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Thread: Hunters Stalk Their Inner Cave Men

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    hunter-gatherer Canadian-guerilla's Avatar
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    Default Hunters Stalk Their Inner Cave Men

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    Armed With Stone-Tipped Arrows, Hunters Stalk Their Inner Cave Men

    ALBANY, Tex.—Late last month, Mike Huston crouched in a prickly pear patch. His blood-stained quiver—sewn from the hide of a deer he killed—was full of arrows fashioned from turkey feathers, wild plants and sharpened stones.

    Nearby, a half dozen feral hogs grunted through the West Texas dust. When they drew within a few yards, Mr. Huston laid an arrow against a bow of rough wood and deer sinew, pulling it taut. The black boar was oblivious until it heard the thwack of Mr. Huston's bowstring.

    Mr. Huston, who goes by "Hawk," is at the forefront of a backward movement in the U.S.: Hunters are increasingly devolving, favoring crude hand-wrought weapons made with ancient methods.

    As for high-powered modern guns and pricey carbon-fiber bows? "People are tired of that," says Randy Rifenburgh, a longtime primitive hunter who goes by "Rattlin' Randy" in his hunting-instruction videos. "Technology has made it too easy for the real hunters."

    Some use flint-tipped arrows for deer and coyotes, while others fell wild boar and alligators with rudimentary spears. With weapons of his own design, Mr. Huston, 41, has targeted elk and deer and impaled stingrays in the Gulf of Mexico "They taste like scallops," he says.

    Interest in the stone-age lifestyle has been growing. In recent years, archaeology buffs started arrowhead-making groups in places like Portland, Ore., and Pasadena, Calif. Other die-hards have adopted meat-heavy "paleo" diets, eating like traditional hunter-gatherers.

    While there has long been a cult of hunters who use old-style rifles and bows, "bowhunting has picked up pretty tremendously across the country," says Mike Moore, chief executive of Primitive Archer magazine. The publication's circulation is up 25% over the past five years, to roughly 30,000, he says.

    Prehistoric hunts are back partly because technology has made hunting a bit of a yawner, say some of the sport's aficionados. The proliferation of gear like high-powered sniper rifles and "compound bows"—which use carbon fiber, metal wire and a set of pulleys to fling an arrow almost as fast as a bullet—took much of the sport out of hunting, they say.

    As a result, more people now want to hunt with "a piece of handcrafted artwork that's functional," says Ted Fry, the owner of Raptor Archery in Hood River, Ore.

    Some states are curbing how far hunters may go. Massachusetts only allows spear hunting for eels, carp and sucker fish. Other states prohibit stone-tipped projectiles. In Montana, a state bill to legalize spear hunting died in committee after Gov. Brian Schweitzer in March called it "kooky."

    Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States, says he worries about both ultra-modern and ultra-primitive hunting methods. High-tech gear, he says, can give the hunter an unfair advantage over prey. On the other hand, he says "archery equipment is very problematic" since animals are sometimes injured but don't die.

    Hunters like Perri Smith, a 52-year-old factory worker, say they take care to kill animals quickly. He recounts having "a normal outdoor upbringing" in Danville, Ind., shooting small game with guns.

    He later moved on to a 19th-century-type muzzleloader, which requires a hunter to pack old-fashioned gun powder and bullets through the nose of the rifle, and a compound bow.

    About five years ago, he took a class on "flint knapping"—using a rock to shape and sharpen the edges of a smaller stone. He made arrowheads and knife blades that he lashed to bone handles.

    Mr. Huston has been using ancient tactics to take wild game since his childhood in Montana, when family friends, one of them a Lakota Indian, taught him to make arrows and stalk game. Recently, he has been working as a car crusher for a steel-recycling company in Texas. In his spare time, he pursues wild hogs with his friend Mr. Rifenburgh. Mr. Huston says he only kills animals for food.

