West coast favorite arrowshaft material?

[ionicmuffin]

I was wondering what preferences you all have to arrowshaft material from the west coast. Also, where do you normally find them? I am aware that ocean spray shoots and osoberry are also good materials, but where do they grow? what are the terrains that they prefer? I would like to know about that for the ones you all prefer as well as the ones i named

[Peacebow_Coos]

I'm a Coos tribal member, and I've read that we used Elderberry shoots, second year growth.  I've never found any that arent as big as my thumb though.  A foreshaft of oceanspray was used.  I've also heard wild rose and mock orange have been used, or hazel.  seems to me like ocean spray likes the edges of banks and clearcuts on the coast.  Hazel is all around here in western Oregon.  Where are you at?  Not sure about mock orange, but I've seen wild rose in old growth forests down in under the canopy before.  Hope that helps a bit.

[ionicmuffin]

That gives me an idea of where to look! im in western washington. There is TONS of rain and plenty of forests around.

[RabidApache]

I'm in the southwest and my fav so far has been "arrowweed". It grows in sanding washes all along the Colorado river and even up above 4000ft. elevation. Second favorite is phragmites with arrowweed foreshaft. Phragmites is a fairly light reed to be used by itself but when footed with a hardwood or arrowweed foreshaft itmakes an excellent hunting weight arrow.

[Deo]

I live here in central coast of california and spend a lot of time in humboldt and the sierras, from all my wondering around california my favorite arrow shaft material is mock orange and hazelnut, ocean sparay, viburnum, red osier, chokecherry and wild rose. In that order as well except for mock orange and hazel nut which are tied for first. A good place to look for arrow shaft material is along river and creek banks. I find a lot of good stuff down here especially on north slopes of hills. the red osier is the stuff that grows along creek and river banks that turns red during the winter and losses its leaves. Current can also be used for arrow shafts as well as snow berry. look for shafts as thick as your thumb at the base with few nots and no kinks. good luck and have fun. I have a bad addiction on not being able to pass up good arrow shoots  and have a little over a hundred in different stages of production.

[ionicmuffin]

man, thanks for that info! i saw some red osiar or whatever its called, while i was driving! i was drooling and not paying attention! lol. I really am going to have to beg the owners of the house to let me cut some

[Deo]

I scored 30 red osier shoots from behind my moms house last november, the farm workers had cut a few plants down to the ground, the plants seent many straight shoots up and after about 3 to 4 years they were ready for the picking. good luck

[Bryce]

Cedar, spruce, fir, currant, and others mentioned are all exceptional arrow shaft material.

[UserNameTaken]

I've been working on some pacific ninebark arrow shafts. I don't know how they're going to be for finished arrows, but they're the easiest to straighten (which I like) . And, I've heard that it makes good arrows.

[Bryce]

i got doug fir shafts from Carson at http://echoarchery.com/ (plug)
by far the best shafts around, VERY! well made. strong.
even the low end shafts are excellent.

[SixRabbit]

I am on the pacific coast of California in the bay area. I love to use salmonberry. It grows next to creeks under alder trees. Often it grows very straight.  It it really strong, but light and easy to straighten without heat. It has a pith and it easy to drill out to insert a foreshaft. I polish it with horsetail after peeling the bark and drying. I collect shoots of toyon which grows under the shade of other trees for foreshafts. So my ideal combo is salmonberry with toyon

[bow101]

Anyone mention poplar, and how about cherry..?

[JackCrafty]

   Watching this one.  Good stuff.

[Bryce]

I am on the pacific coast of California in the bay area. I love to use salmonberry. It grows next to creeks under alder trees. Often it grows very straight.  It it really strong, but light and easy to straighten without heat. It has a pith and it easy to drill out to insert a foreshaft. I polish it with horsetail after peeling the bark and drying. I collect shoots of toyon which grows under the shade of other trees for foreshafts. So my ideal combo is salmonberry with toyon

Are you sure it's salmon berry? Salmon berry is too frail and is 98% pith. IMHO it wouldn't provide the right characteristics for a suitable shaft material.

[Bryce]

If your looking for a material such as shoot shafts osoberry (or Indian plum)
Is a strong dense hardwood shaft material that grows relatively straight and was created to make great arrows


Our own Dan K. Standing next to the osoberry, this one tree yielded  86 usuable shafts