Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Slackbunny on February 13, 2013, 03:45:52 pm

Title: Are these maple?
Post by: Slackbunny on February 13, 2013, 03:45:52 pm
So I think at least a few of these are maple of some kind. I think they're either sugar, red or silver maple but I can't be sure without the leaves. Some of them I am more confident about than others, but I'm not certain about any of them. I want to tap them for maple syrup, so if you guys could confirm if they are any of those species that would be great. I only have pics of the bark, but I can try to get different pics if you guys need them. They're only a couple minutes walk from my doorway.

Here is tree #1
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00643_zps8c3e341b.jpg)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00645_zps5b825e22.jpg)


Tree #2
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00646_zps4fe1c287.jpg)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00648_zpse8add57d.jpg)


Tree #3
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00649_zps7debaa14.jpg)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00650_zpse7dc0cc3.jpg)


Tree #4
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00652_zpsc485c529.jpg)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00653_zpsf0b84a39.jpg)


TREE #5
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00655_zps95d31dfa.jpg)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/DSC00656_zps2cd124a9.jpg)

Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: PrimitiveTim on February 13, 2013, 04:03:26 pm
It's possible.  Need leaves to tell for sure though.  Down here in Florida the maples' leaves turn bright red and yellow when the weather starts acting like Fall.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Slackbunny on February 13, 2013, 04:08:49 pm
The more pics I look at, the more I think that they're either silver or red maple, but I just don't know.

Edit: Okay I did some digging around in the snow, and I did manage to find dead leaves on the ground in the vicinity. There are both red and silver maple leaves on the ground in abundance and a handful of sugar maple ones too, but I can't say for sure which trees they came from or if they simply blew in.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Pat B on February 13, 2013, 04:24:37 pm
The sugar maples around here have a scally bark and the reds have smooth bark.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 13, 2013, 05:23:00 pm
I dont believe those are hard/sugar maples. Probably red or silver, neither are good bow wood.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Slackbunny on February 13, 2013, 05:24:17 pm
Well, I think I might tap them anyway, just to see. I am pretty sure they are maples.

Would there be a way I could tell by the color or taste of the sap? Or would I just have to boil it down and see if it tastes like maple syrup?
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Pat B on February 13, 2013, 05:40:00 pm
You can tap birch trees too I believe.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 13, 2013, 06:37:46 pm
Ive been told you can make syrup from almost any tree sap. Just something I heard.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: chigger on February 13, 2013, 07:13:49 pm
The top pic and the bottom two are Silver ,the third is a Maple and may be a Sugar ,the others I can't tell ..This might help.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: bow101 on February 13, 2013, 07:45:32 pm
It's possible.  Need leaves to tell for sure though.  Down here in Florida the maples' leaves turn bright red and yellow when the weather starts acting like Fall.

Well ther e would not any leaves on the Tree if it was maple, would have to dig under the snow to identify.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: trad bow on February 13, 2013, 08:54:20 pm
I don't know for sure but that white stuff sure looks like our river sand down here. ;D :laugh:
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 13, 2013, 09:40:26 pm
I just looked at your location. Dang what a small world. I hunted with Don Hebert in 2003, I bleieve it was in Moncton or St Anne De Kent? I have covered the western provinces and yours is thee best without question. I love New Brunswick.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Marc St Louis on February 13, 2013, 09:48:32 pm
You can tell the difference between Red and Sugar Maple by the leaf bud, Sugar is pointy and red rounded.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: turtle on February 13, 2013, 09:49:11 pm
The smaller ones look like silver maple. Not sure about the other ones. Read somewhere once that box elder has the same sugar content as sugar maple( around 7%) most other maples around 2-3%.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Slackbunny on February 13, 2013, 09:51:12 pm
I just looked at your location. Dang what a small world. I hunted with Don Hebert in 2003, I bleieve it was in Moncton or St Anne De Kent? I have covered the western provinces and yours is thee best without question. I love New Brunswick.

Yeah I live about an hour and twenty minutes from Moncton. Its a pretty great place to live, and a decent place to hunt. The deer population has taken a licking over the past few winters but the moose and black bear are all over the place.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 13, 2013, 10:59:20 pm
The deer where far and few between when I was there. All the local guys took their deer hunting pretty serious and it seems one in twenty seen a deer. I just chuckled because we average 18-30 per square mile here, kind of like the bears over there. They are everywhere. I enjoyed my week there more than anywhere else Ive been. The people where great everywhere we went. The old folks smelt fishing down at the docks where even nice, in French! It took 24 hours to drive there, but so worth it. Grand Falls blew my mind when we drove through.
Title: Re: Are these maple?
Post by: Slackbunny on February 14, 2013, 09:11:51 am
We're on the northern edge of the whitetail range. Our winters are a little harsh for them, so if we have a few hard ones in  row it can cut their numbers by more than half.

New Brunswick is a little strange with its languages. Geographically its mostly French country, but population wise, most people are primarily English speaking.

I have a hard time thinking of the French as polite because I've played hockey against them my whole life and lets just say there's a bit of a rivalry, haha  :P. But its all in good fun, a few teeth fly and then we're all friends again lol

Grand Falls is pretty cool, but I've seen it so many times that I guess I forget just how cool it really is to people seeing it for the first time.

I like it here, unfortunately the jobs situation is a little depressing around here. A lot of us have to leave, and go out west to cash in on the Oil Sands, and the natural gas in Alberta. Once I graduate university, I may not be able to stay  :(