privet is my new favorite arrow wood here in Pennsylvania.

[ntvbowyer1969]

[/img]I have had tried many types of shoot arrows here in Pa. Dogwood,viburnum,wild holly,wild rose. None of these have compared to privet for availability,strength,great bare shaft weight,very straight shoots available, and straightens easy with heat. It also stays very straight once final adjustments are made. I had a doe this year fall over on a arrow after i shot it and the arrow never broke. The other doe i shot was with a 680gr arrow and i had a complete pass through and went 6" into the ground on exit side. If any one has a chance give them a try i am a true believer and found my new favorite arrow wood. In the pics are my bundles i harvest this year. In the pics is bundles of privet and wild rose (which i still use also). In the other pics are shafts that i cut last year. They are only bark stripped and lightly sanded. They are just hand straightened throughout the year and i have yet to heat them and do final tweeking yet.



[/img]

[Pat B]

Privet is very tough and there is plenty of it out there for the taking. Those should make great arrows.

[bjrogg]

Sounds like I need to find some privet. Don't know anything about it but going to look it up.
Bjrogg

[Pat B]

BJ, privet is an invasive exotic that is taking over the Eastern US. It puts out lots of fruit that birds love...and the rest is history. Makes good bow wood too but it has a tendency to check while drying, especially the bigger stuff.

[bjrogg]

Thanks Pat, I was kinda guessing that but wasn't sure. I don't know of it here in Michigan but I'll do some research on it.
Bjrogg

[archeryrob]

Privit is an invasive plant used for hedges that has gotten away. Its not natural and might be hard for some people to find and some might be overloaded with it. It is a good hardwood and I am sure you will be very happy with it.

[Sockrablur]

any pictures of the bush as you find it in the wild? nothing I goggle looks familiar here in NY. I would love to find some to dry and work.

[Eric Krewson]

I have tried local privet, perhaps I didn't find the right patch but although I cut straight shoots and dried them well they wouldn't stay straight and were mushy, very easy to bend even though they spined out at 55-60.

Here is a picture of one of my former favorite deer hunting spots after the tornado went through. It was once a perfect place to hunt with huge oaks 3' across the base and a clear forest floor. After the tornado the privet grew like weeds so thick you can't walk through it and 15 feet tall. The hogs moved in and the deer population dropped to almost nothing.

The privet is the tall green stuff on the left, the clear area is a slough that is under water when the Tennessee river and Pickwick lake is brought up to spring and summer pool;

[Sockrablur]

Thanks Eric... it looks to be some bushy looking stuff that goes well over 6 feet... maybe I have seen it. another excuse to walk around and not find sheds lol

[ntvbowyer1969]

Eric all the privet i have cut dries like a rock. I dry mine from Feb. until the start of August.  After it has been straightened with heat it stays put . Sock,if you do a google search on pics of privet you can search in winter, summer,leaves, and berries.. This will help with the identification all times of the year. Right now they are bare and pics wont help you as much as seeing a bunch of pics throughout the season. The pics i have are all the ones that are already cut. sorry.

[Sockrablur]

Thank you... I enjoy looking around and collecting materials.

[nsherve]

Is there any issue with the small knots where the branches come off the sprouts? There's privet all the place here in AL, of course... It's pretty good for the honeybees, even though I really hate it. You can bushhog it, spray it, uproot it, etc. every day for years, and it still grows.

[ntvbowyer1969]

yes it will grow tiny bumps on the arrows to be cut that new little branches will start to grow. once dried out and i strip the bark (with a knife) i hold it againt the shaft and swiftly swipe those bumps and cut them as close as i can to the main shaft, then when sanding shaft i use 60gr/80gr on those bumps first and make them flat to shaft. I do this before sanding the whole shaft.

[Hawkdancer]

Might have to try to work a trade for some shafts!  I don't think it has gotten loose in Colorado yet, it may not be very cold hardy!  -20 degrees will kill a lot of plants, and flash freezes will get many as well!
Hawkdancer