Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Cave Men only "Oooga Booga" => Topic started by: gigmaster on June 02, 2012, 06:41:01 am

Title: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: gigmaster on June 02, 2012, 06:41:01 am
Anyone else here make Rabbit Sticks, or non-returning hunting boomerangs?

I've made two, and they work great on bunnies.

(http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n45/suejoel/Primitive%20Wepons%20and%20skills/ANYTHING302.jpg)

(http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n45/suejoel/Primitive%20Wepons%20and%20skills/PictureorVideo029.jpg)
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: JW_Halverson on June 02, 2012, 04:24:14 pm
The Aboriginal word for the non-returning boomerang is "bloodystupidstick".
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: Adam on June 02, 2012, 04:36:13 pm
I have a ton of rabbits in my yard. I'd better give that a try!
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: bowtarist on June 10, 2012, 11:31:54 pm
HOPI used them.  I've only read about them.  looks like they;d work ok. dp
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: sadiejane on June 28, 2012, 09:16:19 am
they DO work
and quite well in the hands of someone with experience(not me)
there are some great vids on youtube with folks who can take down small prey quite readily
i have carved out a few and made many attempts at bopping a bunny-havent got one-yet
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: bowtarist on June 28, 2012, 02:21:40 pm
 8) sadie!  I tried to make a boomerang once and it broke the first throw my kid made w/ it.  Maybe I can get a rabbit stick made next w/ a better wood. dp
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: darwin on June 28, 2012, 03:48:47 pm
I have made several returning ones and a few that were ment to return that didn't and one longdistance one that would break human bones if it hit you (catching it is not an option) so I totally believe you could take out all kind of small game
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: bowtarist on June 28, 2012, 04:02:25 pm
Not to be disrespectful, but are you holding that thing right?  I just re-looked @ the pics and I think they may be thrown the other direction...like a boomerang.  Just wondering?  dpgratz
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: JW_Halverson on June 28, 2012, 04:05:17 pm
If the Ozzy-Abos can hunt and successfully kill 200 lb buck red kangaroos with a boomarang, there is no reason you can't stop a charging cottontail!  When you get good and hitting moving prey, come on out here to South Dakota and I will film you hunting pheasants!!!
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: gobbler716 on September 04, 2012, 05:22:14 pm
An old Mississippi man told me once about a rabbit stick that was like a spear, only it had a huge knot on one end rather than a spear point.  Anyone else heard of this?
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: Tozkoparan on September 25, 2012, 09:05:13 am
Hello guys! I am a newcomer to the forum. My name is Murat Özveri, I live in Istanbul, Turkey and am a dentist/periodontist. Being an archery enthusiast I have been working systematically on reviving Turkish traditional archery since 2004. My colleagues and I have founded a web site www.tirendaz.com to share our know-how and new findings about Turkish traditional archery with all traditional archery enthusiasts in the country and abroad. We have also a facebook group under the same name.

Other primitive weapons (if it would be correct to call a Turkish composite bow "primitive") attract me too and recently I begun to contemplate more about throwing sticks (TS). After surfing on the net, reading books and articles (both academic and popular) and a few attempts of making and tuning a wooden TS I made one from paperboard. Beforehand I had had a few decorative Kylie (Australian hunting boomerangs) replicas which flew well but were light to be reliable hunting weapons. Recently I bought the "hunting boomerang" of Cold Steel, a TS made of a reportedly "undestructable" synthetic material. Weighing 567 grams it is quite a big hunting tool and en excellent re-creational tool.

Back to my paperboard TS, it is made by glueing layers of paperboard to reach the intended planconvex or biconvex cross section.I have choosen the plan of a "lil-lil", an Australian TS that was supposedly used as a war club (because of its heavy weight) too. My TS is smaller and lighter and unlike many biconvex originals it is planconvex.

Below you can find two videos I made, in which you'd see the flight and performance of oth  the commercial TS and the one I made. Nowadays I am working on a similar paperboard TS of a similar plan. Hope you'll like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If3D9gNsKxI&list=UUVIT0SXPgDo0LtimeIzuIbA&index=2&feature=plcp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeGdbvkrlrE&list=UUVIT0SXPgDo0LtimeIzuIbA&index=1&feature=plcp
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: Tozkoparan on September 25, 2012, 09:11:57 am
Gobbler716,

As an answer to your question there is an antropological publication by D.S. Davidson titled "Australian Throwing-Sticks, Throwing-Clubs, and Boomerangs", published in 1936.  It is available on the internet and you'd easily find it. The author gave all types of the mentioned weapons with clear illustrations and such throwing clubes (or sticks) resembling a speer with a knot can be seen there. The variations in shape and size seem to be unlimited!
Title: Re: Rabbit Sticks
Post by: Scowler on September 26, 2012, 08:38:17 pm
Another primitive weapon I'll have to try in the future.  Thanks for the post and thanks for the videos, Tozkoparan.