woods

[butch]

i have some groves of locust ( i think) in this area , 4/6" dia. 20 ft. tall that grow straight with long pods in the fall. does any one know about its use as a bow. also a lot of salt cedar . an invasive pest . is it of any use beside post and rails. thanks, butch.

[Pat B]

Sounds like you have honey locust. Does it have thorns(groups of 3) growing from the trunk?  It will make a bow. I have never made a bow from honey locust but others here have.  If nothing else, deer love to eat the pods.     Pat

[butch]

thanks pat . your allways quick to help. i hunted around them several times but the deer are normally in the persimmons . this hundred acres is sandy lowland and closly resembles a jungle. lot of deer  but hard to move in. ill take out a tree this fall if the corp of engineers isnt looking.

[Pat B]

Hunt those bean later in the fall or early winter. They may be sweeter to the deer after they get frosted a few times.    Pat

[Justin Snyder]

Salt cedar shoots make a good heavy weight, durable arrow. Justin

[George Tsoukalas]

Locust is a good bow wood. Black locust has thorns on the branches. Honey as thorns on trunk and branches. Made lotsa bows from BL but none from HL. Jawge

[snedeker]

just in curiosity, how long and wide are the pods?

[butch]

dont remember about thorns or pods and the jungle turned to swamp when keystone lake arose from its sleep, i will check the thicket later this week  thanks

[snedeker]

I wanted to check the possibility that it might be KY Coffee tree - no thorns, pods 6"x1.5" and 5/8" thick, leaves a little pointy

Dave

[butch]

 i checked my book ,the book of trees by Grimm. and i believe its the honey locust . 3 varieties. all produce diferent pods . thorns vary and are sometimes thornless. described as a tough hard wood good for tools, implements,spokes.furniture and last in contact with ground . fencepost.     seems it should make good bows.  ill let you know by nov.    butch