Stalking sticks

[Spix]

It's a testament to the careful nature of you lot that this has sailed past 500 views with no one prepared to chance an answer, not even a pot shot !

 

[User00003]

It's a testament to the careful nature of you lot that this has sailed past 500 views with no one prepared to chance an answer, not even a pot shot !

but has there not been 2-3 pages of people saying they make their own sticks..or am I missing the point?

I personally make my own twins from B&Q canes with pipe insulation at the tips, but use an 8' single hazel stick on the hill. Hell, I even have made and use my own bipod from two thinner 10" sticks, so I don't need to 'wear' a bipod but can use them if/when as they fold and sit in my leg pocket of my trousers.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Give us a clue!

 

[marrajack]

but has there not been 2-3 pages of people saying they make their own sticks..or am I missing the point?

I personally make my own twins from B&Q canes with pipe insulation at the tips, but use an 8' single hazel stick on the hill. Hell, I even have made and use my own bipod from two thinner 10" sticks, so I don't need to 'wear' a bipod but can use them if/when as they fold and sit in my leg pocket of my trousers. I tried doing the small bipod, but it kept collapsing, any tips?

 

[User00003]

but has there not been 2-3 pages of people saying they make their own sticks..or am I missing the point?

I personally make my own twins from B&Q canes with pipe insulation at the tips, but use an 8' single hazel stick on the hill. Hell, I even have made and use my own bipod from two thinner 10" sticks, so I don't need to 'wear' a bipod but can use them if/when as they fold and sit in my leg pocket of my trousers. I tried doing the small bipod, but it kept collapsing, any tips?

yes you need to have the legs pointed and sharp in the tips so they 'grip' the ground, also if more is needed, put a bit of string halfway down so they can only collapse 'so far', in case they do slip.

I have found though, that with the legs being quite pointed in the ends, which can be upkept with my knife before a stalk, they stick just fine. on a carpet in the living room to 'test' them, they will collapse like a drunk dutchman.

 

[marrajack]

Thanks for that, aye I tred them at home, so the spikes will grip on ground- will give it a go. All the best and good sport

 

[Spix]

Give us a clue!

This has given me a few days entertainment, for which I am grateful, particularly as you have had the answer staring you in the face so to speak !

 

[Spix]

Here's a stick that I finished recently. The original shank was about 8', seasoned for three years. Should be easy to guess the species :

View attachment 29327View attachment 29328


And, no, it's not a twiglet !

Flown past 800 views now still no one willing to have a stab at it ...

 

[Treeehorse]

Elder

 

[Spix]

Elder

Not a bad guess, considering the thread started with an elder bush, but not elder, the grain isn't straight enough for elder.

I do like elder for stickmaking though. It's resolutely straight, quick to season, very hard and strong and if peeled and aged can assume the colour of ivory. Lots of potential for stalking poles as the bushes can get to 20 to 30 feet in height. S

 

[Treeehorse]

Apple? Or some kind of thorn? I am a tree surgeon and work with wood all the time so its a bit frustrating! It didn't look like elder to me but was kind of an educated guess. Its got an unusual grain.
I thought elder would be useless as a seasoned stick due to the large amount of pith in the centre of younger stems. Does it not end up hollow? I would have thought by the time the stem was old enough to have a dense enough centre it would be too large in diameter for a walking/stalking stick?

 

[Spix]

Apple? Or some kind of thorn?

Not either although apple would potentially give the length, this stick was about 8' when cut. Thorn can give a nice oval cross section on occasion but this one is round.

I am a tree surgeon and work with wood all the time so its a bit frustrating!

Three nil then !

Its got an unusual grain.

And therein lies the answer.

I thought elder would be useless as a seasoned stick due to the large amount of pith in the centre of younger stems. Does it not end up hollow? I would have thought by the time the stem was old enough to have a dense enough centre it would be too large in diameter for a walking/stalking stick?

For brushing I have a 20 year old elder thumbstick, almost prefectly naturally straight, light and very strong. It's lived outside all these years in all weathers. On a shoot at Glemham years ago one of the lads said it was unusual to see an "elm" stick, to which the bark is similar, but it's elder. I find it useful and yes in the last couple of wet summers (2011, 2012) there has been a lot of quick grown pithy elder. Only the young growth (1-2 years) is very pithy, left a while and you can find some good sticks, not always hollow. I cut a few last winter from older growth for knob & pistol butt sticks, remind me in a year or so when they're done. If I chop my elder stalking stick I'll photograph the cross-section but that may be in 20 years time ! S