Mistletoe Hunting

>>32238873
>can shotgun
Yes
>is it here?
Yes
>how find?
Go into the wilderness and keep your head skywards. It likes oak, but takes to almost anything. Look for trees that look somewhat sickly as that could be an easy indicator of its presence.

If you feel like coming to Denton, Maryland then I know a big patch of trees that is just fucking infested with it.

>>32238919
So, is mistletoe an epiphyte, like an orchid?

>>32238959
it's more like a vine or creeper

>>32238959
Not totally. It will damage the host over time, but isn't parasitic by taking nutrients from the host. Large growths will prove to be very harmful to the host though.

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What the fuck

>>32238919
Thanks. I've never seen these before but a friend want to hunt for them for Christmas and I've never heard of this. I there anything to look for as a tell tale sign?

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>>32239000
What? There is a komando way to solve every problem.

>>32238873
>Apparently people in the South hunt for mistletoe with shotguns growing in oak trees.
>...shotguns growing in oak trees.
>shotguns...
>growing in oak trees.

Please tell me more about these shotgun growing oak trees from the south.
Do they have a season? Can you pick them year round? How long does it take for them to ripen? If you pick one early is it an AOW? How do you know what gauge you are getting?
I have so many questions.

>>32239023
Can't say there is anything really defining. This is your best time to try, as the leaves have fallen, but just go and look.

I had a friend tell me about the patch I have, but it is really obvious if the growth is large enough. It is just a weird growth in the canopy and with it being winter, that should stand out.

No don't use a shotgun it will just make tiny shitty pieces. Use a .22 and aim for the center or where you see a knot. It will break it off by the branches/stems.
>I have done this since I was a kid.

>>32238873
Yeah but you need to get a permit and tags. Don't even think about bagging juvenile ones.

>>32239085
To add on to what I have said already if you are planning on using this for decoration it is too early. It dries very fast and turns brown and shrivled within a week. Also it's already probably shitty quality due to the drought most of the South experienced the past couple of months.

>>32239107
Good point. Scout first to make sure you aren't going innawoods at the last minute looking for this shit.

>>32239085
Thanks. I'll bring my 10/22 along and use it first if I find one.

>>32239058
Yeah, If I find a tree with shotguns (hopefully walnut) I'll post tomorrow.

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>>32239162
Good luck out there, m8 greyhound.

>>32238873
Yeah, I live in the south, and we don't do this shit. Never even heard of it.

Btw, discharging a firearm into the air is always a bad idea.

>>32239213
My friend who wants to do this says it is a tradition in Georgia (where he's from). I said ok because I know a really remote area but yeah it seems weird to me.

>>32239162
One last tip, if you are shooting at a large knot it may take more than one shot to break it off, but you will know if you hit it. Have fun, I love doing it every year. And hopefully your mistletoe is health and has the white berries on it, Bitches love white berries.

>>32239261
Thank you sir I appreciate the advice. If I'm successful I'll post tomorrow with Christmas cheer for /k/.

>>32238959
>>32238987
Nope mistletoe is a parasite, not an epiphyte like orchids/bromeliads/vines/etc

>>32238959
>>32238987
>>32238996
>>32241614
Mistletoe is an obligate hemiparasite, meaning that it both needs to exploit a viable host (usually only one or very few individual species in the case of plant parasites) and derives part of its nutrients from the host.

Any other questions, let me know. I'm a botanist.

>>32238919
>takes to almost anything
Can confirm, they latch on to mesquite trees in Arizona.

>>32239213
TN here. We do it sometimes.

>>32238873
Look up local laws?

>>32238873
Up in Oregon, flinty faced local children climb trees to cut it down, then hawk it from folding tables in front of stores.
never heard of shooting it down, a shotgun probably wouldn't leave much worth selling

The hunt was a success! It took a long time looking for mistletoe but we eventually found some. Ended up using an antique Springfield double barrel with birdshot. It worked fine but like many said you don't get too much after blasting it. Chunks of the mistletoe come down at once. The shotgun however was just beautiful. I'll post more of the gun.

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Of course forgot pic of mistletoe.

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This is my friend holding his grandfathers Springfield double barrel shotgun. I don't know much more about it but that it was patented in 1915.

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Here's a close up.

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>>32238873
watch for wild zucchini while you're out hunting for mistletoe. its mating season.

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>>32249090
I'll have to keep and eye out. Thanks.