From The Mountains of Montana

I'm pleased to have found this site, and look forward to participating.

I'm a walker/hiker/bird hunter, mostly as a bushwhacker...and retired with time to fiddle with sticks too.

My first hiking stick of 62 inches, was from a red oak sapling in Michigan, back in '88. As my outings in Montana lead to an appreciation of the possibility of running into large varmints...mountain lions, coyotes, and bears, I decided to go to a shorter and stronger stick. Hickory became my first choice...but I didn't know exactly how long they should be for the best fast and powerful swing. And good "impact grade" hickory was somewhat costly.

So, living in the middle of a Douglas-fir forest, with many thousands of saplings available to experiment with, I became a rustic stick maker, using only simple hand tools and developing a little knowledge of the trade. I make my doug-fir sticks thicker to ensure a comparable strength of hickory.

I've been at it now going on three years, and my hiking stick preference has become a "carbine", of about 44-45 inches. And within the last year I've made some walking sticks, rustic Shillelagh style, at about 36 inches. These are good for short walks around the house at night, shorter steps on uneven ground.

I've included a picture of the heart of my collection, with the long red oak on the left and moving towards my carbines and walking sticks on the right. The far right stick was purchased...I love the build in handle.