astro
October 14, 2006, 2:03pm
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Advocating Atlatl- Early hunting tool OK’d for small game
Target practice for most people consists of firing a gun or bow and arrow at a bull’s-eye, but for Victor Ahearne and a select few in Missouri, it means using a primitive tool called an atlatl to propel a dart, or spear.
Ahearne, a Columbia resident, and other members of the Missouri Atlatl Association were the driving force behind a recent push to legalize atlatl hunting in Missouri.
“I got into atlatl throwing because I was making bows and someone told me about dart-throwing with an atlatl,” Ahearne said. “The first time I threw one, I was hooked, and have been making, selling and throwing them ever since.”
This year’s hunting seasons will be the last time that atlatl enthusiasts will have to go without being able to hunt small game. With the exception of deer and turkey, the Missouri Department of Conservation has legalized atlatl hunting, which will go into affect after the regulation book is updated in March.
“The Department of Conservation was very supportive of hunting small game, given that there are no adverse effects of hunting with an atlatl,” said John Smith, an assistant director of the department who chairs its regulations committee.
AskNott
October 14, 2006, 11:08pm
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A few deer and turkey hunters every year manage to mistake other people for game. Atlatl hunters must get within 15 yards for a shot. Still, I bet it won’t be too long before one of these atlatl guys manages to bag a fellow hunter with one of those 4-foot arrows. :eek:
