Thistle-down fletched blowgun darts

[your_comforting_company]

I checked to see what the status is for a blow gun in Canada. I’m not surprised to find out that they are a prohibited weapon too

I reckon I'm lucky to live in GA where primitive weapons are legal for taking game

[neondog]

For many years I though "river cane" WAS bamboo. .

Sorry for the delay but thought I'd weigh in. Each node of bamboo has sort of a crease in each section where the leaf (stem) grew and they alternate from side to side. A cross section of the bore will look sort of like an apple with a small bite taken. Not really suitable for blowgun use. Rivercane has a round bore, much longer segments and a VERY slow taper making eight or nine foot barrels feasible. I have seven or eight pieces of varied quality rivercane that I purchased in Tahlequah, Oklahoma during the Cherokee National Holiday. The first weekend in Sept each year they have blowgun competitions and also sell guns darts and cane. The most I paid was $25 for a decent looking five foot section already bored and fairly straight. One of the regulars allowed me to video his dart making technique.



One other possibility is Sumac. Find a decently straight section and drill out the soft pith while it is still green. Easier to find than rivercane.

[TXyakr]

Thanks neondog that was very informative. Now I understand why I have never seen a good blowgun made from actual bamboo. Jumping from that very good video you posted I clicked on this video from the Cherokee Heritage Center which had a good life wisdom lesson as well as bit about blowgun and dart making. Next time I'm on a river in these parts I'll be hunting river cane, hope to paddle on down with some straight shafts of it. Finding 5-9', 1/2-1" diameter is very difficult. Might get shot by a land owner. Will ask permission if beyond the flood line or close to it.

[neondog]

Stumbled across pics of two types of thistle. The first is what I believe the Cherokee are using (Scottish Thistle?) The second picture is what I gather in Comanchee county in Oklahoma. Pretty sure it is Wavy Leaf Thistle and certain that it's not as much fun to work with.

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