    Mr. Rifenburgh is the gamekeeper of the Newell Ranch—a 20,000-acre property near the tiny oil town of Albany, Texas. As part of his job, Mr. Rifenburgh must keep the ranch's deer well-fed. That means controlling the feral hogs that eat deer food. Texas has no hunting limit on nonnative pigs, so the 50-year-old has honed his skills stalking them through the brush.

    On a recent Friday evening, Mr. Rifenburgh, dressed in deerskin-fringed camouflage, jumped into his five-seater Toyota pickup with Mr. Huston, Mr. Huston's wife Stacey and their son Tyler, 19. "Let's get going so we can shoot some stuff," Mr. Rifenburgh said.

    The hunt began when a pack of pigs came into sight—and well within range of a modern compound bow. But the hogs spooked before they could be reached with the primitive bows shaped by Mr. Rifenburgh.

    As dusk approached, they spotted another pack. The hunters crept from the truck. Mr. Huston, throwing a piece of grass into the breeze, said a prayer for a successful hunt, giving thanks to the animals. Then the group stepped over a cactus and crouched under a bush.

    Six hogs approached slowly, snorting. Mr. Huston drew back. His arrow flew over a young pig, hitting a large black one in the side. The swine scattered; the hunters sprang up, fanning into the mesquite brush to find the injured animal.

    Mr. Rifenburgh spotted the boar in a dry streambed. It ran into the trees. Darkness descending, the men looked into the brush. "There it is," Mr. Rifenburgh said, pointing to a lump about 50 feet in the distance. When the hog took off again, the men drove four more arrows into it.

    The men crouched over the felled pig, gutted it and said another prayer before dragging the roughly 150-pound carcass back to the truck to transport it to Mr. Rifenburgh's meat cooler. "It's not pretty, but it's primitive," said Mr. Rifenburgh.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...623476856.html
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  2. #2

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    It's an "interest" and just as much of a sport as most other means. It's just food to me and the less work or money I have into it the better and I don't like imposing any more difficulties on myself than neccesary because I want to be a "real hunter". We were eaters long before we were hunters. This really just illustrates how disconnected from our food source people have become that they have to make a game out of it.
    Last edited by Alaskan Survivalist; 05-26-2011 at 06:52 PM.

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    "Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States, says he worries about both ultra-modern and ultra-primitive hunting methods. High-tech gear, he says, can give the hunter an unfair advantage over prey. On the other hand, he says "archery equipment is very problematic" since animals are sometimes injured but don't die."

    You have to wonder what kind of hunting Wayne Pacelle would approve of since the HSUS is one of the most rabid anti-hunting organizations in America.

    I think most people pursuing primitive methods are looking for the challenge. Some may be disenchanted by modern hunting practices and are reacting against them. For most people hunting is a sport rather than a necessity and as a sport they can impose tighter restrictions on themselves if they want to. They shouldn't be ridiculing other hunters and their methods though. The people trying to stop everyone from hunting will gladly expoit any opportunities to promote divisions in our ranks. (Just like Wayne Pacelle did in the quote above.)

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mosquitomountainman View Post
    "Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States, says he worries about both ultra-modern and ultra-primitive hunting methods. High-tech gear, he says, can give the hunter an unfair advantage over prey. On the other hand, he says "archery equipment is very problematic" since animals are sometimes injured but don't die."

    You have to wonder what kind of hunting Wayne Pacelle would approve of since the HSUS is one of the most rabid anti-hunting organizations in America.

    I think most people pursuing primitive methods are looking for the challenge. Some may be disenchanted by modern hunting practices and are reacting against them. For most people hunting is a sport rather than a necessity and as a sport they can impose tighter restrictions on themselves if they want to. They shouldn't be ridiculing other hunters and their methods though. The people trying to stop everyone from hunting will gladly expoit any opportunities to promote divisions in our ranks. (Just like Wayne Pacelle did in the quote above.)
    Now that is a important statement.......Divide and conquer.

