Hey fellas,
Made up a 60# Ojibwa bow for dragonman and three different arrow types for display when he's not shooting it. Anyways, this is the famous "turtle-claw" arrow. Used only for shooting people. Generally the preffered claw was from a snapping turtle, but talons of birds of prey, wild cat claws, etc were usefull as well.
The forward part of the shaft is cut/carved with a "peg" protruding from a blunt shaft.....then cut a "V" groove to nestle in the claw. Haft the fat part of the shaft but dont use the wrap to secure the claw. Use a very fine piece of sinew to wrap the claw to the peg ahead of the blount shaft only. That's it.
The purpose is to drive the claw into the flesh, it will "fish-hook" into the body and either tear loose from the fine sinew, or become lodged if the arrow is retracted, or the fish-hook action will break the small peg off......the idea is for the enemy to die as slowly and painfully as possible as an example for his friends to not come back.
Anyways, here's the close-up pics. The claw is from a wild turkey as our turtle season is not open here as yet.....the method is the same no matter which claw ya use.....some even had two claws.
rich