2011 hill cane harvest

[hova]

kelly : i dont know if your article shows it , but they just recently discovered hill cane as its own species. i have some river cane that tshooter sent me , and i did absolutely nothing to the tip of the one arrow , andn just to see , i shot it at a rock. basically it bounced back and almost hit me (dumb i know) , but there was hardly any mark on it at all. the slightest little peening on the edge.


with a hardwood or metal insert , im calling them bombproof. you better believe im going to be planting a crapton and a half of river cane once i get into my place...if it ever happens...


pat: if you ever decide to split that hill cane , let me know , i would love a rhizome or two of it.


-hov

[Roy from Pa]

Bona, at the top of your PC screen, there could be a little icon that is for compatibilty view. Mine looks like a piece of paper torn in half. Try that.

Very nice arrows Pat.

[Pat B]

Hova, ain't no splitting to it. The stuff takes over. I uncover rhyzomes all over and not even near where the cane patchs are.  I'll be happy to send you some. One problem with transplanting bamboo is if you cut the top growth(culms) off of a transplant it takes forever for the new culms to grow big enough for arrows. If you keep the top growth(culms) on it will send up tall culms the next year.   AND! it is quite invasive if you have limited area to plant it.

[b.glass]

When I clicked on this thread today the pictures were there. Thanks everyone.

That should keep you busy for a while Pat!

[Pat B]

I'll have to wait for the snow to melt now before I can collect more.

[Dave Bowers]

Beautiful arrows  

I recently found some cane growing locally and plan on harvesting a few dozen as well.

[hova]

pat : what do you mean if you cut the culm . i would think you would trim them back. anytime you come up with a piece of rhizome , or if you feel like sending a culm with a little root , let me know.


i have plenty of room for arrows.


have fun straitening all that boo!
p-hov

[Jim Dahlberg]

Nice arrows, Pat!  Sure wish we had cane growth in our area!  Oh well, Martha Stewart bamboo garden stakes will have to do.

[Pat B]

Hova, for some reason when you cut the culms off the rhyzome for transplanting it stunts the top growth(culm, cane). Even when they come back they are smaller and it takes a few years to grow to normal height. I've tried this with other bamboos and it seems universal.
 Jim, if you selectively pic through Martha's plant stakes you can make some very fine arrows. Those are either Japaneese Arrow Bamboo or Tonkin Bamboo.
 Dave, when you go to harvest the local cane be sure you cut only mature culms. Cane shoots(culms) have a 3 year life cycle(from my observations). The first year of growth it will grow to it's ultimate height. The second year it matures and by the end of the 3rd growing season that culm dies. Ideally you want to cut your cane after the 2nd growing season but before it turns tan in color at the end of the 3rd year. One way to tell is if the paper-like sheath is deteriorating or is already come off. That sheath protects the new buds at the nodes. Once they harden off the protective sheath is no longer needed for proetection.
 I let freshly cut cane sit for a month or so, usually wrapped in bundles of like sized culms. After a month a bit of drying has taken place. If the culms are not mature you will notice longitudinal wrinkles in the skin of the culm. These are usually too light and flimsey for arrows.

[KellyG]

If you get a chance Pat could you show us some PICs as you go along. I know it is a long process but I ant going any where for 9+ months.
Kelly

[Pat B]

Sure Kelly, I'll try to get something up when I get to that point.

[ber643]

I love this thread and new (to me) info on the "Hill" cane. I also love my own cane arrows , and even more/deeper feelings for some that Art made me a few years back. I even have a crooked old (straight shooting) arrow Pat made/gave me that is one of my favs too - a beauty out of a Sourwood shoot that even has a (real) snakeskin wrap on it. Mostly the canes are what I always use/shoot with (all of) my all wood bows (though I do throw some lovely woods with them from time to time too - LOL)

(Don't hate me for using carbons with my Anneewakee Addiction lam bow, guys - LOL I do use Turkey fletchings for my hunters, and have to get some more "Zonkers" so I can go back to tracers for those too - I really like those (tracers) I have on some of my canes and woods). I'm such a "mixmaster" of a guy anymore it'll be a miracle if I don't become a "multiple split personality" case study in my old age here.

[Art B]

That switch cane does make some fine arrows! Glad to hear that you still have a few left Bernie. Hey, don't feel bad 'bout shooting carbon arrows, heck, I would be shooting them myself if they were free for harvest......Art

[ber643]

LOL - well, I did get 2 dozen free from a friend who switched to some different (brand) ones - so that may have a bearing on my use of them -     :D   I have all (that you so kindly made me) but two (I think it is), My friend, and use them often. Just got a new (to me) Osage bow from Stiks-n-Strings (see my "A (very special) Christmas Gift" thread, under PowWow, buddy.

[Dan Landis]

Would the bamboo patches I see growing in southern PA. be useable for arrows?


Dan

[Pat B]

Could very well be Dan. Ask your county agent.

[ber643]

If your county agent happens to tell you they are "Tonkin" cane - run, don't walk, to the nearest patch and harvest heavilly - LOL (I love Tonkins too).

[Art B]

That's one cool bow all right Bernie! A very nice gift indeed. Congratulations!

That cane arrow in the last photo looks familiar  :D  . One I repaired I believe.......Art

[ber643]

Yep, That was the first one I broke, then I repaired one (field point), and then I  "crashed" a couple (field points) on a couple Iron man courses, as I recall (that I still need to repair). I only lost two - one at Hickory, NC and one at Lake Stevens, WV. No  - I also lost one (ricochet) right here in my own back yard - that one still drives me crazy from time to time - LOL. I've even completely moved a couple of brush piles, and taken my metal detector out 4-or 5 times without luck. I have about decided it took the notion and went back to WV -    

[shikari]

forget the arrow stuff Pat get to work on the hornbow,lol.good looking stuff.I have to say the shoots you sent me made some fantastic arrows.I even made one with a buffhorn arrowhead and it kept a descent edge as well.