Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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I've seen different #s for the same wood on different charts, but the Firewood Hoarders Club chart I'm looking at lists Bradford Pear at 21.6, the same as White Ash and Apple.
I'm not saying I'm right, I just googled it and that was the first one. I got a load of it this Spring so I'll see how it burns. Seems to rot fast though.
 
And who would of thought to burn Bradford Pear; 26.5 BTU.
It's a PITA to cut up with all the branches on it but I take it when I can. I just got some in some cords I bought. This stuff was C/S/S for 8 years inside on a cement floor. MC was around 7%. Burns great.
 
I think there are a few factors involved with using firewood species BTUs as a guide. Ash isn't super high on the charts but it does dry quickly and can be easily burned in the same year. Box elder is way low on the charts but if you let it dry for 2 years minimum, it's actually not bad. Some woods coal really well and throw more heat than the charts would indicate, like black cherry and silver maple. Sugar maple is about the hottest wood around me, put a piece in the stove that was cut this spring and it's ok. Burn a chunk that has been split and stacked properly for 2 years and wow! How and where the wood is stacked and for how long are huge factors to consider. Being a year ahead is pretty easy for a scrounger but trying to convince someone who buys their wood is harder.

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Hey folks. Been a busy week here since my mom passed last Tuesday. Lots of running around and I tried to do a little hunting Saturday and Sunday to escape for a bit. We had a nice, but small outdoor service for her at the cemetery yesterday. Thankfully the weather cooperated, although it was chilly there was no wind and it was sunny.

Today I am back at work, lots of catch up to do. Happy that it is a short week.
 
I generally don't do much chainsaw stuff in hunting season (hence the lack of pics this time of year) but I always chastise my brother and nephew for going up to the property, which is 2 mi in on a 4wd road, w/o a chainsaw!

Luckily, this year, I was ahead of both of them, or they would have had to of waited for me. I like to take two saws, fully fueled, just in case!

This is the remains of a Hard Maple that was killed by Gypsy Moths in the mid 80s. It is why the timber co sold this mtn and purchased new property in PA.

Also, note all the thick new growth, the result of a tornado and other hard wind storms over the last few decades that have destroyed the canopy.

It was not like this when I first purchased the property.
 

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Pressured deer require you to get in their bedrooms! As close as you can get to where they sleep the better you are. Just play the wind. Usually your first sit is the best sit. It's crazy how you can blow out a buck in sep and not see him forever. Then he gets lonely and you'll see him during the day in the wide open. I have one specific deer I am hunting this year and he's becoming more predictable. Hopefully I'll get the right wind and get my opportunity in the next couple weeks. I have had a few sightings bow hunting but I refuse to take a long or iffy shot. 30 yards or in for me. All the corn is out and I know he is living on a 1/2 acre pine island now. He started a rub and scrape line 15 yards from my stand. Just need the wind to not blow into his bed and I'll get my shot.

I burn lots of box elder and silver maple if it is available. It dries nice and burns better than most say. I'll never turn it away. Like Jeff says sugar maple is great. Nothing like heating your house on 6 splits a day!
 
No wood today . Fried a Turkey to bring to my mom tomorow along with all the fixings. She decided to sit this year out not go to my sister's or here. Low key at my place just me and the misses. Have a covid test scheduled for Friday morning because I'm having surgery on my hand next Wednesday.
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No wood today . Fried a Turkey to bring to my mom tomorow along with all the fixings. She decided to sit this year out not go to my sister's or here. Low key at my place just me and the misses. Have a covid test scheduled for Friday morning because I'm having surgery on my hand next Wednesday.
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Smoking a turkey on the Weber tomorrow for my Brother and me on Thursday. Sit by the fire pit of Thanksgiving and have a little some thing something.
 
Well, no Buck, but I got a decent size doe today right before dark, from a climbing tree stand with my MZ (rifle is not allowed in my County, and I prefer the MZ to a shotgun).

I had 5 deer within sight right before dark, and was getting worried I would not get a shot as houses are not too far away so I don't want to shoot late.

The closest one was only 30 yds away, but in real thick stuff, and I was not sure how big it was. This one was about 70 yds in front of me, and I knew it was full size.

I like to shoot them right behind the shoulder so as not to ruin any meat, but she barely (finally) moved her shoulder in front of a tree so that is the shot I took.

With the MZ you can't see a darn thing except smoke after the shot, but she must have gone right down, the bullet went right through but there was no blood on either side! The top of the heart was gone and there was not much left of the lungs.

By opening day last year I had 2 bucks already, so I was getting a little worried, so it is a sense of relief to know at least I'll have venison in the freezer!
 

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OK, this is my effort to jump start the thread:

I pulled out my first chainsaw from deep under the bench. I got it at a garage sale maybe 25 years ago for either $10 or maybe $15. It was my "Jeep" saw for overland style 4 wheeling trips to go from point to point over a few days, camping overnight on the trail. Can't really just turn around when there is a tree across the path. It hasn't been used in several years.

Last week's strong winds brought down the top of a large oak in the newly widowed neighbor's yard and blocked the end of our private road. One neighbor who wasn't blocked in, but happen to be home, got his tractor out and pushed it to the side. That was fine for access, but was still close to the road for plowing and such. I took the day off today and decided the 441 was probably overkill for most of the limbs. So... grabbed a couple of smaller saws - thought this would be the easiest to get started and I wasn't disappointed.
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It cut surprisingly well on the oak with the tiny chain and weighs *considerably* less. May have to get something larger to finish the largest of the limbs, but this did the job to cut it back to the edge of the woods by the road. Now it deserves a little cleaning and sharpening. The worst thing was having to remember to pump the oil!

Discuss. (LOL :cheers:)
 
The first chainsaw my Dad had was a blue Craftsman (or maybe just Sears brand). My Uncle had one too and we both had trouble starting them. Someone told my Uncle you had to roll the saw upside down for 60 seconds and then try. Yep, it would start. So that's how we always got it cold started. It was a beast when running but heavy. You could just almost let the weight of the saw pull you through the big stuff. Don't remember anymore about it. That's about the time I bought him the 038 which I still have. He ended up selling the blue saw to one of his friends who replaced a part and that resolved the starting issue. Man I wish I had that saw back.
 
My Uncle had one too and we both had trouble starting them.
A buddy of mine also had a trail saw. During a trip in Canada he pulled it out at camp one evening declaring that he wasn't afraid of bears. He then proceeded to pull and pull and pull and couldn't get it started much to everyone else's amusement. We told him that we weren't scared of bears either now since he would be over there distracting them trying to start his saw while the rest of us got away! :laughing:
 
Most of mine are massive like that. I got two beech trees from a neighbor in May. I won’t burn them until next year.
That one wasn't too big, maybe 11/2 cord. I took another one out today after my BIL left his deer stand and got out of there so he could sit again this evening. If the weather stays mild I'll keep on wackin'-n'-stackin', as Uncle Ted would say.
 
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