    Seems that the need to be an elitist is pretty powerful.
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  5. #5

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    Last winter a Caribou herd needed to be thined but Fish and Game postponed the hunt because the herd was to close to the highway making them too easy to get. I can see limiting the harvest but by others means. In this case it precluded all the poor people that do not have snowmobiles, trailer and truck to hual them. The state has realized what an industry revolves around hunting and fishing. Each fish probably generates 10,000 dollars in license fees, sporting goods sales and the tourist industry in general. To the degree it becomes a sport the more it looses its viabilty as a food source for people that have to compete for the resource to feed thier family. If you'd seen things the way they used be what they call hunting these days would make your stomach turn.

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    Senior Member Bushman's Avatar
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    I've always been a 'Rifleman' since I was about 12............

    however that doesn't mean I haven't tried 'other methods'

    bow hunting (longbow & crossbow)

    spears, both fishing & big game

    and muzzleloaders..........

    its whatever lights your fire.

    since a serious bike smash some years back which busted up both hands I've been unable to draw a bowstring, so its back to 'rifles'. I have a guncase full of them, centrefire, rimfire and shotguns. If I do MY part, they all suffice for the purpose.

    I hunt deer downunder (mostly Sambar plus a few Fallow) and if you put the projectile in the right place, they'll all drop fairly quickly. Put it in the WRONG place and you've got a 'problem'.
    Assuming you get 'close enough', with whatever you use..........bow, spear, knife (commonly used on wild pigs in OZ) or rifle, you should have no 'issues'.

    I have et most things that move, and in every case have tried to kill the animal as quickly and humanely as possible, which in most cases meant passing up a shot if I wasn't absolutely sure.

    for many years the only rifles I had were a single shot Ruger No3 in 45-70 and a single shot Martini Cadet in .22 rimfire..... both iron sighted. Neither is exactly a 'long range' proposition, but they did the job effectively and efficiently, from rabbits to large deer.

    So, from my position, it ain't so much 'what' you use......but 'how' you use it...........and having 'respect' for the game you hunt. These living beings are creatures that man with all his knowledge, will never be able to create in a million years, despite all our meddling with 'cloning' and 'stem cell replication'.

    Taking part in the hunt forces us to join in the 'circle of living.........being......and dying' and ultimately makes for better and more 'human', human beings.

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    I think that was a very good post. You offered some sound advice in my opinion and opened a door to your inner self in the process.
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    Good post Bushman!!!!
    Never claimed to be an expert. Just use or do what works for me.

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    Now I'm not a big-time bowhunter by any means, so all I have is questions.

    But many of the accounts of modern bowhunting tell of the arrow going all the way through the game animal, and not stopping the animal instantly. The critter runs off and dies elsewhere.

    I also hear of kills where the arrow stops inside the animal's body and kills the animal there and then - or at least it stops it there, where it dies.

    So is this accurate, and if so, are high-poundage bows more trouble than they're worth?

  10. #10
    Senior Member Bushman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kortoso View Post
    Now I'm not a big-time bowhunter by any means, so all I have is questions.

    But many of the accounts of modern bowhunting tell of the arrow going all the way through the game animal, and not stopping the animal instantly. The critter runs off and dies elsewhere.

    I also hear of kills where the arrow stops inside the animal's body and kills the animal there and then - or at least it stops it there, where it dies.

    So is this accurate, and if so, are high-poundage bows more trouble than they're worth?

    Kortoso;

    No, they're NOT ! (a 'caveat' here...I'm not a bowhunter,but I hunt frequently with fellows who are bowhunters.......)

    To give an analogy; rifle-wise it is definitely possible to be 'under-gunned' (for example,attempting to use a .22RF to stop the charge of a Buffalo!!) However, it is not possible to be 'over-gunned'............. for example I have often used big-bore and medium bore centrefire rifles (30-45 calibre) on small game such as rabbits. All that happens is that the projectile pokes a 30 calibre hole in one side and a .30 calibre hole on the exit side. Hit in the 'right spot' the animal will die. Hit in the 'wrong spot' and the animal may well run off and die a slow lingering death.

