Guess I should have read the title.

Dead yew I don't know about,dead Osage is usually good if you go down deep.

If I have a questionable piece of I wood I usually take a small piece off
of it and make a little bow and bend test,you can tell by doing this if it will take a bend or not most of the time. It saves time on working on a piece of wood that isn't going to make a bow.

Don't
mind to bad blowing one but I at least want it to be my fault and not just a bad piece of wood
that no one could have made a shooter from.

Pappy