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| My god Bakes,you ARE bored.  |
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| Once you get good at it I think it would be like hunting with a bow. Of course you have to have alot of practise. I don't see much difference between a dart through the vitals or a knife in the heart after being chased by a pack of dogs. I wouldn't mind going hunting with some of our black cousins and watching them hunt with a spear. Pretty interesting that the atlatl and the wumera use the same principle, but the spears are very different, and the people who use them were on opposite parts of the world. This Link doesn't mention the wumera, but I would think it was around before the atlatl. So who copied who? |
| | | Posts: 8102 | Location: Bloody Queensland where every thing is 20 years behind the rest of Australia! | Registered: 25 January 2001 | 
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| Bakes, i was writing this at the same time as you posted. My initial response was - why import a woomera/wumera?
I might be wrong, but check with your locals. Maybe there's a diference, but they'd be best to advise, surely? They must have had a lot of 'unsuccesful attempts' while learning the skills - bit like any hunting process - anyone NEVER wounded an animal??
Not my choice of hunting gear, but go for it!! To me, a spear is a bit like a very slow arrow! Should I stop either my son or I from using a bow? Nup!! |
| | | Posts: 1275 | Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Registered: 02 May 2002 |
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| Bakes - You'll definitely be impressed with the ability and usefulness of an atlatl once you see a good thrower use one. You end up doubling your arm's leverage and get some real power behind the spear! I would think it would be plenty suitable for any non-dangerous type game that people generally hunt with a bow - deer, hogs, roos (?), etc. Like other posters have said, check with some of your locals who are still well-versed in their traditional hunting tools. maxman |
| | | Posts: 337 | Location: Minnesota, USA | Registered: 23 December 2002 |
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| bakes,read my posts in the spearhunting forum.My thrower and darts came from thunderbird atlatl,and I am very pleased with them.If you call them and talk to bob berg what you will learn will be more than worth the phone charges.It took me a LOOONG time to learn to throw accurately[power is no problem].practicing is always fun,and satisfying for me.Its definitely not for someone who want instant results.GO FOR IT! |
| | | Posts: 24 | Location: USA | Registered: 14 March 2003 |
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| Quote:
bakes,read my posts in the spearhunting forum.My thrower and darts came from thunderbird atlatl,and I am very pleased with them.If you call them and talk to bob berg what you will learn will be more than worth the phone charges.It took me a LOOONG time to learn to throw accurately[power is no problem].practicing is always fun,and satisfying for me.Its definitely not for someone who want instant results.GO FOR IT!
Bakes
Try and get a local woomera first. Give it a try.
I tried one at a abo community near Cairns where they have spear throwing tries for fun. All the urban wankers were throwing them straight up into the air, hitting the ground at their feet, the 'spears' were falling off as they threw them.
I watched the other turkeys for a while and which 'spears' flew reasonably true and waited for these to come back and then selected a couple. My first throw skimmed the bale of hay at say 40 yards and the second hit it. Did not try to throw too hard so it worked well. Only person to come anywhere close to it except for the blacks. My tan may have helped.
But the 'spears' were crap as tourists broke them all the time so they weren't quality to start off with. If you started with a decent long straight shaft then with practice they would work I'm pretty sure. Killing accuracy would take some practice.
Hey, have you got the spears yet? 
Of course the woomera came before a silly atlatl  . The Aboriginal culture has been around for many tens of thousands of years. |
| | | Posts: 10138 | Location: Wine Country, Barossa Valley, Australia | Registered: 06 March 2002 |
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