# Burl Huntin



## BassBlaster (Mar 12, 2012)

In an effort to obtain other things to trade on this site other than my stack of curly maple, I contacted my SIL who has a farm with roughly 500 acres of wooded land. She gave me permission to come and look for burls and to cut any I can find.

Ive never went looking for burls before. Are they common on a wooded lot or will I be wandering the woods all day for nothing? Are there specific species that are more prone to burls than others. I live in central OH, so our most common species are oak, walnut, maple, hickory, etc.

If I do happen to come across some that I can reach without dragging a ladder back there, whats the best way to go about harvesting to get the most out of the burl? Do they need to be sealed right away?

Thanks guys.


----------



## LoneStar (Mar 12, 2012)

rbaccus said:


> PS steal or borrow the honda or hell just go buy one--you deserve it.



 :wacko1:


----------



## BassBlaster (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks for the tips but I'm not concerned with getting it out of the woods. I'm more concerned with the actual cutting since I have never cut a burl from a tree.


----------



## BassBlaster (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks!! I do plan to do some scouting before hauling gear into the woods. My brother in law and I are going this saturday in hunt for burls and shed antlers. Any burls I find, I plan to flag with marking tape and go back at a later date. I didnt think of the cam. I guess if I find anything interesting, I can post a pic and seee what you guys think before I even mess with it.


----------



## bwh3805 (Mar 20, 2012)

There is a learning curve to burl hunting. Its taken me a few years, but I can differentiate an eye burl from a canker burl from 25 yards away. I collect thousands of lbs of burl/year and quickly learned what to harvest and what to leave in the woods. The main thing I look for is the overall shape and the texture of the bark and the burl itself.

You have 2 types of burl, eye burl and canker burl. These knobs that grow over dead branches are NOT burl. Eye burl is always highly desired, but some of the canker burls are actually just as pretty. From everything I have researched and read, burl is the product of an injury which was infected by a bacteria. The eye burls are literally 1000's of dormant buds, the cankers are basically tree cancer although its not detrimental to the health of the tree.

Some tree species are much better than others. For example Sugar maple readily grows burl, but dont waste your time, they are complete crap. Box elder on the other hand, produces probably the best looking burl of ALL the Maples. In my part of the country BEB grows at the base of the tree, but out West they grow up on the trunk.

Oak species are very hit and miss, I've collected many and have only found one which was exceptional. The others still made decent turning stock because of the wild figure and curl, but had no eyes. Oak burls tend to have a swirly pattern.

Pecan, Hickory, and Black walnut tend to produce swirly canker burls. Claro is an exception since its a grafted tree and the burl is produced at the graft. Elm, Hackberry, Honeylocust, and Willow produce some very fine burls.

I've learned to search along wetter areas such as vernal pools, river and creek bottoms, and small swampy areas. And of course old farm and homesteads. But this doesn't mean you cant find them in uplands. I'm just letting you know my preferred hunting grounds.

As a general rule, seal your burls with Anchorseal soon as possible!!! And keep them out of the direct sun. When harvesting from a ladder BE CAREFUL!!! That is very dangerous!

Oh, one more thing. There are a lot more treasures other than burls to be found in the woods. Look for dead and down trees, sometimes you luck out and find nice crotches and spalted wood.

Sorry for the wall of text,
B


----------



## Mike1950 (Mar 20, 2012)

That has got to be a heavy sucker you are sitting on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At my age I think I will stick to burl buying.............


----------



## bwh3805 (Mar 20, 2012)

Mike1950 said:


> That has got to be a heavy sucker you are sitting on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At my age I think I will stick to burl buying.............



That bad boy weighed around 800lbs. I've seen Black ash burls that were big as a pickup cab and I estimated the weight at close to a ton if not more. Those big boys are still waaaayyyyyyy back in the forest :dash2:


----------



## cabomhn (Mar 21, 2012)

rbaccus said:


> Working and playing in the woods for 40 years and covering thousands of acres i doubt if i saw more than 500+burls. have cut and helped on hundreds but i can't recall more than a handfull with eyes here in the south. so everything here is called a burl(not overgrown knots). i cut several over a ton where we could get a 4 wheeler to it. found 2 16-20" ponderosa burls in colo. last summer. they had eyes and solid to boot.:fool3:



I have gone a couple times in the mountains but haven't had too much luck by any means. 

However, burls always seem to have a great way of showing up in places you can't pick them. I was done during spring break on cumberland island in St. Mary's and I counted over a hundred MASSIVE burls, all bigger than I was. Of course, it's a protected island and it's a felony to cut one down! :scare: Maybe worth it?


----------



## BassBlaster (Mar 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the tips guys.

I didnt get to go last Sat like I wanted. I injured my back on Fri evening so I cancelled that trip. Should be ready to go again in a few days. Looks like rain this weekend so maybe next weekend. Thanks again!!


----------



## Mike1950 (Mar 21, 2012)

Make sure when you are up on that ladder that one of them burls aint a huntin YOU. :dash2::dash2::hang1::hang1::dash2::dash2:


----------

