Primitive spears; slingshots, turkeys and deer..

C

coote

Joined
Apr 3, 2006
Messages
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There have been some interesting posts here on these topics. I have just come across Madison Parker's website and I reckon y'all might be interested in what he makes and teaches. Here is the link:

http://www.primitivesupply.com/default.cfm

I like the look of his spear heads. Simple to make and easy to attach. I guess they don't make a spear as strong compared to a spearhead with a socketed blade...but I am sure they would be adequate. I have used simple arrowheads that tie into a slot like these spearheads. And lately I have simply tied a knife to the end of a stick on a couple of occasions and that worked well enough too.
 
Hey Coote...
In a survival situation,, the best way to catch deer, if you don't have a decent bow and a tree stand would be to snare them on a trail.

Forget about spot and stalking deer in this type of situation.Ambush from the trees is your only hope.

As for Turkey..Forget about shooting them altogether, unless you have a shotgun.Even with your chances are Very low...
These birds are even wiser than deer. They say if Turkey could smell, you'd never even see one.

Edited to say:

That I don't think primitive hunting is impossible to do on game like this, I just mean that for the average person with little or no hunting skills,,even moderate hunting skills it would be Very hard for a person like this to take a deer or turkey.

A hunter who can stalk a deer to 20 yards on the ground is someone I would consider a Very skilled hunter..Not something that is easily done.
Ambush is another story,,but it's one of those things,, right place right time.


Cool website though...

ttyle

Eric....
O/ST
 
I once stalked a turky hen and her chicks to ten yards, once I got that close she would move on.
 
I once stalked within 5 yards of a fully alert buck. I leaned my shotgun against the big tree I was behind, and drew my bowie knife... And then he spotted me. :D

I only mention this as an interesting anecdote- I would certainly never count on being able to get this close repeatedly in a survival scenario.
 
Hey Guys..

Ohoisin...

Yaa when the hens have chicks or on the nest they are easier to walk up on..At times you can actually walk up on them while they are in the nest, and stand there and watch the hen.She will only move if threatened badly...

She probably didn't fly in fear of being parted with her chicks...

I know when hunting them it is usually the hens that pick us off and sneak up on us..
I was hunting with a friend this year, we heard a gobble, answered back once and waited..15 minutes later a hen snuck up on us within about 12 yards and picked us off.. They can pinpoint the VERY tree you are sitting under from 100 yards away. Turkey's hearing and eyesight is far more advanced then alot of animals and pick up on small movement from long distances.

Possum...

Yaa those things happen once in a blue moon Eh..!
Everything from wind,sound and camo was in your favor that day...

He must have had Does on the brain that day... When bucks are in rutt,, they sometimes leave their brains elsewhere and got one thing in mind.. Like an 18 year old male at spring break in Mexico!!

Gotta be careful at this stage,, if he thinks your another buck, they will charge you...
A friend got charged at the side of the road gutting a road kill buck, jumped the ditch and came within a few yards of him, neck all puffed out, and ready to fight.
I've also seen video of a buck jumping into a guys ground blind to fight the poor bugger inside...

Strange things happen when those big boys get the chemicals flowing in their systems.

ttyle

Eric...
O/ST
 
Yeah, it had been drizzling light rain prior to this, so the leaves were perfectly quiet (no crunching) and the water dripping off trees also helped mask my sounds. I was not wearing camo, but kept sneaking behind big trees so I was hidden from his line of sight.

Normark said:
Gotta be careful at this stage,, if he thinks your another buck, they will charge you...
Click to expand...

I wish I could be so lucky! My brother has been charged twice in consecutive years, and my uncle got charged by a small one last year- he's also been actually attacked by a wounded buck. I'm just waitin' for the chance if one charges me. I'll charge right back, bowie in hand! (maybe not if he's got a big rack though, but a button buck would be perfect) Never claimed to be sane... :D
 
There is one place in one of our woods, near the creek bottom, that I think would be perfect if I ever wanted to try getting one with a spear. It's nothing but sloughs (swamps) grown thick with buck brush and scrub trees. The stuff is dang near impenetrable, except for the two-foot-wide trails established by the deer over the years. It would be fairly easy to hide alongside the edge of the trail and wait for one to run by.
 
Hey Possum....

Yaa I hear you..It happens more often than you hear about...
Especially when the hormones are running full tilt..
I'd rather have a small buck with a decent rack than a button buck though..
Nothing to hold onto with those little buttons,, and they can get you just as easy as a big rack...

It would almost sound like fun, if it wasn't so dangerous....:)

ttyle

Eric....
 
Hey Guys..

Possum..

These small trails are also an excellent place to put a steel rope snare...

Place the snares over brnaches so their heads get into them,,and bingo..
Just make sure to lock that cable to a strong tree and make it long enough so it can tighten around the neck before they notice it..
Make the snares big enough so antlers can pass through it...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Yes, the snare thing has also occurred to me as perfect for that location. It would be far more reliable than a spear in a survival scenario. I only focused on the spear because I can more readily envision myself actually trying it. Though technically not legal, I feel a spear would be more consistent with the "spirit of the law".
 
Hey Possum...

Yes Very true..

However in a survival situation,, or if my family was hungry, game and fish laws cease to exist..

Remember,, you will need a spear to claim your prize at the end of the snare, when the time comes!! :)

On a side note...

We were in a major Canadian city several years ago when our twins were born, and I seen many homeless/hungry people begging for money..
Later that week my son and I were down at the park feeding the ducks and geese...I had an idea...! (Usually not Good)

I took the shoe lace from one of my boots,, made a snare and tied it to a stick.
I laid the nare on the ground and put some hot dog buns inthe center...
When the ducks went to grab the bread I lifted the stick..
I caught several like this within minutes..
How anyone can go hungry in a city with a park full of ducks and geese is beyong me...

This would also work for pidgeons and tame tree rats if need be...
String,fishing line or shoe laces are easily had anywhere in a big city..I'd steal it from a store if I had to....

ttyle

Eric...
 
I agree with your first post there Normark its hard enough to stalk deer within bow range. I do repeatedly get within 20 yards in deer season of does and some bucks but many of the days I get that close are either rainy or near creek beds where I can stay low and the creek drowns out the noise. I would probably set snares in one area and do a treestand wait in another in a survival situation I would suppose.
Turkeys yeah they are freekin whiley, hard to get them to come in turkey season with calls and such I have had them run into me during deer season but it seems whenever your hunting one thing the other comes right up to you. I ahve never tried to snare a deer, and that is a entertaining idea. would you just set the loop very wide over a trail and post it between two small trees and wait?The deer might not like your smell bein around them, but if you sterilize it with hot water(if you have it) then you should be fine i suppose.
I emailed that gentelman in the link about his classes and bowmaking I think I might take a class with him next spring. It would definatley be an experience.
This is a good post lets keep it goin.
 
I agree that snares are the best option for meat gathering. Setting snares is a great way to hunt without having to be in a survival situation. It forces you to think about the animals and their habits. And it is quite exciting going out to check them the next morning. Never snared a deer though.... I have heard that stressed-out deer can taste awful... so it is evidently better to shoot them if you want the best venison. But I am not sure that I believe this, and maybe one day I will try it. I don't like any animal to suffer and I always check my traps as soon as I can. Some animals seem to cope fairly well with being tethered in a snare,,,, but I imagine that deer would panic and really hurt themselves.

The last big animal I snared was a feral goat. I was surprised to see that it didn't struggle too much in the snare... and it seemed to want to pull backwards instead of generally running around and knocking itself about.
 
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