Hunting With Dart/Spear Throwers, (or in North America, the Atlatl),

Survival-Dart/Spear Throwers, or in North America, the Atlatl

By now, especially if you are one those “macho/he-man types that just has to go tramping off through the woods in hunt of “BIG GAME”; animals that are at least somewhat worthy of your greatly inflated ego; you have probably had several failed attempts at bow making and  just as many in arrow production. Now after hearing that last sickening crack of a bow that took countless hours for you to fashion with precise precision—or maybe it was after you put  one of your stone headed precision arrows through your neighbours large, plate glass, living room window—you have decided that bow making  just isn't your thing. There must be some easier way, you ask—and there is.

Introducing the Spear Thrower or Atlatl

Like, most practical; or even feasible weapons;The Atlatl or spear thrower did not originate in any of the Americas. This ancient (probably dating back to Neanderthal man) spear thrower is now often called an ATLATL-supposedly an Aztec word meaning far. You can think of throwing a spear (something that normally is the last thing you should want to do) far, far, very far. In most countries, a dart or spear thrower is referred to as the great/great /great grandfather of the bow and arrow; it is also, probably, the very first "reloadable weapon to be developed by man ( there is some debate as to which came first the dart thrower or the sling).

 Regardless of the name you may choose to call it by this weapon system is a common denominator for human worldwide. Evidence from archaeological digs and cave hieroglyphics has been found on every continent except Antarctica. There are, of course, many styles and variations, of spear thrower, depending on what is being hunted, where on the planet the hunt is “happening” who is hunting, and the materials readily available for constructing this simple but at the same time, complex hunting tool. 

The very simple spear thrower, illustrated above, allows the user to more than double the power and range of a normal throw. The actual thrower has a point that fits into a notch in the end of the dart/spear that is held in place by the user. Although not really necessary dart/spear points of antler, bark, horn, stone or wood may be added.
 Length of the spear thrower will vary but is usually about the length of the users arm. Ultimately, it comes down to a stick, or tree branch, and a lightweight spear The spear or dart need not  have feather flights. At some point, long ago someone (probably a female mate or half grown off-spring) realized that far too many hunters were being killed, or seriously injured, in the pursuit of Big Game animals. At about the same time the hunters themselves got tired of dragging around a travois loaded down with a lot of basically useless "Hollywood" or "macho type" garbage. In order to hunt more efficiently-without having to unnecessarily expend a lot of valuable energy, they came up with, probably, the world’s first , shoot-able, throw-able, re-loadable, weapon. Over time, designs were adjusted, refined and eventually the crafting and fashioning of spear throwers became the “trade” of very skilled professionals .   
 Remember, just like any other tool;  spear/dart throwers require a lot of practice before you will be able to use them proficiently.
These tools are not toys. You do not use them to play "Macho Man"-they are meant to kill and to kill efficiently. 
Don't break any windows-don't spear a close friend; or kill a member of your own family when using any such tool-obey the rules of safety-and always try to maintain-at least a little-sanity 

©Al (Alex, Alexander) D Girvan-2012. All rights reserved.