Found a good "Primitive Hunting & Fishing Techniques" link? Let Us Know!

Spear, bola, chackrum, atlatl, blowguns, axe, boomerang, rocks...

Building a Better Blowgun Wow! Great site - even if it does have that stupid yahoo sidebar.

A Brief History Of Primitive & Traditional Blowguns... The origin of the blowgun, in terms of time and place, is lost in pre-history. Many scholars believe that, due to it's simplicity, this weapon was invented and re-invented in various locations. Most agree though that the blowgun dates back to the stone age and was known and used at that time on all the inhabited continents, with the exception of Africa.

Wildwood Survival - Slings Slings can be amazingly effective weapons for hunting that can be made quite easily. However, aiming them takes a lot of practice. And please, when practicing, do it in a large area where there are no people or things that can be damaged. It takes a bit of trial and error (practice) to figure out when to let loose with a sling, and you can easily hurt someone unintentionally if they're anywhere in the area!

Slings as weapons. combat and hunting. A collection of newsgroup messages discussing slings - primarily as weapons.

Making Cane Darts  You can do this by storing the cane in tied bundles of twelve or so. In the winter, I dry my cane in the house where it is warm and dry. In the summer, the attic is the place of choice. Drying the cane should take about three to six months. In my opinion, I usually use FULLY SEASON THE CANE before attempting to straighten it. The method you use should not be one that uses extreme heat, This might crack the cane unexpectedly. See also: Throwing atlatls with accuracy, Dart casting and Understanding Atlatls

The Atlatl and Dart: An Ancient Hunting Weapon Through the eons of prehistory, primitive peoples from all over the world developed hundreds of unique weapons for hunting game. Among all the technologies invented the atlatl and dart was the first true weapons system, consisting of both a projectile and a launching device. The atlatl, essentially a spear-thrower, was developed in Europe more than 30,000 years ago, and in North America about 12,000 years ago. By comparison, the bow and arrow first appeared here only 2,000 years ago.

Falconry - Modern and Traditional by Lydia Ash: We all have images of elegant ladies and gallant knights riding out for an afternoon of hunting. Fine birds are perched on their fists as the ultimate of adornments. And this image that we all hold has permeated our literature and movies. There can't be a period movie set in the Medieval age without an appearance of at least one falconer with his bird. And yet, this was not the original form of falconry - this was, instead, the height of its popularity in the west. The precise origins are, like many old things, lost in time...

Catching a Rabbit Down a Hole by William Walls As I was demonstrating a few outdoor survival ideas to a small group, I noticed an older gentleman in the back who appeared skeptical. Later over a picnic lunch, I coaxed him to share with me how he captured cottontail rabbits. Here is his technique.

Pole Spear Fishing If you want to get started in , there is no better way then pole spear hunting. Pole spears are simple, inexpensive and durable, with no moving parts. Furthermore, they need very little maintenance. And best of all, they are very effective. Although ideal for the beginner spearfisher, many long-time experienced hunters continue to use them as a highly effective tool for small to medium-sized fish.

Fish First Its obvious why we say fish first, because where there are fish there are many other types of game. Adaptation skills end up being very low on a soldiers priority list (until he/she is stranded or a POW, for some reason his attitude changes (imagine that).

Spearheads I & II: The Anglo-Saxon Spearhead - Demonstration by Bruce "Atli" Blackistone: This is an anvilfire iForge demonstration article for metalworkers.

Hunting Without Guns Bola Stone: Looking somewhat like a hamburger, this grooved stone is a bola, or hurling stone. Two or more of these stones would have been tied to a long cord, whirled repeatedly overhead like a lariat, and then released to strike the animal or entangle it in the cords.

Fish Traps. ML/NG postings, some pretty good.

HOW TO USE FISH TRAPS IN AN URBAN SETTING. information was condensed from book Becoming Self-Reliant - How to Become Less Dependent on Society and the Government

A few methods for survival fishing using a fish trap.

Survival Fishing You can make your own fishhooks, nets and traps and use several methods to obtain fish in a survival situation.