    'Instant kills' happen less often than we like to hope, regardless of the weapon being used. My own experience shows (and I have over 45 years of it) is that at least 2/3rds of the time, the animal targeted does NOT die 'instantaneously'......despite what we'd all 'hope' !! This applies to rifle, bow, spear, whatever.......... The problem is that; most hunters and writers rarely acknowledge this fact. Honest writers such as Craig Boddington, will openly admit their 'stuff-ups'......most, won't. And will try to gloss over their 'mistakes'. I was fortunate to be taught from an early age to 'keep- shooting -until- they- drop !!' This was reinforced in S/F training some years later. We were taught to 'double tap' and if no 'immediate response' double tap again...........

    Now while this is not possible with bowhunting, you should immediately follow the first arrow with a second if at all possible !!

    On to 'penetration'....As with rifle shooters there are two schools of thought on this: the first says that the 'projectile' (whether arrowhead or bullet) 'should remain in the animal.........and expend all its energy there...'. The second (to which I subscribe) is that the 'projectile' should do its job 'better'........(which is to cause the largest possible wound channel and massive bleeding) and secondly to 'exit the body'..............which in turn should give a reasonably sized 'exit hole' in order to help the wound bleed out rapidly, and for the animal to die quickly and relatively painlessly.........

    So; going on this latter train of thought; my take is this: That there is 'no-such-thing....as 'overgunned' or 'over-bowed'..........or 'over-penetration'. The point of the exercise to to kill the animal as quickly and humanely as possible !! There is 'good reason' why Game Depts often set 'minimum legal calibres' for different types of game. They rarely if ever, set 'maximum legal calibres'. The same applies to bowhunting !
    Last edited by Bushman; 02-09-2012 at 07:50 PM.
    "use enough gun......"

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Oh, we have them here. They are worried about passing through houses at the end of the 20 acres you're hunting. Pistol ammo or shotgun for deer. No big caliber weapons but it's not about the animal. It's about killing someone down range if you miss.
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    It needs to pass through, It needs to pass through vitals. If it doesn't pass through vitals, it needs a heckuva hydrostatic punch, or a mini chainsaw.

    Speaking strictly bow, you need blades sharper than anything else you have (and for most sharper than anything they have ever seen) and a tip suitable to hold up to a boiler room entrance. Pass through liver, lungs, or heart and likely you will at least hear it crash. Penetrate any of the above, with a proper broadhead, and you will likely recover it, whether it exits or not. I have never seen a game animal drop instantly from a bow hit, other than a spine hit, but I have seen many of them drop.

    Chins hit the ground immediately from hydraulics and/or nerve damage, not sharp razor blades on flesh.
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    Senior Member postman's Avatar
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    I am an avid bow hunter. I've hunted with both compound bows and traditional gear. I now hunt only with what some would call "primitive" equipment. I make my own bows, arrows, quivers, arm guards etc. I even sell some of them from time to time. I went backwards from modern to primitive because I found personally that technology was beginning to take the place of skill, and was taking the fair chase aspect of hunting away. I have nothing against hunters that use modern equipment and hunting methods, but they aren't for me. Am I as sucessful using primitive gear and methods? Absolutely not, For me now a sucessful hunt is a day in the woods, a good stalk, maybe a bit of stump shooting, sneaking up on a deer just to see how close I can get. Don't get me wrong I'll take the shot if it presents itself, but for me hunting isn't just about taking an animal. I do however only use razor sharp modern broadheads when I hunt, and I also beleive that a pass through shot is better, it creates a much better blood trail and more humane kill.

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    Senior Member wholsomback's Avatar
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    Well for those who have the animal run off that is where your tracking skills pay off.I was tought as a youngster to track game before I was even allowed to hunt.A good way to do this is get a squirt bottle full of beef or chicken blood and have a friend when you are not around lay a 200 to 300 yard long blood trail and leave manly beverages at the other end.Don't skimp make it hard.You would be surprised after doing this how much better you pick up on tracking skills you might not ever learn without practice.And for bow hunters which I my self am one,practice,practice, you owe it to your quarry.

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