For you hunters looking for a challenge

[richlevy]

It looks like PA might try letting hunters use atladl. Considering the difficulty, they will probably apply bow season standards.

Pa. May Let Hunters Use Prehistoric Weapon

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HARRISBURG, Pa. - An ancient weapon that struck fear in the hearts of Spanish conquistadors, and that some think was used to slay wooly mammoths in Florida, may soon be added to the arsenal of Pennsylvania's hunters. The state Game Commission is currently drafting proposed regulations to allow hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device used to propel a six-foot dart as fast as 80 mph. The commission could vote to legalize its use as early as January.

It's unclear which animals atlatlists may be allowed to hunt, but the proposal is being pushed by people who want to kill deer with a handmade weapon of Stone Age design. The name, usually pronounced AT-lad-ul, is derived from an Aztec word for "throwing board."

There have been times I've considered taking up the bow again, but this looks like much more fun.


I found two equipment sites, one that appears more traditional and another that incorporates modern techiniques. I still find it odd to call something 6 feet long a 'dart'. Interesting stuff, and the fact that even the modern versions retain many original materials and designs is interesting. You wouldn't put a modern fiberglass compound bow on a wall for display, but these wood and bone atlatl, even with modern designs, still have a simplicity of form and materials that make them fun to look at.

[Bullitt]

those things look like they could seriously mess you up

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

those things look like they could seriously mess you up

At close enough range, yes.

In fact, the Atlatl and Dart were the only weapon Cortez and his Conquistadors feared because it easily piercing(sic) Spanish armor, often sending the hapless soldier to meet his Maker.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I suppose if they make them legal for hunting they can't be put on a prohibited weapons list like throwing stars and such.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I suppose if they make them legal for hunting they can't be put on a prohibited weapons list like throwing stars and such.

Well, since the darts are about 6 feet long, it really isn't concealable. Noone could go on a shooting rampage with one, so it's safer than a gun or even a knife.

[Elspode]

A friend of mine owns a couple of these and brings them out to the Highland Games which I attend semi-regularly. He can throw an arrow through 3/4" plywood at 30 yards with it with amazing accuracy. For sheer distance, I've seen him throw it just shy of 200 yards.

[Tonchi]

The purpose of the atlatl was to effectively extend the ARM LENGTH of the thrower. The effect was the same as the difference between a 6-foot tall man and a 5-year-old child; it was like having an arm twice as long as a normal human, thus producing speed and power which seemed almost supernatural. The weapon existed at least since the ice age, and was independently developed both in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Indians in what is now the American Southwest had also been using this weapon for millenia, along with the bola which Indians in Argentina made famous. Seems that news of a cool new weapon spread fast, even in prehistory

The Aztec warriors were the ones who introduced it to the Spaniards, point first, with the Spaniards completely unaware that prehistoric caves in their country contained the bones of animals killed with the same weapon tens of thousands of years earlier. What the articles you have referenced may neglect to mention is that the Spaniards had crossbow-like weapons which could be cranked back to fire steel darts which were every bit as effective as the atlatl tipped with razor-sharp flaked obsidian. They also brought pistols and cannons, which were pretty devastating too but didn't work so well when the Aztecs pitched them into the canals during battles.

The thing I always found interesting was the name given to this ancient spear thrower by the Aztecs: "atl" means "water" in their language of Nahuatl (which also ends in "atl"). In fact, many Aztec words end in "atl". So the sound must have had special significance. But we didn't have anybody to teach us linguistics of Mezo America when I was at the University of Colorado.

Anyway, by all means try using this weapon. I don't see how there is any difference between this and bow hunting, maybe it's even a cleaner kill. Anything which makes the hunt more interesting and challenging should appeal to the real outdoorsman

[mrnoodle]

I'm totally behind this idea. Show what you're made of, nancy.

[Griff]

I'm gonna have to borrow my father-in-laws. Throwing is something I always had a knack for. Maybe at long last my true calling will rear its head. mmmm meat snacks, meaty meaty meaty...

maybe the water part is from fish spearing? although it does seem like overkill.

[wolf]

Fish were bigger in those days ...