"a Hunter's Cane" completed

This cane is a commissioned piece for a man who is an accomplished hunter. His daughter and sons wanted a piece that tied in geographically to Colorado and Minnesota and to his love for hunting and his family. From the start, they wanted it to be made from wood that came from these states and I suggested that it might make more personal for them and their father if they actually gathered the wood that I used, instead of just buying it. They provided some aspen and birch and an antler that came from their property. I turned the aspen for the shaft and dried it for several months and used the birch for a spacer and as a butt plate on the handle made from the antler. The carved portion is on basswood, also from Minnesota. The mountains and lake are loosely based on the state quarters issued for Colorado and Minnesota, and the deer and walleye represent his love for hunting and fishing. The leaves are similar to those found on fancy gun-stocks and represent the fall hunting seasons, with a favorite scripture reference hidden within the leaves. The words spiraling around the shaft are the poem "Palace in the Pines" written by the father about a favorite hunting camp in Minnesota. The cabin on the shore of the lake represents that cabin, the smoke from the chimney indicating that it represents not just past events... that it is still alive, still inhabited, and still full of the stories and people mentioned in his words. The words appear as a swirling design from a distance and then seem to draw you in as you recognize them as words, as you hold the cane. The design of the cane has rustic, primitive feel, almost the look of something that a man might make sitting by the fire at night, waiting for the snow to stop. I hope it brings memories of good times to the man who receives it, and I hope it represents the pride and love of his family. Thanks for looking! You can see all the pictures from start to finish on this cane here.