new guy! found some suitable trees!!!!

[ratshooter]

Ok so on my stave hunt I have not had too too much luck alot of the trees around here have wind and lightining damage.

I found one odd one though. Its laying on its side still firmly rooted with no damage. Its bark looks like maple, and leaves are very very simmilar to maple, but its growing litterally horizontally on the ground? any ideas?  It looks atleast in the maple family so im prolly gonna cut it.

The only ash and hickory ive found are miles into the woods and about 12-16 inches around.
I'm dying for a piece of ash [pun intended]. going out again hopefully 4th times the charm.

[blackhawk]

Unless its sugar maple I wouldn't cut it. All the other maples are"soft" and not really good for you to learn on. They make good kids bows tho. Soft maples are at the bottom of your "best" available bow woods. Id be also looking for elm(should be a ton of it around ya). Elm is at the top of my list to recomend to a beginner. It grows everywhere,easy to find a decent enough tree/sapling for a bow,easy to work with tools,tough wood and takes abuse from a novice. And makes a good bow. Go get yourself an elm man,any elm as long as its elm.

Ya know I can take away all those wasted trips,and write your name on a stave over here,n all ya gotta do is pick it up. 

[hunterbob]

Get with Blackhawk man.Its the best thing I ever did.You will learn from him in a couple weeks what it would take you years to figure out on your own.I am telling you this guy knows his stuff.

[ratshooter]

I'm gonna have to take you up on the blackhawk asap, I just gotta get my car sorted out. I guess ive got a rod thats bout to break. Hoping at the begining of the month I can get a new engine into it.  Thats most likely the reason ive been unlucky stave hunting, cant get too too far to my normal wood stomping grounds.

I forgot all about elm in all honesty, maybe i can find a hunk of it to keep my hands busy till i get my vehicle fixed.
Then ill prolly hit you up for lessons! I can use em, I'm still getting the hang of using a draw knife without ripping through rings.

I can sense this becoming an addiction, First I'll make a bow, and gather those tools. then a string and gather those tools, and finally arrows, and accumulatey a mazzive amount of tools to fit in my little apartment. Between tools and my childrens clothes I'll be over flowing in no time.

[ratshooter]

Well out on a picking berries today, I happened upon a large stand of walnut and elm, gonna take dow a walnut sapling and bring it back in the am and pics most likely to come. I got cut short by weather and hunger or I'd havce it today

[DarkSoul]

You'd better take a piece of elm. Much, much better than the walnut. An elm sapling is great! Very forgiving.

[ratshooter]

You ever have on of those times where you do something and right afterward think..." yeah i'm and idiot.

First i found out the the trees i were looking at were black walnut, the elm was all kinky and no good for a first timer or extremely large to where id be felling a 30+ ft tree and trying to process and haul it out.
I topped the 15fter with my hatchet, and started to saw the base off with a bow saw [I already told you I'm an idiot]. got way ove half way through it and decided that i was tired of sawing [noone told me how hard the heartwood was, my blade bound up and got dull] and was gonna try and pull it over, didnt work. So I started sawing somemore with my ever dulling saw to where it was just held on by what id call a small section. Well in my specific state of stupid, i gave it the old defensive lineman shoulder check.... now im sitting at home with bark shaped bruising, an ice pack and a formerly dislocated shoulder. 
I think I'm just gonna wait till i can get with someone or atleast find the right tools of fell a tree.
On a good note since it was black walnut, I made a tea from the leaves to dull the pain a bit and might have some nuts with dinner.
If i get the motivation ill get pics of the idiot bruise for all to point and laugh at.
My twins will be home soon from there visit with there mother, so i may not be able to get it for a mnth when they got to visit again.

[JW_Halverson]

I knew there was a reason I liked you, ratshooter.  Birds of a feather, and all that.  Guess you and I are a couple of not-so-bright flockers.

[turtle]

Ratshooter, im about 80 miles south of you. Im sure i wouldnt be as much help to you as blackhawk, but if you ever get down around beverly ohio i could probably help you out with some wood though. Hope your shoulder heals fast



           steve