Hoosiers Hunting Hedge 2010

[John Scifres]

4 Hoosiers set out to hunt down some wiley hedge this morning.  After a bit of a drive, we found a clump of osage.
 

And after a bit of sawing we got one of the beasts on the ground.

 

Brent doesn't look too tired yet.  This is before the mud!

 

And then the splitting begins.

 

Did I mention the mud.  Oh yea and the mile long hedgerow of solid osage, more than half of which I'd cut in a heartbeat.

[John Scifres]

We gave Billy the first crack at the wedge.  Brent and Joe are supervisin'.  I'm the photographer  

 

Brent and Joe are still supervisin, I'm still picture takin', and Billy's still swingin'.  At least Brent reached up to pick a boogie.

 

Finally they get to movin' while Billy's still a workin'.  I think they just realized I was takin' pictures and wanted to look good for the camera.

 

I think Joe finally decided to quit fakin' like he was workin' and decided to play his axe.

 

All in all it was a good day.  5 osage and 1 hackberry hit the ground in about 5 hours of work.  The ankle deep mud did not make anybody's job easier.  We couldn't even get the tractor back in there so we had to carry everything out.  

In case anybody needs the GPS coordinates for the mile long hedgerow, here they are:

16 degrees 46'31.43" N
3 degrees 00'32.99"W

Bonus points if you can find it  

[Pat B]

I'd just love to see that much osage on the hoof all at one time. A mile long hedge row! The stuff dreams are made of.   I'd like to try that at least once before I kick the bucket.
  From the looks of the multi stemmed cluster in the first pic I'd say someone has been cutting osage there for a while.

[Osagetree]

Thanks for the pics. I think that is some hard but fun work. How did you get those guy's to help? Do they get some wood too or are you keeping it all?

Ya got some good friends there John,,, priceless!

You all got a mile of tree's,,, down here and east of you, I have to walk a mile between trees!

[John Scifres]

We split it even.  At the end of the day, all the pieces go in a pile and we split round robin.  One guy picks, then the next, then the next and so on until the pile is divied between the laborers.  Assuming my guessing is right on the way my share will split out into staves and billets, I got 20 bows worth.

[NightHawk]

fun day..long but fun

[b.glass]

ALOT of hard work!! Looks great though! Wish I could be there help'n.

[Tom Leemans]

That's about as much fun as me busting up an old concrete slab last Thursday, except you got some osage staves! LOL

[DVSHUNTER]

pretty nice rowyou have there john. I had to check to make sure it isn't the one  I have here in missouri. Thanks for the pictures.


Dave

[DVSHUNTER]

pretty nice rowyou have there john. I had to check to make sure it isn't the one  I have here in missouri. Thanks for the pictures.


Dave

[NightHawk]

supervising is hard work as I'm stiff and sore 2 days later lol It would have been easier if we didn't have 2 ft of mud to trudge through


 Mr Bill (billy) missed his calling that man should have been a lumberjack lol he swung that sledge like it was a 16oz claw hammer!! I told him I was going to rename him John Henry

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by John Scifres:
 

In case anybody needs the GPS coordinates for the mile long hedgerow, here they are:

16 degrees 46'31.43" N
3 degrees 00'32.99"W

Bonus points if you can find it    

It wasn't in Switzerland County was it?

[Flinttim]

I'm not sure there's that much flat ground in all of Switzerland Co.

[John Scifres]

Plug the coordinates into google earth and it will take you right to it  

Switzerland is kinda sorta close

[b.glass]

Ya, Switzerland the COUNTRY!

[scrub-buster]

There are a few flat areas in Switzerland Co., just not around me.

[Swissbow]

Hi John, can you tell me where in Switzerland you found that long row of osage ? I really would love to know, so I could go and cut me some osage as well.

BTW we have some small flat spots around here, but unfortunately no osage at all. To bad...  d:-(

----------
Andy

[John Scifres]

I said it's sorta, kinda close to Switzerland, not in it.  OK, it's nowhere near Switzerland, the country or the county  

The alleged location is 2000 miles south of the country and about 5200 miles southeast of the county.