How to make Walking Stick wood carving project

In an earlier post I showed this stick when it was collect and stripped of bark. Now that it is properly cured/dried I started to make this wooded hiking stick carving of a elk. Wood carving hiking and walking sticks take practice and you should always tried on practice walking staffs and sticks first.

  The first step when making your own wood walking sticks is selecting the wood and maybe even envisioning the end product before you cut the tree branch or sapling. Branches and roots are not things in the way but added enhancements to your own hiking stick making project. Notice the way the branch was left on when collecting the willow branch to the left. I did not think of an elf before I collected the wood to carve for the walking staff or stick. But from experience I know to leave some branches on to give design options when I started to think of how to make a hiking stick.

When I collected the willow I stripped the outer layer and did a rough sand. Then I left the wood to cure for several months (this one was actually left for a year). The shape and the under curve of the wood walking stick gave me an idea of either a deer, elk or other animal with antlers type. I did a quick search on the net and selected a elk that had a big white circle around its eye area. Collecting the wood to make hiking and walking sticks is only half the fun. Learning how to stain, inlay, rope work and carve wood to make unique walking and hiking sticks is a great hobby and a way to bring you trips home with you.