Best time to harvest osage?

[DV IN MN]

When is the best time other than when you can? Winter, spring, summer? If I get back to harvest some it would be late spring or in the summer, so I am wondering if I wait until winter.
Also if I strip the bark, seal the back and ends and then put pressure on the back and add 5-6 of set will it hold the set? Thinking of using a cum-a-long and pulling the wood into a 5-6'' set and then using chains and wood to hold it while it dries for a year or more. It would be drying inside.

[crooketarrow]

   I've cut lots at all times. I can't really say it mattters.
  But I do is this after it's cut and it's still green. I'll take the staves cut them down not quite to bow form. I'll cut them as long as 75 or 80"s. Put them on saw horses. And hang a cinder block in the middle. One or two blocks  depending on the thickness of the stave or how much deflex I want in the stave.
  I was taught how to do this when I first started building bows. By and old IROQOUIS friend,bowyer,mentor that did'nt use heat on this staves. Although I always did this to my staves. It took me 10 years before

[gstoneberg]

I'm the same way.  I cut osage whenever I get the chance, or find a good tree.  I guess if I had my druthers, I'd cut in the winter when the sap was down.  But, most of my bow wood comes from people who want to get rid of an osage tree so I do it on their timetable.

George

[cowboy]

I would have to say - cut it whenever ya get the chance. Time of year on osage I'm not sure. Like whitewoods I've always heard while the sap is up during the spring through fall is easiest to get the sapwood off. But wet or dry gettin all that off is a measure of work. I have a bunch of em and the only problem I have is the bugs if I don't peel and seal em right off .

[osage outlaw]

I'm not sure if it really matters.  Osage is heavy wood, and I usually have to carry the logs a good way before I can get it to a truck, so I try to cut it in late winter/early spring while it is still cool outside and before everything starts to green up.  I cut some in a dry creek bed in summer one time.  Nearly killed myself trying to get 10" logs up the small hill to the truck.