when to fell hickory

[PaulLovesJamie]

I'm going to cut down a 12" diameter hickory to make a bow to hunt with this coming fall.
Searching led me to several posts indicating that I should wait until spring so its easy to get the bark off... but I dont currently have a bow & need time to practice with the new one before next fall.

Should I cut it now or wait until the sap rises?

FYI, my hands are not good with detail work, I doubt I could chase a ring if I practiced for decades (born with hand tremors ).  Thats why I settled on hickory, & I'm planning on a classic flatbow. 
btw, am I correct that a hickory flatbow would meet these qualifications:
- durable
- minimal detail work (eg no ring to chase)
- among the "easier" selfbows to make

[osage outlaw]

I cut a hickory tree in the fall a couple of years ago and it was a major pain to get the bark off of it.  If I ever cut another one, it will be in spring when the bark peals off easier.

[sweeney3]

It will certainly be easier if you wait untill the spring (and by then, you should wait untill late July through September so that your exposed wood will be late wood rather than early wood, but this is less critical with hickory than some others), but you CAN get the bark off now.  You can, carefully, ease a knife point under the bark and twist, causing it to pop loose and come off, then sand any imperfections this causes.  Otherwise, stick it in the hot shower for half an hour or so and it'll loosen up a lot.

[Pat B]

I prefer to cut whitewood(hickory) just as the leaves fill out in the spring. That way when you peel the bark the wood under it is last years ring and has had all winter to mature. If you cut in the fall you will be using that years new growth ring as a back.
  If you cut it now you will really have to work just to get the bark off.

[Bevan R.]

I would suggest waiting. get a board and back it and make a bow to practice with. If you wait until spring, cut, split, and strip it. rough it out to bow shape and use a quick season method (see hot box) you could rush a bow into working condition before fall.
That is what I would do anyway.

[toomanyknots]

"When to fell hickory"?

AT night so you don't get caught. 

[RBLusthaus]

If you cut now, you will have more time for the wood to dry and season before next hunting season. 

Russ

[Lone500]

I cut a hickory and took half the bark off with a pocket knife. boy was that hell.

the other half i let soak in the pond for a week. took it out and it didnt all come off in one peice or anything but with a drawknife i borrowed it came off pretty easy then.

[okie64]

I would suggest waitin until the leaves start to pop out and cut it. The bark will peel off like a banana and you got a perfectly clean back.  Ive cut it as early as mid-march where I live and the bark peeled right off but thats gonna depend on where you're located.

[soy]

The best time (to get the bark off easily )is like already stated...however it is a good time to cut in the winter to get a lower mc, the bark will not peal off in fact with a draw knife it is still a chore, but when you start touching the high spots and leave the cabnium on the low it will give you a camouflage pattern ...I like to have both on hand ...hope that makes sence 

[Pat B]

A tree is wet inside. Its true there is more moisture in a growing tree than during its winter dormancy but you are drying the wood anyway to make a bow. If you want the bark to "slip" cut the tree during the growing season. If you want to fight with the bark to get it off cut it during its dormant season(now).
  The only living parts of a tree are the cambium layer between the dead bark and the dead wood and the growing tips of the twigs. While the cambium is growing the bark will slip. At the end of the growing season the leaves fall off and the tree shuts down for the winter. The cambium( a thin layer of cells) matures and becomes part of last years growth ring and the inner part of the bark. At this time the bark and wood are tightly joined.
  Take your pick!    You can make good bows with either.

[JW_Halverson]

Hickory bark is pretty tough to get off without messing up the first growthring when using a drawknife.  I echo those suggesting you wait until the leaf buds start to pop out. 

Cut the tree, split, pull off the bark and IMMEDIATELY SEAL with poluurathane, shellac, wood glue, or latex house paint.  At that point, you can start to reduce the belly, and it will cure a great deal faster than if left in a full stave shape. 

[DRon knife]

If you leave the bark on it makes a bow that's nearly unbreakable,being that it will be your first bow...maybe that a worthwhile option?? GL,Ron   

[lesken2011]

That is a sweet lookin bow with the bark on. Will it stay on if you add a finish to the outside or will it come off over time?


Also, not to highjack your post, but when JW says to seal the bow....Does that mean only the ends and back after de-barking? I came to that conclusion since you said you would start working on the belly.

[H Rhodes]

I just finished a hickory bow that I traded to a friend....  I learned something about debarking winter cut hickory in the process.  I agree with the above offered advice that there are better times to cut than winter.  I harvested some last summer and the bark came off easy in long strips, leaving a pristine back that was already bow ready.  While working on this winter cut wood, which had lots of inner bark stubbornly refusing to come off, I proceeded to steam some reflex into the stave.  During this process,  I found that the inner bark came off easily with a cabinet scraper after thirty minutes of steaming.  I don't think I will hesitate to cut a tree whenever I need one, regardless of the time of year.  Steaming a little bit made it pretty easy.  I have even heard of that throwing winter cut staves in a hot shower after you have removed the outerbark will make the task easier.  Hope that helps.  With all that said, I still plan to cut my staves in the summer.