Cane material in PA

[dmann]

I live in southeast Pennsylvania and i was wondering if there is any cane material that would make arrows

Thanks
      David

[Pat B]

David, You might be a bit north for the native canes but introduced cane are probably in your area that would be suitable for arrows. You may have to do a bit of foot work in wild areas to see if any are available. You can also call your county ag agent and see if he knows of any.
   

[dmann]

thanks pat i got this crapy cane like material once but it didnt work and worse i had to sneak around cause it was private property

[Pat B]

Someone recently posted a place in Fla you can buy bundles of cane to make arrows. I think it is near Mullet's house. You might also be able to trade someone for a few dozen cane shoots from their bundle.There are other options like red osier dogwood or viburnum that grow near you that make excellent arrows.

[dmann]

i didnt know that dogwood grew near me, i thought it grew out west

[Pat B]

There are lots of different dogwoods(Cornus) and they are basically cool to cold climate woods. Red osier is a bush type dogwood that makes very good arrows. The new stems are red with bright green leaves and the fruit is white clusters. Likes wet areas. Used in landscapes also as are lots of different viburnums.

[dmann]

Thanks Pat i will definetly keep my eyes open.

[Hillbilly]

According to the USDA map, there's some Japanese arrow bamboo somewhere in Eastern PA. No native cane. The crappy cane you found may have been Phragmites reed or Arundo grass. Here's the range map for the arrow boo:



As Pat said, you should have plenty of shoot materials. You have red osier, silky, gray, and rough-leaved dogwoods growing in your area, and a couple species of arrowwood viburnum.