Osage bow in the cold?

[Eric Garza]

I've heard that osage orange isn't a good bow wood for hunting in cold temperatures. Anyone have experience with hunting an osage bow in the cold, say down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit?

[PatM]

From who? Art Young hunted Africa and Alaska with Osage because it handles extremes of temp well.
 There was an article in the mag about a guy shooting a Muskox when it was about 40 below.
 You going to the pole?

[sharpend60]

I think that isnt just relegated to osage.

Ive heard of folks keeping thier bows 'warmed up' i.e. drawing it every so often. That is something ya wanna do anyway.

But I dont know if it necessary.
30 deg aint an issue at all, I do know that.

[George Tsoukalas]

I shoot all the time in the NH winter. Went hunting in -5 F with a hickory bow. Osage should be fine. Jawge

[TRACY]

No problems here Eric. Can't say I've heard that.

Tracy

[sleek]

I have an elm bow I hunt with in the cold without fear of the temps. I live in oklahoma just to give you an idea. I draw it on the occasion for the sake of my limbs, not the bows limbs, my own. Sitting still in cold can cramp my arms up and make drawing difficult, so I pull on the bow to keep my limbs warm. I don't think the bows cares.

[turtle]

I have hunted with osage when temps were in the teens lots of times. Never had a problem.

[BowEd]

Diddo on the hedge handling cold.The only worry you should have is hitting the target.I live in Iowa and hunt in the chilly weather all the time.15 degrees is my limit.Like someone said the hedge does'nt seem to care.

[Eric Garza]

Awesome. Thanks!

[JW_Halverson]

Just for the record, look up a map showing the town of Noatak, Alaska.  It's about as far north as you can go on the west coast of Alaska before you round the bend and start going east again.  I built a bow for a guy that lives there in the winters and South Dakota in the summers.  He ordered a second bow from me...and not because the other one failed!  I think he's even shot it outside in temps well under -30 F. 

I think the biggest problem would come if the bow was left outdoors for a prolonged period of time and the relative humidity of next to nothing were to dry the wood too much.  The wood, of course, would seek to equalize it's internal moisture content with the relative humidity, and that would be just a tad too dry!  At those temps, snow and ice will evaporate directly into the atmosphere by "sublimation"...freeze dried snow!

[BowEd]

Jw's right.The southern boys never get to experience what the effect extreme cold weather and wind can do.Ice on the ground 2 to 3 inches thick -25 below F. with a 10 to 15 mph breeze disappears in a few days.Usually in Iowa when it gets that cold or colder there is'nt that much wind but when it does it is death out there.Can't help but feel sorry for the livestock and wildlife then.
As far as wood goes Jw's right again[Are you ever wrong buddy?]keep the bow in a stable environment it'll like ya for it.

[JW_Halverson]

I never make mistakes, Beadman!  That pile of sticks in the corner of my shop are all "experimental alternative tillering techniques".   

On the other hand, if that bow were yew, I would really hesitate to take it out if the temps were below freezing.  I have heard enough stories of yew detonating in cold winter weather.  Again, I have to worry about them being too dry.  Yew requires much higher moisture content for survival than osage.  And when a good yew stave starts around $200 and comparable osage for around $40-70, it's more reason for tightwads like me to be careful. 

Eric, I have hunted rabbits in January here in South Dakota with osage.  I remember one hunt we called the "Frozen Foot Bunny Debacle" where many arrows were broken, lost, or thrown away in one case and after four hours at 10 below 0, we were three archers without so much as a single rabbit between us.  Two osage bows, one sinew backed; one hickory bow....none broken, despite the unspoken urge to do so on purpose!  Get out that bow and go hunting!

[Eric Krewson]

I draw my bow frequently in cold weather to limber ME up, I don't wory about the bow.

[George Tsoukalas]

I do leave the bow outside for about 5 mins to acclimate to the cold before shooting. Jawge