Hunting boomerangs are not intended to come back, of course, but to transfer the maximum energy into the prey (and consequently stop dead). The returning ones were only ever toys.
Actually I think they were meant to come back, but not be caught, and instead were intended to scare and corral their target by pretending to be an approaching bird of prey.
It’s been years since I did this, but thrown one way, a “regular” returning boomerang will circle and return to the thrower…but thrown at a different angle, you can make it travel straight out and then “pop” vertically very fast. I always figured this was for hunting flocking birds – the vertical leg would go right up the swirling column of the flock and potentially hit many birds.
I could intentionally make either sort of throw very reliably.
I used to hang around with a bunch of these guys in the 80s and 90s.
Had a bunch of booms, had a lot of fun throwing and competing. Kept one in the air for over 3 minutes once, and caught it. My buddy had the long distance record for a while, was in the Guinness book for a little minute. Lots and lots of fun.
Just wanted to add that the way to catch one is between the flats of your hands. One hand on top, one on the bottom.
If it hits the birds it won’t return, as by definition it must transfer energy to the birds to injure them. Hunting boomerangs I believe can be thrown further than any other object.
I learned to throw one many years ago while on holiday at a farm. It is remarkably easy once you have the hang of it
Yes, that’s why I said two different kinds of throws, one which returns and the other of which (i.e., one which does NOT return) that looked like a hunting throw. It goes straight up instead of returning.
We can’t even export them from Australia. They keep coming back.