Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire walking stick

Makes sense, like I stated. It doesn't look like any I have ever seen.

This is an interesting thread. I was recently diagnosed with MS and my symptoms include leg weakness, balance problems and an uneven gate, especially when I'm tired. I use a hickory hoe handle as a walking stick when I'm out and about. It is tough and works really well, but it doesn't really fit in well when out in the public! The Wife and Kids have been nagging me about getting a cane, but for some reason I've been resisting.

I have never owned one, but have known a few people who carried dried bull penises. Those things could flat put a hurting on something if needed.

Since I was not there for the harvest, I was told what it was. One of the six foot staves has a dragon's claw holding a faceted lead Crystal in it's grip. It could be this.:
Blue Beech, (in reference to the blue-gray, smooth bark that is akin to American Beech) is also known as American Hornbeam (compared to the landscape trees known as European Hornbeam), Musclewood (alluding to its muscular-looking wood at maturity), and Ironwood (in reference to its very hard, dense wood). This tree of multiple common names is an understory tree native to the entire eastern half of the United States (including all of Ohio) and southernmost Canada.

It is noted for its interesting mature bark, mature fruits, and fall foliage colors. (Also known as ironwood)

actually i have one of those, steel rod inside it for strength.
little lite tho for intended dual purpose.

Yuppa...







Been carrying this one for over 20 years now. Osage or hedge works great if you can find a straight enough length...

Even if they aren't straight,when it is dry it bends easily and stays when heat is applied with a heat gun. I've created good recurves in Osage bows using a heat gun and form to bend the stave..

Hornbeam is what I know as ironwood. I saw a good bit of it while wandering around the woods in Raleigh County, WV. It does appear to have musles in the trunk. I always intended to get a piece for making a stick, but never did, of course. My current stick is made from a piece of a kieffer pear tree in my yard. After pruning, it sends up arrow-straight suckers off the pruned branches. If allowed to grow a bit, they work well as garden stakes and such. The wood's pretty hard, but I'm not sure how strong it is.

For some reason, beech of any sort is scarce around here, but I saw a bunch on a VA WMA just across the Blue Ridge a couple weeks ago. There's also a fine collection of various beeches in the Virginia State Arboretum about 20 miles away. They're one of my favorite trees.

I own one and have used it, as needed, for more than 17 years.

My Osage Orange walking stick that my wife picked up for $9. I love the thing, I can pick up sticks with the hook end, hang it when not need and club the shiet out of things with it.

Wifey keeps me in line with her great grand pappy's blackthorn!

The Blackthorn is as cool as it gets. Solving a problem w/ it would definitely be more satisfying than an overly civilized shooting and garner more style points. Imagine a prosecutor trying to prosecute someone of our age for self defense w/ their walking stick


mike r

That would be one reason I favor them. It is overlooked in plain sight. It seldom needs to leave your side, and there are fighting techniques based on a cane.

https://youtu.be/6EEeya-C1So

https://youtu.be/hBYb_31Vgko
(Just a couple of examples)

Man-o-man.....
What I wouldn't give to have one like that.

I've got a walking stick that I cut from the limb of Madrone(sp?) tree.
It's very dense, heavy wood.

It's red in color, and looks like it doesn't have any bark.

It's about 5' long and about an inch and a half on the big end.

Makes a GREAT walking stick/club.

Virgil B.

I have always liked having a walking stick or staff. I feel better in rough terrain when I have a third leg. I have staffs and canes mad of various materials and like the confidence they give me. I've often thought a bayonet mount would finish off the staff real nicely. GD

Lol... so do I. I have a Swiss bayonet now awaiting that project.

There's a guy down the road from me that has a hand painted sign at the front of his driveway advertising "handmade rimfire walking sticks"...I haven't checked them out, but if you're interested I could stop and take a look...maybe take some pics...

All the talk about Blackthorne and Osage Orange, how do you think Locust would fare? Never messed with any once it was dried. Fenceposts seem to last a good while..

This one doesn't have much "character" compared to most mentioned (yeah, it's fiberglass), but I've been using one of these in some rough mountains the past couple of years and love it. I've broken or bent a lot of light hiking staffs, even broke one of the boyd's laminate sticks. Works great to steady a rifle on. This one has stood up to everything well...and it's cheap enough I need to get another:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/jolt-54-in-sorting-pole