Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Eric Krewson on May 06, 2019, 05:46:58 am
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A guy opened up an archery tournament locally, mostly for wheels but I felt the need to go out and support him. I didn't keep score and walked the course with a friend who was badly injured in a car accident who wanted to get out but couldn't shoot a bow.
I went to sign up and noticed several osage trees behind the sign in desk. I pointed them out to the guy running the shoot and gave him a quick lesson in what was bow quality wood and what wasn't.
My friend and I started the course and then we saw it; the course was set up in an osage grove, probably 50 trees or more. The whole farm was covered up with osage and we only saw a fraction of it.
As with all osage only a few trees were bow quality, but almost every one had a sprout for staves or trunk that would make perfect billets.
What made this unusual was we have osage trees around, usually in scattered groups of two or three, never an absolute thicket of them.
The sad part is the guy running the tournament said we could cut whatever we wanted to but both Joe and I are too old and beat up to be able to ever cut osage again. He is 77 and currently in rigid collar with a broken neck from the accident and I am 71 and recovering from back fusion and hernia surgery that went poorly, heavy lifting is out for me.
It was nice to drool over osage, lots of osage, I guess the lust for the stuff never leaves us bowmakers.
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Hope you both enjoyed yourselves Eric. I know your right. I know I'll never look at a tree the same as I did before I began this journey.
Bjrogg
PS I'm sure you could still see what that bow wood looked like when it was done in your head.
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You ain't in too bad of shape if you walked and shot a round with your ailments. Hang in there.
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You need to find some young person who will work for steaks, beer, and staves! And bow making lessons! Our black powder club had a work day a while back and the youngest guy there was 61! We recruited some younger folks since then! I know how those various aches and pains can slow you down, but keep moving!
Hawkdancer
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You need to find some young person who will work for steaks, beer, and staves! And bow making lessons! Our black powder club had a work day a while back and the youngest guy there was 61! We recruited some younger folks since then! I know how those various aches and pains can slow you down, but keep moving!
Hawkdancer
I'd do it for a convenience store hot dog and a generic soda just for the chance to hang with you for a day, Eric.
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I'm a young(ish) person in Alabama and I will happily work for staves and food (not beer, gave that up). Was this thicket here in Alabama? I never see Osage around me
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Muscle Shoals, lots of osage up here, I don't think the guy would go for mass cutting.
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That's just a couple hours from me. If you get a hankering to get a few staves let me know, I can work out some travel time and bring a chainsaw or two. Got to work out kid logistics - but I'd figure that out for some 'sage.