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Spare deer from spears, state panel urges [Pennsylvania]
McCall.coom ^ | 1-11-06 | Christian Berg

Posted on 01/11/2006 6:30:36 PM PST by SJackson

When it comes to deer hunting, Pennsylvania Game Commission officials prefer the atlatl to remain part of ancient history.

That's the position agency staffers are taking with a proposal that would allow hunters to pursue whitetails with atlatls, prehistoric weapons that use a wooden frame to propel 6-foot-long darts at speeds up to 80 mph.

Atlatl use dates back more than 8,000 years in Pennsylvania and far longer elsewhere in North America and Europe. The name, usually pronounced AT-lad-ul, is derived from an Aztec word for ''throwing board.''

For years, atlatl hunters in Pennsylvania have had to hone their skills in obscurity, hurling the darts at paper targets on private property and at competitions.

Their quest for legitimacy has generated a flood of interest. ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' traveled to Pennsylvania for an amusing look at the sport that aired last week.

(Excerpt) Read more at mcall.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: atlatl; bang; deer; hunting
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To: SJackson

Many sources have documented the chilling effect that the atlatl had on the conquistadors who accompanied Cortez on his trek through Mexico in 1520 A.D. The Spanish felt they were the better equipped, state of the art, military machine. The height of armored splendor and firearm technology for the times. And they were in a position to show the natives just what that machine could do. But they met with a terrifying stone-age technology. In the hands of an expert the atlatl could hit a target from up to a hundred yards away. Bad enough in itself but this weapon had the ability to pierce their armor and plow right on through and into their chests, effectively pinning them inside where they could die a slow and agonizing death. Points on the six-foot-long darts were barbed so that they had to be drawn out the other side in order to be removed. You can imagine the terror these things exacted on these men. The records they left vividly told of it. But hundreds of years later atlatls were a mystery and many scholars were doubtful that the stories told by the conquistadors could be true. Those who tried to make atlatls were somewhat disappointed in the performance and the secrets of the atlatl seemed lost in the past.

http://www.onagocag.com/atlatl.html


21 posted on 01/11/2006 7:24:33 PM PST by saganite (The poster formerly known as Arkie 2)
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To: Appalled but Not Surprised

Um, sure.

But only if you could catch one close to the surface.

Yes, I had to look that one up.


22 posted on 01/11/2006 7:27:40 PM PST by Dr.Zoidberg (Mohammedism - Bringing you only the best of the 6th century for fourteen hundred years.)
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To: Appalled but Not Surprised

It's been a long time since my DnD days.


23 posted on 01/11/2006 7:28:48 PM PST by Dr.Zoidberg (Mohammedism - Bringing you only the best of the 6th century for fourteen hundred years.)
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To: Dr.Zoidberg

I fear I am notorious for making obscure literary references, but I daresay I outdid myself this time.... :-)


24 posted on 01/11/2006 7:33:28 PM PST by Appalled but Not Surprised
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To: Windcatcher

Kill Bambi, is all I got to say.


25 posted on 01/11/2006 7:34:11 PM PST by Ciexyz (Let us always remember, the Lord is in control.)
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To: Dr.Zoidberg

Thank you. I was confused because of the description in the article. It sounded like a wooden "frame" of some sort. I've seen the throwing sticks but didn't know the name Atlatl.


26 posted on 01/11/2006 7:34:35 PM PST by WVNan
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To: King Moonracer

I'd prefer a system by which the animals are herded to the edge of a cliff, forced over the edge and then finished off by dropping a heavy object, like Ted Kennedy's liver or Hilary Clinton, on top of them.


27 posted on 01/11/2006 7:41:10 PM PST by Wombat101 (Islam: Turning everything it touches to Shi'ite since 632 AD...)
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To: SJackson

Crikey, I've been mispronouncing the thing for forty years. (Of course, that only amounts to about twice.)