Ancient & Medieval Falconry: Origins & Functions in Medieval England by Shawn E. Carroll (I don't know why this link is here)

THROWING STICK - A primitive, but effective weapon for small game hunting.

CAVEMAN THROWING STAR - An even more effective tool for small game.

SPEAR WEAPONS - When one thinks of primitive weaponry, these are the tools that come to mind.

SQUIRREL SNARE - A very simple and very effective snare.

RABBIT SNARE - A very simple and very effective snare.

Primitive/Survival Blowguns Animal life is an important resource for one cast into a survival situation for food, clothing and tools. Hunting animals requires prowess, patience and the proper weapons. Being thrust into a situation where no modern gear is available is basically being thrust into a stone age level of existence. To learn which weapons are available and most effective in this situation we must look to a time when stone age subsistence was a way of life. We must look to the primitive weapons of our aborigine ancestors.

Bannerstones And How They Relate To The Atlatl By Robert S. Berg: Archaeologists have been agonizing for a long time over the use of banner stones. Some have offered that they are atlatl weights or ceremonial pieces. Others have suggested that they are for drilling, cordage making, or fire making. This theory proposes that they are part of a kit of tools used to make and repair atlatl darts. My theory also proposes that there is an interrelated purpose for several common artifacts.

the bola or boleadora, a summary of ethnographic artifacts The bola, or boleadora is a primitive hunting tool that was originally used by the Chinese, Eskimos and South American Indians. Bolas are a throwing device made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their appendages (legs, wings).

Primitive Weapons - History Page I decided to add this page to my web site, just to give anyone that logs on a brief description of the weapons used by our ancestors in pre-history, for without them our survival would not have been possible. I do not claim to be a weapons expert nor do I claim to be an anthropologist, but I have done extensive research an what follows is based on that research.

An Atlatl Hunting Experience by Len Riemersma  The darts I used for the hunt were made of bamboo. These needed to be straightened for optimal flight. The ends where I insert the points were reinforced so they wouldn't split upon impact, lessening the penetration of the point. The points I decided to use were made of steel. See also: Fishing with atlatls on the Rainbow River in Florida and Atlatl Deer Hunting and Wild Boar Hunting With the Atlatl

Articles On Using And Making The Atlatl From the International Atlatl Society:

How Hard Does It Hit? Anybody who has tried an atlatl and dart knows that it's a powerful combination (ancient people used it to hunt mammoth, after all). But nobody ever seems to know exactly HOW powerful it is -- on the internet, you will find pages that say it's anywhere from 3 times to 100 times more powerful than a spear thrown by hand. That's a lot of difference, and nobody ever says (or shows) how they came by their figure.

ATLATL Renaissance by Jim Merritt "Atlatl" (pronounced either AT-lat-ul or AT-ul-LA-tul, take your pick) is an Aztec name for the throwing stick. It appeared on the Eurasian continent 30,000 years ago and arrived in the Americas perhaps 12,000 years ago, when the ancestors of the modern Indians crossed the then-existing land bridge between Siberia and Alaska. These Paleo-Indians - known as the Clovis people, for the exquisite projectile points they left at a site near Clovis, New Mexico - gradually moved south as they followed the herds of Mammoths, Mastodons, and Long-Horned Bison. They killed these animals with the Atlatl and its projectile, which despite its similarity to an arrow is called a "Dart" (alas, a name more suggestive of a smoke-filled bar than a glacial landscape).

Aboriginal Technology A boomerang must be held vertically and thrown with spin. They can travel distances up to 200m. Boomerangs used for hunting are heavy sticks with a slight curve, which means they can be aimed and thrown in a straight line at high speed. These are termed non-returning boomerangs. The spinning motion of the boomerang gives it stability as it flies.

Wildwood Survival - Throwing Sticks  Throwing Sticks are used to kill small game, such as rabbits and birds. Therefore, they are also commonly called "Rabbit Sticks", or "Bird Sticks." To use them, one simply hurls it at the intended target. Of course, there is a technique involved in order to remain undetected by the target animal!

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