Trad Gang

I have access to a few(3) osage trees in western VA, Fincastle area.  The trees are about 10"-14" diameter trunks.  Trunk extends unbranched about 7'-8'.  I was going to get with Bob Walker and cut them but we haven't been able to coordinate schedules so he told me to see if I could get someone else to help out.  

Anyone else interested in helping for a share of the harvest?  I'm thinking we'll need a tractor/4-wheeler to drag out the logs unless we split them first.  I can get access to more than the three trees if someone is ambitious and thinks we can get more done in a day.  I have this Saturday free and after that it will have to be coordinated.

Any takers?

Jesse, what is the terrain like to the trees? PM me or call me at 804 852 0768

PM sent.

give either Ed or me a call and we can try and work something out.  might have to split them where they fall. i have some time during the week and on sunday the 8th.  804.402.6900

PM returned

Looks like Ed and I will try to cut some on the 7th, and maybe do some shooting afterwards.  Thanks for the offer Paleface but Sundays don't work for me.  If anyone else wants to help out let me know.  I've got access to quite a bit of osage, and a stump shoot afterwards would be fun.

PM sent

PM Reply sent Cheesie.

how'd ya'll do? send us all some pics

Okay Chessieboy here's the update.  Ed and two of his boys met me and a friend of mine from Atlanta at 8:30am.  We then caravaned to the site and did a little recon.  Ed was able to get his beefy F350 down to where the trees were and save us a lot of work hauling.  Here's a look at the group of trees we had selected.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/trees.jpg

Here's a look at our enthusiastic crew.
   http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/crew.jpg

Don't they look ready to go?
My friend Steve on the left, Seth in the middle, and Sean(or is it Shawn?).

The first tree came down pretty quick and we got it cut into several 6' lengths.  The second and third were a little more work as they were one tree that had two trunks grown together.  We were able to get the smaller section down with a little wedge work, but it fell right where we wanted it, and was sectioned off fast.  The last trunk was a big one and we could tell it would cause trouble.  Because the way the two trunks grew together all of the limbs on the big trunk grew the on the opposite side of where we wanted it to drop.  We nocked one side heavily and then cut above the nock but the tree wouldn't go. It was being held up by the limbs resting on the trees behind us.  Ed decided a little "persuading" was in order.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/hauling.jpg

And down it came!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/pulling.jpg

This was about 22" across at the base, and heavy!!  Good thing Ed was a big guy.  I think he was beginning to see why I wanted someone else for all the heavy lifting.

After a little over 3 hours we had our golden reward.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/reward.jpg  

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/myhaul.jpg

Ed thought I was being overly generous with him, but I told him to wait until he was done splitting all that wood before he made up his mind.  I plan on having the big log milled to a bunch of 1"x2" and 1"x4".  Will I need to seal the whole length of every board after milling?  We were hot and hungry so we went and got something to eat and then went swimming in a nearby mountain stream.  Afterwards we went to my house for a little stump shooting.

Ed was kind enough to think of my twins and brought them two bows his granddad had given his boys.  Thanks again Ed for that gracious gift.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/gifts.jpg)

Here's Caleb with his new bow.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/caleb.jpg)

And here's Emma:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/emma.jpg)
I was so busy helping them shoot that I didn't take any pics of them shooting.  Hopefully Ed did.

After some warm-up shots and giving my kids their first instructions in shooting we headed off to do a little stump shooting.  Caleb and Emma were disappointed that they didn't get to tag along.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/hiho.jpg)

Not to be Charlie-esque but I'm going to go to bed now because I'm beat.  I'll throw some stumping pics up later and maybe Ed will get on and add his pics.

Looks like you guys did a lot of work and had some great fun. Let me know next time you're goine out.

Good story and pics! Cute kids!

Noth'n in the world better than osage, arrows, friends and family! Unless your hungry,,, then food comes to mind!

 :bigsmyl:    :thumbsup:    :clapper:

Whew, that is some rough looking osage. Save yourself some grief and go for billets on the stuff with limbs. Not much bow wood in a trunk with large limbs sticking out of it.

was wore out myself by the time we got home and telling momma and the other two about our great day. will post some pic and tell a story later as i am still learning the photobooth site. It was a great day for myself and my boy's. No sooner had we left and both of them went to sleep to leave ole dad to do all the driving.LOL You got it right Chuck it is Sean. More to follow.   :campfire:    :archer:

was wore out myself by the time we got home and telling momma and the other two about our great day. will post some pic and tell a story later as i am still learning the photobooth site. It was a great day for myself and my boy's. No sooner had we left and both of them went to sleep to leave ole dad to do all the driving.LOL You got it right Chuck it is Sean. More to follow.   :campfire:    :archer:

Opps! How did that happen?   :help:    :banghead:

Keyboard hiccupped.  :goldtooth:  
So what did Caleb and Emma do while everybody else went shooting? That is some gnarly looking osage, any idea how long it took to get that big and tangled?

Killdeer

Well alright!  It's good to see that you hosted another adventure Talondale.  I really wanted in on this one, almost as much as the squirrel hunt/STAR shoot.  Either I'm going to quit leaving town or you'll have to start planning these things more in advance.....

Glad to see you had a good time.  Good luck with the yella wood and thanks for the pics.  Keep the kids shooting straight!

The first stump we shot at I glanced my arrow of the edge and promptly lost it in the under brush.  We decided to concentrate on dirt clumps rather than my hard stumps.  We found lots of turkey sign.  Sean used a feather we found to swat the gnats that kept getting in our eyes.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/bravescout.jpg)

My friend Steve is a stranger to trad bows, having given up his compound for a x-bow, but he took to the Bear target bow like a fish to water.  He was definitely competitive.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/rookie.jpg)

But the man of the hour was definitely Ed.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/pickaspot.jpg)
Here he is with his beer can hero pic.  He had a magnet in the end of his arrow.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/heropic.jpg)

Too soon it was time for goodbyes.  Thanks for a good time and all the help.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Osage/farewell.jpg)

Hey I think you got some great experience cutting Osage and you're gonna have even more fun splitting it. I would split it in halves first, paint the ends w/ shellac IMMEDIATELY and let them sit for a year or two before splitting them any further. IF you take the wood down to stave size now it will twist as it dries, thus becoming worthless. Also up here in MO I like to cut the trees in Jan or Feb when the sap is down. It cracks more when it dries if there is more sap in it. If you see the bark twisting at  all as it goes up the trunk, it won't split straight and is worthbless. You may want to get the Boyers Bible Vol. 1. Hey, it looks like a lot of fun with your family though, and that's the most important thing anyway. good luck.

well the split'n has commenced!     :help:    Chuck, Ed must have said 100 times last night how generous you were.  however by the time we finished up he was saying some other choice words about ya!    :mad:      

just kidding of course.   :biglaugh:                      :biglaugh:    

i must have slept wrong last night my back is sore this morning.      

   (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/commercial/photos/redarrowfilms/osagesplitn-007.jpg)

Love the looks of that yellar wood...Looks like a good time was had by all as well.   :campfire: