make arrows but not as durable as actual bamboo( or native river cane).  As Rick said, be sure the cane is at least 2 years old. With the native cane around where I live the paper like sheath will begin to deteriorate after the first growing season and will generally be totally gone after the 2nd growing season.   If you take a 3/8" open end wrench with you you can use it for a quick guage for the base of the cane you want to cut.

[Tower]

3/8" wrench. Good to know that. It's bamboo, some are as tall as 10-13 ft. You guys have helped a lot!

[jonathan creason]

3/8" wrench. Good to know that. It's bamboo, some are as tall as 10-13 ft. You guys have helped a lot!

Keeping a 3/8" wrench handy is the best tip I've ever got for arrows.  I keep one on my key chain now, incase I ever run across arrow material while I'm out and about.

[mullet]

Pat and everybody else pretty much, answered your questions. I work in Stink'adena quite a bit. I'll give you a shout next time I'm out that way if you don't mind. Motels get boring.

[Tower]

Yep, mullet if your calling it stink'adena you definitely know the area. Give me a shout.

[bhenders]

One reason new canes are so weak is that the bamboo has not had time to deposit the silicon in the cell walls.
Two year old bamboo canes have finished this silicon deposit and it's what makes them so tough.
It also makes bamboo tough on saws and makes bamboo dust dangerous - wear a respirator when sanding bamboo.

[Tower]

Ok thanks.