Man’s pressing need to survive has provided the impetus for invention and ingenuity. Living off the land encompasses all aspects of survival, including utilizing whatever is available to enhance survival.
Our need to hunt and protect ourselves was probably the motivation for early men to pick up a stick and use it as a tool.
The stick is the simplest of all tools and yet it has evolved from a simple tree branch to a sophisticated weapon incorporating aerodynamics, an understanding of weight and balance, and the concept of velocity vs weight to magnify kinetic energy.
It is a weapon that will take small game such as:
- rabbits and hares
- pheasants
- partridges and turkeys
- water fowl
- and even small antelope and deer if you score a direct hit
The stick is mighty, and it has evolved over the centuries. It is the most valuable basic hunting tool you can have by your side in a survival context.
A Short History of the Sticks Evolution
A 300,000-year-old throwing stick found in Germany to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting throwing sticks used to hunt waterfowl, from Sudan, Asia, and the America’s, the throwing stick has literally found its mark.
Early archaeological finds indicate that the throwing stick was a fundamental and vital part of everyday life.
The Egyptians organized throwing stick sports events and the Aboriginals of Australasia praised the Gods for the stick.
The boomerang is considered the most enduring symbol of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
Throwing sticks and boomerangs were initially not designed to return to the thrower.
Hunting sticks follow a direct line of flight while returning throwing sticks and boomerangs follow a curved flight path which takes many more flight variables into account in order to be accurate.
Overview of the Throwing Stick
Throwing sticks are the easiest primitive weapons to make and are the first weapons you should contract if you ever find yourself in a survival situation.
Level of Difficulty
The throwing stick is easy to make. Literally any stick can be used irrespective of shape or length.
Skill Level Needed
- Accuracy is the key. Shaping the stick to have an aerodynamic profile requires a simple understanding of shaping an aircraft wing.
- No skill is needed to throw. It is as simple as picking it up and letting loose.
- To be accurate requires constant practice. You will develop muscle memory with practice, the throw will become instinctive.
- Starting out remember the old military maxim: slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
Ideal Conditions
The stick can be thrown as long as you have enough space to produce a swing and generate enough kinetic energy to propel the stick with sufficient momentum to kill or disable the target.
Type of prey
Small to medium game animals and birds. Effective against larger animals with direct hits to the cranium.
Materials
- Length of branch approximately as thick as your wrist
- Heaver woods are…