natural arrow material i have available... what is this ???

[Shooter_G22]

Ok gents,

   i have a few pics id like to post here of some stuff that is all over the woods, that me and the kids hike and train in...

 a couple of months ago the kids on the paintball team asked if i could teach the survival training and i said wed get to it and then we ran into an archery range in the wood we train in and soo i had a few fiberglass youth long bows and some arrows and we started workin on archery and of the boys asked if i could show them how i used to make stick bows when i was a kid so i did and we grabed some of this stuff and made some basic survival arrows and then i went ahead and made a primitive arrow out of one of the shafts we collected... and the boys were like WOW we need to learn how to do all this stuff sooo that's what lead me here to this sight...
    anyhow...
i got off work today and grabed my daypack/hydropak... and my pit bulldog and went on a little hike to grab some of this Natural arrow material and some pics so i could post it and see if ya'll can help me figure out what the heck this stuff is..

   our woods are infested with this stuff soo on a good week end with me and the team we could probably harvest a hundred or so of this shaft stuff with out hiking over a 1/4 mile... and we have a pretty good hiking trail and plenty of woods but i mean it if i told the kids to scatter out and harvest about a dozen shafts each then they could probably do it in about 10-15 min.. easily... we have alot of this stuff around...

 so here are the pics i have quite a few pics so im gonna have to post several msg's bare with me... and please let me know if this is good stuff..  i feel that it is i made a fairly decant arrow with it but i cheated cause i coated it with polyerthan and i used modern glue on the tip and fletch tape on the feathers to hold them in place to wrap the waxed nylon sting i bought a few yrs back @ tandy leather to stitch my leather sheeths for my forged knives...

ill have to take a pic of that arrow ltr... here is the pics of what i gathered up today...


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[Pat B]

That almost looks like Japanese privet. It makes good heavy shafts but checks easily if you strip the bark too soon. I would bundle a mess of shoots and store them in a cool dry place for a few months before working them. If it has cluster of small blackish berries then it is privet(Legustrum).    Pat

[Shooter_G22]

that was the wrong pic sorry these are waht im talikn about

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[Pat B]

I'd still say privet. That seems to have a little bit different growing habit but the opposite leaves look like privet to me.     Pat

[Shooter_G22]

going to try again

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[D. Tiller]

Dog and the last one was a KNIFE! 

[Shooter_G22]

debarked

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[Shooter_G22]

last one !

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[Shooter_G22]

these i grabed look to be a little thin next time i go out im going to make sure i get some a little thicker..

ok but those are  the pics and like i said i got lots of this stuff available to me i just dont know if its worth the harvest and dry time and work to put into them??? 

anybody know what this tuff is and how and what's  the best way to work it???   

[JackCrafty]

You're in Dallas, right?  Looks like Yaupon holly to me...it grows all over central Texas.  It makes excellent arrow shafts and was a favorite of NA's.  Peel the bark off right away (the bark is really tough to get off if you let it dry with the bark on) and seal the ends with wood glue (or whatever) and dry them in a warm place.  They don't check much (if any) and they dry in as little as two weeks.  The wood is very white, light weight, and sands easily.  They are difficult to straighten, so cut only the straightest ones you can find.  It is very similar to privet.....but lighter in weight.
Here's a pic of Yaupon holly:


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[Hillbilly]

I'll second the holly-either yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), or some other species that I'm not familiar with. I've made decent arrows from winterberry holly (I. verticillata).
PS-when asking for a plant ID, a location is quote helpful.

[Pat B]

I can see the serrated leaves that are common with all hollies. I'll have to change my vote to holly and probably yaupon.    You can roast the leaves to make a strong, caffine filled tea that the Native Americans used for ceremonies. The specie name indicated the reaction from drinking the recommended dose.     Pat

[possum]

Really now, Jack, you expect me to believe that?  That's a bird.  Even I know that one.

possum

[JackCrafty]

Possum....heheh....since yer so smart, what kinda bird is it?   And don't say "A little bird"....

[Pat B]

Looks like a female bluebird to me.