Primitive Hunting: The Throwing Stick

In my last blog I discussed slingshots as a bushcraft survival tool for hunting small game. Now I'd like to discuss an even lower tech tool that is easy to make and doesn't cost anything...the Throwing Stick or "Rabbit Stick" as it is sometimes called.

Throwing sticks are a primitive technology that were used for centuries by aboriginal peoples around the world. Probably the most well known throwing stick in the world is the "Boomerang" as made famous by the aboriginal hunters of Australia. Here in California, aboriginal hunters also used aerodynamically shaped throwing sticks, some naturally curved and others bent to shape using heat [For further on native California throwing sticks, refer to the excellent book SURVIVAL SKILLS OF NATIVE CALIFORNIA by Paul D. Campbell].

Basically, a Throwing Stick or "Rabbit Stick" is just a piece of wood, about wrist diameter and about as long as the span from your arm pit to your wrist. It can be curved or straight. For close range throws it needn't be aerodynamically shaped to work effectively at harvesting small game animals. I would suggest processing the stick and sanding rough bark off so that it will slip smoothly from your hand when thrown. Smoothing will also so make for less wind resistance [friction] and noise when the stick is in flight.

Throwing Sticks

You're not looking for a "clean kill" Per Se [though that certainly can occur],  but if nothing else you want to stun or disable a small game animal long enough to run up on it and humanely and quickly finish it off with a hard blow to the neck behind the head. Once harvested, the game animal can be cleaned, cooked, and consumed. Always remember that it is completely wrong to kill animals for the sole purpose of killing...eat what you harvest is the rule for an ethical hunter.

There are essentially 2 ways to throw a Throwing Stick...vertically and horizontally. Both throws begin with the stick resting on your shoulder in the primitive hunter position while you move quietly stalking game. By being raised in a ready position, you remove the additional movement needed to set the weapon for a throw and thus telegraph your intent to the game animal. Remember that most animals rely on smell, sound, and movement to detect danger. They will react instinctively and seek the safety of cover if they detect a predator in the vicinity.

If you are in a wooded area, you'll want to consider throwing the stick vertically so it doesn't strike a tree and be deflected or stop altogether en route to the target. This is also a good throw for say, a bird or squirrel that is perched on the side of a tree.

If you are in an open area, such as in low desert scrub or open meadow, the horizontal throw [sometimes called sidearm] is best because it can skim across the ground, and can even bounce up and still hit a target if you misjudge the throw. This is the throw you'd use for a squirrel sitting atop a log for instance.

One trainer I am aware of has suggested a third throwing technique, the diagonal throw, which they cite as a compromise between the horizontal and vertical throws and claim to have the best chance of hitting.

Like anything that involves throwing [Frisbies, baseballs, etc.], practice is required to become proficient. I can tell you, throwing a stick and hitting an object even just 7 yards away is not easy for many people. I guarantee you'll hold onto some sticks too long and overthrow and others you will release too soon and under throw...practice is essential. Have several throwing sticks available so you don't have to retrieve a single stick every time you throw in practice.

For best practice results, I recommend making a "throwing range". I use the one depicted in the photograph below:

 

Throwing stick practice range

 

I've driven a willow stake into the ground as a point from which to throw. A second stake is driven into the ground 21' [7 yards] away. An old plastic bottle or apple juice bottle is placed with it's mouth over the stake to act as my target [keep the target close in size to a squirrel or rabbit, so it is realistic for the game you may have to hunt]. Finally, I have driven a third stake 21' further beyond the target stake. I've settled on 7 yards because in my experience, it is about the closest many animals like rabbits will allow you to approach before spooking. Too far and the animal may perceive the object in flight and evade being hit.

Generally as I practice throws, the throwing sticks come to rest at or near the distant stake. I re-set the target as I pass on my way to gather the sticks and then throw in the reverse direction. In this way, you get twice the practice for one effort, rather than gathering and returning to the original throwing point.

I've also seen folks practice by stretching a rope between 2 trees and throwing at suspended bottles or milk jugs. I think that would be a good system for practicing the vertical method. Either way, anything that helps train and develop your hand-eye coordination for throwing is good.

Finally a word about safety: When you are at practice, make certain no one is within range of being hit and injured by a throwing stick. A stick weighing around a pound or so contains a lot of energy and can cause significant injury. Keep observers and pets a safe distance behind you when throwing and stop throwing immediately if someone wanders into range.






© 2013, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED