I am fat wood challenged

benchmadebob · Feb 28, 2009

I have gone hiking is pine forests with plenty of dead trees and still have not been able to locate some good fatwood. I go up to stumps that look decent and i hit with my 14 inch fiskars and its like dust. Im begining to think im king midas in reverse lol. I dont what im doing wrong. I need some pro fatwood hunting advice.

James_Terrio · Feb 28, 2009

Same here, maybe it's a geographical thing?

bladz · Feb 28, 2009

Where I live, it is virtually everywhere in the forest. It doesn't have to be a stump. It can be a fallen pine or ceder where the exterior has rotted off. If you find a true fatwood stump, it will be solid. It looks like smooth weathered hardwood. Unfortunately, I don't know about your area. Maybe someone with experience up there will chime in..

benchmadebob · Feb 28, 2009

bladz said:
Where I live, it is virtually everywhere in the forest. It doesn't have to be a stump. It can be a fallen pine or ceder where the exterior has rotted off. If you find a true fatwood stump, it will be solid. It looks like smooth weathered hardwood. Unfortunately, I don't know about your area. Maybe someone with experience up there will chime in..

You have some nice looking fatwood.

Rick Marchand · Mar 1, 2009

No shortage there!!!

1Tracker · Mar 1, 2009

Dude, watch out! there's a fatwood troll hiding behind your new found treasure just waing to score your axe when you look away,LOL!

bladz · Mar 1, 2009

Yes, actually you are correct. It was an 8 year old that doesn't understand why I won't let him swing an axe that is sharp enough to shave hair.. He was on the other side trying to shave some off the stump with a pocket knife...

James_Terrio · Mar 1, 2009

Seriously guys, what am I missing? I've abused many a stump and have not yet found suitable fatwood.

ziptrickhead · Mar 1, 2009

I've given up on finding fatwood and just went a bought a 5 lb box. Not as nice as the stuff bladz found (copious amounts of I might add.....) but its better than nothing. Most of the sticks in the box suck though.

1Tracker · Mar 1, 2009

It's a natural process that takes awhile, and the finds can be happenstance while out hunting or hiking, when you least expect to find it. Like sitting down on an old moss covered stump, only to have it give way on the outsides to revel the treasure inside! Region has alot to do with it to I think, more predominant in the Southeastern USA from what I've seen.

James_Terrio · Mar 1, 2009

You may be right about that, 1Tracker... it seems the guys in Georgia (for instance) have tons of the stuff around. Whereas, all the stumps I find are either regular dry wood, or rotten wet crumbly and not very good for burning.

Bernoulli · Mar 1, 2009

Try your local lumberyard. Look in the passed over pile. You should be able to find 2X4s that are more pitch than wood.

Saunterer · Mar 1, 2009

benchmadebob said:
I have gone hiking is pine forests with plenty of dead trees and still have not been able to locate some good fatwood. I go up to stumps that look decent and i hit with my 14 inch fiskars and its like dust. Im begining to think im king midas in reverse lol. I dont what im doing wrong. I need some pro fatwood hunting advice.

Go underground.

If you are finding stumps that are dry, go below the ground level and sometimes the tap root will be full of pitch. This is how I found my last big knot.

defaultuser · Mar 1, 2009

I don't know, guys...I *think* it depends on the age of the stump...and yes, sometimes you have to dig

Here's one stump I found in the Gatineau Park:

I had to dig quite a lot to find the good stuff:

My secret stash of fatwood now camouflaged after the pillage

The result of my work:

I gave it a quit try...yep, this is the good stuff:

flashlightfreak9 · Mar 1, 2009

There is tons of it here in Alabama.

Good stuff!:thumbup:

Sharp Eye · Mar 1, 2009

James_Terrio said:
Seriously guys, what am I missing? I've abused many a stump and have not yet found suitable fatwood.

Same here.
It may be regional. I have been told that some people have found a bunch about an hour from me where the terrain and soil are different.
I'm going to try to get over there soon.

skimmerhorn · Mar 1, 2009

is it possible to find fatwood in a dead standing beetle kill pine? i cut one down the other day for firewood and 2 inches or so from the outside sure looked like fatwood! i've cut hundreds of trees for firewood but this on just looked "different" at the stump.

tonym · Mar 1, 2009

Hey Bob, Its out there but you have to make sure your looking at Pine. We have alot of Hemlock in CT, and I have had no luck with that.

Big Mike and I went fatwood hunting a few months ago at a pine forrest he knew of. Sure enough we scored. So CT does have it.

benchmadebob · Mar 1, 2009

tonym said:
Hey Bob, Its out there but you have to make sure your looking at Pine. We have alot of Hemlock in CT, and I have had no luck with that.

Big Mike and I went fatwood hunting a few months ago at a pine forrest he knew of. Sure enough we scored. So CT does have it.

The place were i look is a state forest were there are planted pine trees i dont know the species but theres 2 plots of them. And then theres a natural pine forest and i think a fungi attacked all the pines theres only like two living in a 1 mile stretch of woods.

PS Tony were are you going fishing opening day?

AlexN · Mar 1, 2009

Skimmerhorn,
It is very possible to find it in bettle-killed trees. Near the bottom,and also,where the limbs branch off the trunk. And it may only be a core inside the dry powdery limb,but it'll be there.
To James_Terrio,
That's good advise to dig under the surface and check out the roots of those rotten,crumbly stumps. Just be sure they are pine. LOL My buddy tells everyone I could find fat wood in an elevator. Just rock the stump.or kick it a few times,brush back the drit/rotted wood,and check for solid roots. Hack a piece off and smell.

I am fat wood challenged

Donkey on the Edge