Atlatl hunting anyone?

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
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What do you guys think of this?

Pa. May Let Hunters Use Prehistoric Weapon

atlatl2.gif
 
It's funny that you should post this. My school is probably one of the only colleges that has an Atlatl club and an actual Atlatl range. We even have those big, stand-up deer targets. It's led by an anthro. professor, who is pretty nationally recognized for his abilities as a flint-knapper and archaeologist. I have a couple of friends who are pretty into the Atlatl, although I never found time this season. I know that, with practice, these things are accurate at very respectable ranges, and absolutely capable of killing large game. With a razor-sharp flint tip, traveling at 80mph, it does the job!

Cool stuff. I should really check this out in the spring.

Chris
 
Jondalar and Ayla invented them.

She also invented the bic lighter, the singer sewing machine, domesticated the dog, harnessed the first pack animal, made the first travel trailer, invented the first brassiere...and probably some other stuff.



OK, seriously. Helluva a tool. Innuit used them for sea hunting. Don't remember if it was a linear development from one culture to another, or separate inventions in different cultures...although I think it was the latter.

Based on my experience, the deer are safe, from me, at least.
 
If they legalized atlatls in WA, I would go for it. And I would wear a blaze orange loincloth.

You heard it here first.
 
Quite a while back I read an article on the use of the atlatl. It is most certainly a very formidable weapon and hunting instrument.
It's been so long I don't recall all the numbers that was proven in the study they did but like Nam says, "They get the job done."
I did some searching and found this website.

On another website I found this. Pretty interesting weapon.:thumbup: ;) :D
Because the atlatl is essentially a lever that doubles the length of the thrower's arm, it can easily deliver 200 times as much power and 6 times the range as a dart thrown like a traditional spear. Even with the increased mass of a normal spear, the atlatl-thrown dart clearly outpowers the spear. A 5 oz dart can be thrown at 100 mph and have as much impact as an arrow fired from a 60 lb compound bow.
 
we're reely progressive back home in alabama, my family's been usin lances and bows for centuries. will have to try one of these next time. my nephew sam would love it, if i can get him to leave his full auto ak47 in the pickup along with the m67's

edited to add:

Linky

for those who don't want to roll their own.
 
Great thread, Dan- Neat link kronck.

Atlatl dart must be heavier than an arrow, lighter than a spear.... but leaning in the direction of the spear....

Dave, the blaze-orange loincloth is a flat-out awesome idea.

I'm left with one of those "why-didn't-I-think-of-THAT" moments. To complete the effect, don't forget that mask.


Ad Astra
 
We had some anthro prof my frosh year of college bring in an atlatl to show us. He didn't throw it as we were in a small block wall room, but he said that it could do as much damage as a .38 if thrown correctly. Now i know that a .38 is the hunting cal of choice, but if you take into account that "bullet" is now sticking out of the animal snagging and wallering around in the wound...ouch. sounds like it would cause a lot of terminal trauma to a vital area. Sounds pretty cool to me:)

Jake
 
The important words there are "if thrown correctly." I saw an atlatl demonstration a couple of years ago and they were letting some people give them a try. It looked like the safest place to be when facing someone without lots of experience with one of those is exactly where they are aiming. 'Cause it ain't going there.
 
so....which khukuri goes with the atlatl and orange loin cloth?

better be one with a good scabbard....too much bouncing around in your belt could have dramatic results.....:eek: :rolleyes:
 
Atlatls are cool, but I'll stick to my longbow, I can and have hit cottontails with it out to 60 yards. I cringe to think of wounded animals stumbling through the woods, pierced through the guts with a poorly thrown atlatl spear. Strikes me as just a bit barbaric, especially when there are far more humane weapons available. Then again, nimrods and good old boys gut shoot critters all the time, with state of the art weaponry, so what am I whining about?:(

Sarge
 
Daniel Koster said:
so....which khukuri goes with the atlatl and orange loin cloth?

better be one with a good scabbard....too much bouncing around in your belt could have dramatic results.....:eek: :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I'd have to pack a kagas katne, Dan. It'll be cold out, and I don't want to embarrass myself.

I've been hitting the links and there are some interesting designs out there. I may have to try my hand at making one of the simpler ones. I've still got that madrona sitting out there...it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned on the internet yet but I remember hearing about (and seeing a video clip on) back in high school is using a two section dart - a small, socketed shaft with the tip, and the main shaft with the fletching. The idea is that someone wouldn't want to go hiking around the boonies of yesteryear with a stack of darts on their back and with this method, you'd only need to pack one or two shafts and as many tips as you felt were necessary. It's a simple friction fit between the two and recoil on impact seperates them and knocks the main shaft away from the critter and back toward the thrower so that it can be recovered and reused from a relatively safe distance. It would also make upkeep easier, as only the tips would need to be replaced on a regular basis.

Sarge, I agree with you in that a little knowledge and a lot of enthusiasm can be dangerous when combined. An irresponsible hunter is a bad thing, regardless of what weapon they're hunting with.

Along those lines, when I said that I'd be willing to try it, I meant that I'd be willing to try it after sufficient practice. ;)

I'll work on making an atlatl when I get back. (And a blaze orange loincloth, for that matter.)
 
I think casting an atlatl would be an interesting and rewarding hobbie, thought I doubt that I would ever really rely on it for hunting game when even in the worse circumstances a makeshift bow and arrow is easy enough to improv with a bootlace or some fishing line. Also, hunting in the thick of the woods might be a touch difficult as the dart arches instead of shooting somewhat straight like an arrow. However, i bet it would pretty fun to whip a dart and have it bullseye into a foam target from a few dozen yards out:)
These things look super simple to make. Maybe I'll have to fashion one and take it out to my dad's to try out.

Jake
 
They are a lot of fun and, with practice and well tuned darts, capable of surprising accuracy. When I'm in practice I can regularly keep a fistfull of darts on a paper plate at 20 paces. Good enough for a non moving target, but there is so much associated movement with hurling the darn things I think a reasonably alert game animal would be off like a prom dress when you finished your windup.
Still, I'm all for it when it comes to the west coast.
 
Dave Rishar said:
Wait a minute...you mean to tell me that the flap is supposed to go in the front?
Click to expand...

Just depends on where you don't want the gnats to congregate. The flap flaps an therefore keeps the gnats away from areas that tickle or are otherwise disconcerting.:thumbup: ;) :D
 
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