They’re drill marks from cutting the stone.

That’s a good point Phil. We did see posts still in use with pins in them to hold the wire though.

Yeah, they'd use that way of attaching the wire. Those grooves left by the drills were handy for keeping wire in place too! Those posts can weight several hundred pounds; that's probably one reason you often find them where they were put originally :). I have just a piece of one that often finds its way into some seasonal decor here at the house...

https://i.imgur.com/dafltK9l.jpg

I find it interesting to see how different regions solve the same problems. Fence posts are a good example. Depending where you go they’re made out of different materials, using what was available regionally. Osage orange is pretty common where I’m from, Kansas definitely takes the award for heaviest fence post and probably most long lasting!

The Midwest prairie can grow Osage Orange also. It is some of the hardest — and heaviest — of all woods. You can dull a chain saw or burn out a stove with it.

On our great waterfowl lease off the Wye River (MD) years ago we had 4-5 ancient Osage orange trees. As the decrepit branches would die and fall off, we set about them for firewood in the old house. They would bring visible sparks off a chain saw in broad daylight; trying to split sections with a mall would spin you around as the bit sank into the wood spiral grain, hard as a rock and super grainey. It burnt slowly and hot as a coal furnace. When we would make a fire with it, last man up to bed would rake the remaining pieces and coals to even out the bed then replace the screen. When we came down the next morning, the ash was almost as fine as sand.

Years ago I bought my firewood from a fellow; every year he asked the same question “fireplace or stove?” Fireplace I’d say and he’d say “I’ve got some hedge (that’s what Osage orange is called in these parts) it burns good and hot and works great in a stove but it’ll pop like hell; you don’t want it in a fireplace.”

Many years ago some friends of mine that leased some of my land for deer hunting had a set of identical fixed blade skinning knives made by a custom knife maker named Larry Page. When they told me of their plan I asked what they were going to have the grips (scales) made of. They had no idea and I donated some seasoned, dry osage orange.

They presented me with one of the knives. Each one had the owner's name engraved on the spine. The osage orange scales are very dark in color and, as mentioned, very hard.

https://www.pagecustomknives.com

https://www.arizonacustomknives.com/...er/page-larry/

Very nice about the knives. One of a kind!

We go to Stuttgart chasing ducks most years and probably 15 years ago had a guide whose brother made calls. I was able to visit him while in the area and had a call made from osage/hedge. It is a nice call. Not my favorite for actual use but the circumstances around it make it special.

I've hunted ducks in eastern AR, beginning in Stuttgart, then eventually about a 40 mile circle of there, since the late 80s. I've hunted the Bayou Meto WPA and also with guides, but met some farmers up around Forrest City and we became close friends. For the last 25 years they have come here to hunt turkeys on my land and a neighbor's, and we go out there for ducks.

Where have you hunted around Stuttgart, Rick?