Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Morgan on September 08, 2017, 03:53:17 pm
-
So, I went down to the creek and cut 27 canes yesterday for making arrows. This is my first go with this. Yesterday afternoon I was reading several posts on here about this and am now worried that I cut first year growth. All the shoots looked the same in this canebreak, the only variance was size. Each node had a leaf encompassing it growing upward. Under thet leaf, was twig branches with leaves on them. Like I said, every shoot in this break was like this. Is it all first year cane? This particular cane break isn't large, but has been there since I was a kid, so I know it is established and should have mature cane in it. There was a lot of cane that was soft and easily bent, I passed that by.
If what I got was first year, is it all trash, or can it be used?
-
You'll be able to tell is it is first year growth in a few weeks when it starts to dry. Young shoots will wrinkle lengthwise and mature ones won't.
Where do you live? River cane grows to about 15' tall and about 3/4" in diameter. Switch cane grows to 6' to 7' tall and to a little over 3/8" in diameter. Switch cane makes very good arrows. River cane makes good arrows but it has thinner walls and a more pronounced node so the shaft is pretty irregular.
-
Pat, I live in northeast Oklahoma. Fairly certain this is river cane, nodes are pretty pronounced and the wall isn't real heavy . In the bigger cane breaks on the river bottom the cane gets bigger than the break I went to. Most of the cane in this break was 1/2" or smaller and not growing as dense as some of the others I know of. Might put my kayak in the creek and go to some of the bigger ones I know of if these don't work.
-
I bundled the cane and put it in the car to dry. Anything wrong with that?
-
Pat,Just pulled the bundle out of the car. There are wrinkles running lengthways already. Does this mean it is not useable?
-
They may make arrows but they will be weak spine. Let them dry and see if they are too whipy.