Newbie lucked out!

[Wiley]

Hopefully you removed the bark with great care not to cut into the wood. with most white woods you remove the bark and you have the outermost growth ring completely intact. If you didn't all isn't lost but it probably won't be a self bow, the easiest fix is to decrown it. You basically remove material from the highest part of the back until you have a very flat back surface as wide as the bow will be. it is possible to just leave this as is and it might make a self bow, but the safer option is to back it with hickory, white oak, or bamboo. Any of these will make an acceptable backing provided its an acceptable backing with very straight grain for hickory/white oak.

[DarkSoul]

That does not look like oak to me... It's not ring porous and I can't see the medullary rays. I'm not sure what wood it is, but not oak. Perhaps elm? However, since it was cut by a bowyer, it must be good bow wood.

[Clacker]

Under the rough bark was a reddish layer, I took that off as well, I think i cut into it some here and there, but the rings are so small I'm having difficulty seeing where or how bad, even in full light. I figured I picked an easy stave to start with, buuuut I guess not xD

[George Tsoukalas]

Leave it to 2-3 inches longer and you will not have to decrown which is not as simple as taking off wood from the back. More on my site. Jawge

http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/index.html

[Blaflair2]

It looks like hophornbeam to me. Doesn't resemble any oak I've ever saw

[Clacker]

So, leave it long, and back it? Also, is there a tutorial on decrowning a bow?

[DarkSoul]

As long as you've carefully debarked it, without damaging the underlying wood too much, you don't have to back or decrown it. Both steps are not so easy for a first timer. One continuous ring of wood fibers is the strongest back.
You should leave it a bit longer for some additional safety. Start with a 72" long flatbow for a 30 to 60 pound draw at 28".