The spear is one of the most basic tools you can make in the wild.
If you have a decent knife, they are almost child's play to make, but not childsplay when it comes to their real business. Man, and humankind, may not be here today without the trusty spear. Early man took down wooly mammoths with spears. Spears were the heavy battle rifle of prehistory.
While watching these survival shows, and especially those "I should've been Bear Food" shows , I cringe that they are near enough material, yet, don't fashion themselves a spear. I saw the one with the father and son in Alaska. Wolves and bears? I'm making spears of all shapes and sizes!! Sharp and Pointy.
I can see making a debris-shelter first, but, on night one, my debris-hut will have a spear poking out the door. Two if I can manage it.
So, how do we make a decent spear? I looked around the net and found some info. The most primitive spear is the simple wooden thrusting spear.
Basically a shaft of wood sharpened on the end meant to always be in hand, a poker not a thrower.
Selecting the Wood
You do not have to have a perfectly straight and smooth piece of wood.
You can use dead or live wood. Length is a matter of personal choice.
For hunting and defense a longer spear, like a pike pole would probably be warranted. Thickness matters, too thin and it's going to break, too thick, and it's going to be heavy and unwiedly.
If you also fancy that you may need to throw your spear (short distances, not javelin throws) make the stout end the tip, so that the weight is forward.
A sapling makes good spear-stock, stronger and straighter than a limb.
Sharpening the Point
Trim the bark from the front end (the bizness end). Leave some bark on the butt end for a better grip. Sharpen the point so that the pithy center of the wood is not the middle of the point. A three-angle point works well , like a triangular pyramid, rather than a full conical tip. This is so you get some residual slicing action and less friction as it pokes. If you don't even have a pocket knife, find an abrasive stone or rock, and start rubbing at an acute angle to acheive a point.
If you are in haste (wolves growling in the background) snap off the end try to expose some splintering which may serve as a "quickie" sharp point.
Fire Hardening the Tip
An important part of the process is hardening the pointed tip. Start a fire (Bic lighter will do if that's all you have), and heat the sharpened tip end of the spear. The very end of the tip will heat up quickly, so don't direct heat exactly at the point/tip. The tip can even burn off , if held to close to the fire. Try for a light-brown color on the tip. It's like cooking a hotdog, nice even heat, take your time, don't plunge it into the flame.
You could make a 5 or 6 foot spear that could double as a walking staff, and a 3 or 4 foot one for close in defense and as use as a throwing stick.
If coyotes, wolves or bears are a threat, and you have a knife and paracord, you can lash you knife to the spear tip, to give it some real deadly whoop-ass-ability at the tip. if you are using paracord, lash it up nice and tight, then dip it in water. The paracord will shrink as it dries, making it even more of tight fit. In prehistoric times this would have been like a "nuclear tipped spear" to one of our run-of-the-mill hunter-gatherer ancestors.
Smaller diameter spears can be fasioned for frog gigging or fish gigging.
For fish spearing, try multiple tips. pash a couple tips onto the spear, or look for a place where a couple small limbs grow for the tree. I 3 tipped "trident" style spear might just give a little better chance for spearing dinner.
On day two, you can begin to fabricate your bow and arrow, but, on day one, you better have a good spear.
Please add additional info. to this thread as you see fit.
If you have a decent knife, they are almost child's play to make, but not childsplay when it comes to their real business. Man, and humankind, may not be here today without the trusty spear. Early man took down wooly mammoths with spears. Spears were the heavy battle rifle of prehistory.
While watching these survival shows, and especially those "I should've been Bear Food" shows , I cringe that they are near enough material, yet, don't fashion themselves a spear. I saw the one with the father and son in Alaska. Wolves and bears? I'm making spears of all shapes and sizes!! Sharp and Pointy.
I can see making a debris-shelter first, but, on night one, my debris-hut will have a spear poking out the door. Two if I can manage it.
So, how do we make a decent spear? I looked around the net and found some info. The most primitive spear is the simple wooden thrusting spear.
Basically a shaft of wood sharpened on the end meant to always be in hand, a poker not a thrower.
Selecting the Wood
You do not have to have a perfectly straight and smooth piece of wood.
You can use dead or live wood. Length is a matter of personal choice.
For hunting and defense a longer spear, like a pike pole would probably be warranted. Thickness matters, too thin and it's going to break, too thick, and it's going to be heavy and unwiedly.
If you also fancy that you may need to throw your spear (short distances, not javelin throws) make the stout end the tip, so that the weight is forward.
A sapling makes good spear-stock, stronger and straighter than a limb.
Sharpening the Point
Trim the bark from the front end (the bizness end). Leave some bark on the butt end for a better grip. Sharpen the point so that the pithy center of the wood is not the middle of the point. A three-angle point works well , like a triangular pyramid, rather than a full conical tip. This is so you get some residual slicing action and less friction as it pokes. If you don't even have a pocket knife, find an abrasive stone or rock, and start rubbing at an acute angle to acheive a point.
If you are in haste (wolves growling in the background) snap off the end try to expose some splintering which may serve as a "quickie" sharp point.
Fire Hardening the Tip
An important part of the process is hardening the pointed tip. Start a fire (Bic lighter will do if that's all you have), and heat the sharpened tip end of the spear. The very end of the tip will heat up quickly, so don't direct heat exactly at the point/tip. The tip can even burn off , if held to close to the fire. Try for a light-brown color on the tip. It's like cooking a hotdog, nice even heat, take your time, don't plunge it into the flame.
You could make a 5 or 6 foot spear that could double as a walking staff, and a 3 or 4 foot one for close in defense and as use as a throwing stick.
If coyotes, wolves or bears are a threat, and you have a knife and paracord, you can lash you knife to the spear tip, to give it some real deadly whoop-ass-ability at the tip. if you are using paracord, lash it up nice and tight, then dip it in water. The paracord will shrink as it dries, making it even more of tight fit. In prehistoric times this would have been like a "nuclear tipped spear" to one of our run-of-the-mill hunter-gatherer ancestors.
Smaller diameter spears can be fasioned for frog gigging or fish gigging.
For fish spearing, try multiple tips. pash a couple tips onto the spear, or look for a place where a couple small limbs grow for the tree. I 3 tipped "trident" style spear might just give a little better chance for spearing dinner.
On day two, you can begin to fabricate your bow and arrow, but, on day one, you better have a good spear.
Please add additional info. to this thread as you see fit.
.... or one of those nessmuks