28 posted on 01/11/2006 7:43:01 PM PST by D.P.Roberts
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To: saganite
I don't know where you got this bunk, but that is what it is, the main weapon of the Indian's of central America was a club, with flint stuck in it for teeth. They had no metal weapon's. So how do you make a six foot long dart with barbs on it?
29 posted on 01/11/2006 7:43:33 PM PST by org.whodat
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To: org.whodat

I'm guessing the spear (like every other spear from that era) was tipped with a stone head of some sort. The atlatl is for real and was used for hunting. That info I posted on it's use against conquistadors was the first I've ever heard of it's use as a weapon. Could be wrong, could be right. Don't shoot the messenger.


30 posted on 01/11/2006 7:56:09 PM PST by saganite (The poster formerly known as Arkie 2)
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To: org.whodat
Quite easy actually. It is well within skills of a flint knapper to make barbed stone points. Stone points can be surprisingly effective against metal armor.
31 posted on 01/11/2006 8:02:05 PM PST by ghostcat
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To: rampage8
Better a spear than the front of my car.

I hit an antlered buck with my Citation some twenty years ago. The front of my car looked like an accordian, all smashed in. (Totalled, of course.) The buck heaved himself up and staggered down a hillside. (The cops came and shot him.)

32 posted on 01/11/2006 8:09:59 PM PST by Ciexyz (Let us always remember, the Lord is in control.)
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To: saganite
"Many sources have documented the chilling effect that the atlatl had on the conquistadors who accompanied Cortez on his trek through Mexico in 1520 A.D"

I curious about that. I've read Prescott, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, the letters Cortez wrote to Charles V, and the "Unknown Conquistador", and I don't recall the atlatal mentioned even once.

33 posted on 01/11/2006 8:10:00 PM PST by PUGACHEV
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To: SJackson

Use spears, guns, bazookas, baseball bats, grenades, golf clubs, arrows, spitballs...I DON'T CARE

There are too many FREEKIN deer in PA


34 posted on 01/11/2006 8:14:58 PM PST by Freedom_Fighter_2001 (When money is no object - it's your money they're talking about)
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To: ghostcat
Stone points can be surprisingly effective against metal armor

I hope you aren't serious, do you have any idea how many Indian's Cortez slaughtered in one day and how many of his fighter's he lost, excluding the few Indians helping him??? Look it up, you might learn something.

35 posted on 01/11/2006 8:17:59 PM PST by org.whodat
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To: org.whodat

Got better things to do than argue about ancient tech See ya


36 posted on 01/11/2006 8:25:58 PM PST by saganite (The poster formerly known as Arkie 2)
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To: Freedom_Fighter_2001
"Use spears, guns, bazookas, baseball bats, grenades, golf clubs, arrows, spitballs...I DON'T CARE"

"First, the Army will circle around the bull, and attempt to knock it over with a tactical nuclear missile. Then the Navy will charge in for the kill."

From memory. A cookie to whoever guesses the source :^)
37 posted on 01/11/2006 8:26:24 PM PST by Windcatcher (Earth to libs: MARXISM DOESN'T SELL HERE. Try somewhere else.)
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To: SJackson

When did Pennsylvania become part of the "Upper Midwest"???


Communist Goals 1963 Congressional Record

38 posted on 01/11/2006 8:30:11 PM PST by Fintan (See??? Sometimes I do read the articles.)
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To: Americanexpat
What is the difference in hunting dear with a rifle, bow or spear?

The latter two weapons require more skill, and are more likely to allow the animal to escape wounded and die slowly. I have no problem with a skilled hunter using any weapon for a clean kill, but I have a problem with leaving a wounded animal to suffer.

I can't think of a good way to address this with regulation, but if I were going to bow hunt, I'd want to have a gun along to finish the job if necessary.

39 posted on 01/11/2006 8:36:16 PM PST by ReignOfError
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To: SJackson

Odd to me that PA is considered a midwestern state. No matter.

I happen to like deer. We had two this morning who found their way home to our backyard. We used to have a family of 5 deer visit - now down to 2.

I guess friends harvested some. They share, though!


40 posted on 01/11/2006 10:01:25 PM PST by JLO (www.operationminnesotanice.com)
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