Some shag bark hickory I have found can be really stringy then others are not.
I suggest you mix it in with other wood as I have loaded full loads of hickory and the amount of coals is over whelming.
You then have to get the huge amount of coals burned down before you can load another new load of wood. As to get a nice load of wood in the stove
you need to rake your coals forward and just have enough coals in the front of the stove to get the new load of wood going. With all those coals I couldnt get very much wood in the stove.
Do you remember your coals popping like crazy when you open the door? I had some last year to do that, but it wasn't shagbark, it was pignut.