So here is one just for fun if you are in the mood. Last fall while I was at Camp killing time before the season opened I made my brother his birthday gift. It's kinda funny I was sitting in my favorite chair under the shade of the porch in between shooting sets. I looked at the wood pile right beside me and picked up a red oak twig and later a long slender piece created from splitting a big piece. I thought I was so funny I sent him photos of his newly created gift weeks before he was to recieve them and challenged him to figure out what they were for. I laughed and had a great time as he guessed away for weeks with out coming close. I told him the first day he took them hunting I would show him how to use them while he was in his tree stand. Can you guess Dan's gift?

so this little twig and piece of stove tinder that I carved a little with my pocket knife followed a funny little progression...
I started making more for friends and looking around the yard for oak twigs with character. Then I had the idea to wood burn a simple little message to Dan. Then that turned into trying to make deer and turkey tracks...

 

then I figured I should coat them with a layer of clear coat that turned into many layers steel wood between. O I should have finish sanded first, did that from then on... lol It turned into hours of timkering and playing with a little twig from the yard!

After all this time spent I thought to make a little pouch to put the twigs in but I never made anything out of leather so off to the local craft store I went!


simple enough...

I thought after some time I could make a nicer way to keep it closed...


first time cutting an antler


Yup... better!

But I had more to make...

 

As I made more I was better at sewing and the antler buttons. So I remade Dan's too and kept the first prototype for myself.

 

with my new found skill set I branched out and made this, from my 2012 spring turkey, for Dans longbow he keeps in his garage most of the time.

 


 


 

I wrote a little that fit into the pouches for each person. Taped them with clear packaging tape and trimed them with scissors to size... water proof notes. That took me inside a week till hunting seaon opened... so thats all anyone was getting done to their twigs that will more than likely be dropped from a tree stand into the brush!  lol

Very cool Jim!

Those look nice, Dan will like them.

I enjoyed this. I still have sticks that I picked up when I was a kid. I don't know why but I think it may be for the same reason you just did it for your brother.
This just is pretty cool.

CTT

Ok, here is the answer







Dan's sticks are to keep his arrow from falling off the shelf while in his tree stand...

     


Permission to steal this idea for this years Christmas gifts?

Awesome stuff

ha, yes sir Jake! have fun!