Ive got this huge red oak that has 2 branches that dangle down both cutting down my dark sky view and about 2 hours of sunlight on my solar panels.Theyr up about 60-70′ ;” higher than im willin to climb” my aborist said and inaccessible and beyond the range of his bucket. It mite be doobie talk but my bud and i were thinkin that a fellar mite be able to seriously weakenen the branchs (4-5″) with a series of good rifle shots.Aim for the top edge; hopefully weaken it and let wind and snow do the rest. By the way wed be shootin toward about 3000 acres of woods.We could set up a sand bag on my porch and only be shootin about 25-30 yrds. What ua think..30-30 ? 30-06? Haevy wieghts/brush cutters..180 grain?
R we nuts?
Replies
How about an RPG?
Seriously, just climb the thing. If you don't wanna to do it, and your tree guy doesn't wanna do it, see if there are any local rock climber types who might be tempted to give this a go on a dare and a case of beer. Heck, you're in WV. Don't know where Hinton is, but there are a whole bunch of climbers in West "ByGod" Virginney. Heave a line up and use ascenders. No problem.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
PS: 70' to the lowest branches? That's some oak!
Yeah were coverd up with tree monkeys here ; mostly old Asplundh guys who have fallen/failed drug test or on parole.They r a particularily ruff crew..which id be if i had to do what they do for $8@hr.
Anatomy of tree makes getting to limb dicey. Plus shootin at moon could be fun.
Use a crossbow with a string on the bolt to get a line up over the branch, then use it to pull a carborundume coated cable over it with another string tailing. Then saw it off by working your arms back and forth while standing under it....Well, maybe the bullet opruning was a better idea!;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I worked for asplundh as a climber, out of 3 crews i was the only real climber, most just worked the bucket and could not free climb. I climbed mostly the power lines where the truck could not go. but this sounds like a very good reason to build a potato gun
Same problem here ( almost) , I just found a different tree guy, and saved 2K. Check around, there are chainsaw humpers, and real tree workers..you want the latter.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Why limit yourself to such a sissy load? I'd pull out my 54 cal black powder and go to town. Pushing a 260 grain JHP with 100 grains of ffg at 25 yards, all you should need is a few shots. :)
Seriously, I would try and find a good tree climber. Damaging the limb like that will invite disease and decay to the entire tree. But I like you and your bud's thought process.
Nah, what you do is get two shotguns, a deer slug in each. Only you run the ends of a wire cable down the barrels and somehow hook it into the slug on each end. Then you and your buddy each aim for opposite sides of the branch and fire on the count of three.
(They actually tried this, more or less, during the Civil War. The fact that it didn't become standard practice can suggest to you how well it worked.)
Some farmer buddies had an afternoon to kill and bunches of ammo and an old barn they wanted to get rid of. All it took was a few beers and they were off.
Now for your problem at hand. First shoot through the bottom of the limb cutting the bark then go for the top. The reason is if you weaken the top and the limb does break it will pull a big chunk of bark with it. Slugs, big slow caliber firearms are the best. Jay
Edited 10/5/2007 9:43 pm ET by Jay20
I got pretty good at shooting Mistletoe down, down in NC. At 7 bucks a LB. it was a good days beer money. Just a .22 and a liesurly hike.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
i'd hate to be the one with the slower trigger on that one
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
If you are ever in Athens, Ga look for the "double barrel cannon" downtown, I think by the Post Office. Apparently it is one of the prototypes. The idea was to attach a chain between two cannon balls and fire them out of separate barrels, the better to mow down cannon fodder. Seems there was a little issue of timing and as I recall, they lost a couple troops during test firings. Ouch. One of the technological advances that didn't come out of the Civil War.
They did do well with a variation on that -- firing the two chain-linked balls from a single cannon. Against personnel this could do a lot of damage, and against a ship it was very effective at destroying the rigging.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
That oak will take a licking. If it is green the limbs will probably hang on. Get a tree monkey up there with a saw and have him do it right. It'll be better for the tree - less chance of desease. I've topped a couple pines for Christmas trees using a 7mm BTHP. Three or four shots did it. But pine isn't as stringy or strong as oak.
What's a bucket? I've always climbed trees with a chainsaw on a rope. Above all else you don't want to hurt the chainsaw!
treetalk.
I have actually done this to a mimosa with 12 gauge and 6 shot. Only 3" limb about 25' up. On yours I think a wire saw might be better. Bow and arrow for a little line followed by a bigger rope and wire saw.
KK
This thread is priceless
LMAOROFMartin
hey
ya gotta do, what you gotta do
First, you buy one of these.
http://www.farmhardware.com/SuperStore/SuperStore-Product.asp?ProductID=5793
Then you build a potato gun.
Use the potato gun to shoot a potato over the limb.
Have a string attached to the potato.
Use the string to pull the rope for the saw, over the limb.
Who DOESN'T want to build a potato gun ?
Naw, you built a catapult.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
"Naw, you built a catapult."And launch yourself over that tree limb carrying a saw. Getting down is easy, just sit on the side of the limb farthest from the trunk while you're sawing!
Or, better yet, make yourself a hot air balloon and float up there.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
I hear that a bunch of helium balloons tied to a plastic lawn chair will do the trick. Just take a bb gun to get yourself back down!!
I guess you watched the movie: "Danny Deckchair"Martin
444 Marlin
.
.
.
.
.
.
I have Transcended the need for Pants....
oooohhhhmmmmmm......
USFS actually uses (or has used) a 7mm mag to get high branches/with cones off genetically superior D Fir.
Put a target up on a 14" dia alder at the cabin. After a few dozen rounds of 30-30, 30-06, 7mm Mag, and some 7.62X39, the whole tree fell over.
PS: at just 25 yards, I'd use a scoped .22 rifle, or even a good pistol. Hit the branch within 1/8" of where you want every time with the rifle, probably less than 50 cents worth of ammo to drop it.
Edited 10/6/2007 10:13 am ET by junkhound
well, something of which I have direct (observed) experience -
have fun -
it won't work for less than hundreds of dollars worth of ammo -
had a buddy with the exact same situation - we spent a leisurely afternoon several years ago placing lead into the limb (accurately, btw) from a 30-06
after several boxes of ammo, we gave up -
tree monkey is the answer -
edit to add: if you can line up a 50 caliber machine gun I'd bet you could chew it off....
Edited 10/6/2007 10:58 am by DavidxDoud
You know, MythBusters did an episode on the machine gun thing. Actually quite hard to cut anything in two with a machine gun.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
I think the slug is the thing - except that it is harder to be all that acurate with one ccf. a rifle. I was hunting once long long ago with a guy who had a browning semit-auto loaded with five slugs deer hunting.He heard a sound, whipped around and emptied the gun that direction. splaings up to 2-1/2" were toppling left and right.I never hunted near him again, f___kin fool
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
My best bud used to LOVE his .58 Hawkin for deer hunting. He'd say if he missed the deer, the wind of the mini ball going by would knock it over..LOL
The damm thing would punch ahole thru brush,I'll say that.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Hmm well if im going to set up a pulley sysytem to the branch that'll open up all new types of assault.Why dont i just send up a small pipe bomb?
Or a mix up a packet of Score hair dressing creme and some HTH pool cleaner.Makes nice contained fire spot!
Yes alas bullet pruning may scar the bark but tree has other problems.I believe its probably only got a few more years.Its about 150 yeras old/is a twin trunked above 5 ' with cattle wire running thru it.Alot of the big ones around here have problems with crown dieback the first sign.Its buddy even bigger I took down this spring died in one year.It had 700bf.
Trees r having hard time around here.Between the hemlock wooley agelid and gypsy moth were hearing alot of ashes will be dead meat from a bark miner.
No Gypsymoth here yet,but the ash are getting hit, the Hems, and now the Dogwood are also being blighted just south of here.
Drought was a stresser on many trees as well this yr. Whole state of Ky was declared a disaster, and burn bans across everywhere as well.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust and all that.........Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
psst ...I think the idea was to actually HIT the limb, LOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Being from DE, a "shotgun only for hunting" state, except for squirrels in the early season; I would select 12 ga rifled slugs - I don't think it would take too many.
Oak, shmoak - wood hit by 1 oz of lead at 1500fps - the wood gets out of the way.
Unless you are shooting a gas operated auto, I would enlist some help from friends who can also shoot - those loads will pound you. If you are a real glutton for punishment, select the 1-1/4 oz (547 gr.) slug loads by Federal! I prefer to limit my shooting of them to 4 rounds per year - 3 to check scope zero and 1 to shoot the deer.
Good luck.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
A friend and I went shooting with a 38 super and a box of silvertips.He was standind behind me watching the silvertips flight as the sun was making a glint off the bullets.I was shooting at a three inch sapling from about 50' after the first clip he was all excited about being able to see the bullets when the tree fell over and I got the last laugh.
ANDYSZ2
WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
M60. 50-cal may be OVERKILL.
Who DOESN'T want to build a potato gun ?
Are plans available on a DOD website, or has Dept. Homeland Security shut them down?
Sphere, Why shoot down Mistletoe? Yer supposta kiss girls under it.
Get a tree climber and saw it off right. While he's at it have him prune the rest of the tree. Oak will thank you.
Funny stuff.
Carborundume!
Edited 10/13/2007 10:55 pm ET by Southbay
Edited 10/13/2007 10:55 pm ET by Southbay
my dad used to make spare change shoot mistle toe out of trees around the holidays -- 4-5 inches is not mistle toe though
I bet this guy could do it.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
You sound like the bunch of powder monkeys from the Hercules works in Northern California that my mother knew.
Seems there was a flock of crows that roosted in the oak tree next to the cabin they were renting, so after a few beers they tied quarter sticks of dynamite to the branches, connected a detonator and waited for the crows to settle back in the tree. Must have been quite a sight.