I know most Aussie dopers are asleep now But I just got a boomerang and I went outside to try it out. I was in a little field near my house, roughly 20 acres square. I pointed the boomerang, open end out and chucked it full force about 45 degrees to my right. Of course it went out and did a huge arch and came back. Way above my head mind you so I had to run for it. (my dog hates it because he can see it the whole time and yet can’t catch it).
But the boomerang never really came close enough to the ground to hit anything. Let alone a rabbit. Now I do not want to hunt with it, but I do want to be able to catch it. It always flys way over my head.
In essence there are two questions:
(A) How could a boomerang ever nail a rabbit which stands maybe 8 - 10 inches off the ground?
(B) Am I doing something inherently wrong when I through it that makes it come back 20 feet over my head?
IIRC correctly, there are two major types of boomerangs. One type is the type that comes back to you. That is known as a “returning boomerang” and is mainly used as a toy.
The type that is used for hunting is, you guessed it, a “hunting boomerang”. This type of boomerang does not come back but it is tuned to have aerodynamic properties in give it speed and accuracy when thrown by a skilled hunter.
Here is one link and a google search for “hunting boomerang” will turn up many more.
Well, I’m not an Aussie, but I’ll give it a throw till they wake up.
What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? A stick!
Funny joke, but innaccurate. There are boomerangs that don’t come back: hunting boomerangs. These are the real deal. The returning boomerangs are pretty much just for jollies, but hunting boomerangs are real weapons. They’re bigger and heavier than the returning kinds, and go straight instead of return.
Well on preview, I see this Shagnasty and chukhung beat me to it. Ah, I’ll post anyway.
Seriously, though, I got to visit Aussie-land a few years back and attended a short presentation by an aborigine there. He did a demonstration using a returning boomerang, as Shag puts it, where he threw it out over the ocean. He didn’t have to move an inch and the thing came right back to him. So you probably just need more practice.
I got a nice one while I was there too and practiced with it for awhile after I got back. I got to the point where it could come right back to me most of the time, but there was no way I was trying to catch that thing. Ouch!
Even with the returning boomerang, I believe a skilled hurler could hit something maybe up to 15 or 20 yards away. It’s been awhile, but I believe that’s about the point where my boomerang would make its break to return. With a good aim and lots of practice, I think it would be possible to take down a cute, little bunny.
You need to adjust your throw. Try changing: the angle it is held at (45 degrees is too flat. Try ~10 degrees off vertical.) You can also try changing the direction (how high/low) to throw it. Etc.
I had a plastic boomerang that I could get to skim the tops of grass blades on the end of its run out, and I’ve seen what it could do to windows. (Yipes.) Killing a rabbit would be no problem. (Although how a Australian aborigine would kill a rabbit before Europeans arrived escapes me.)
Well I started to get pretty good at getting the thing to come back. I too didn’t want to catch it, it’s just too fast.
One thing I did see after a while was the angle at which I threw it made it go closer to the grass. The model I have is quite heavy and will really go far when I really chuck it. The one thing that was not so good is I almost nailed my dog in the head because I thought it wasn’t going to come down - like usual - but it did, and nearly gave Grissom - yes named after the CSI smart-guy - a bad head ache…
I wish I could remember for the life of me how that aborigine guy caught the darn thing. I can only recall being in awe, but don’t remember any further details.
After practicing, I think I figured out my own secret to catching it but it requires an almost perfect throw. After it makes a complete circle, it will hover for a moment in the air before cutting back toward the ground. If you’ve thrown one, you know what I mean.
If you can make that “hover” point just above your head, it is easier to attempt the catch. Normally, you have to deal with the speed and spinning of the boomerang. But if you can snag it while it is only spinning, you only have to worry about half of the danger.
We always tried to use a clapping motion with 2 hands to catch it too. The one guy who tried to reach up and grab it with one hand was lucky that it was still attached afterward…heh. We still rag him for that one.
FYI - a hunting boomerang is an easy tool to make in survival situations. Get a semi-bent stick about 2 - 3 ft. long and 3in. diameter, try and split it lengthwise to make a flat bottom (bash the end against a rock chip), smoothe that side on a flat rock, then try and shallow down the top curve (either with a knife or scraping with a rock). Practive throwing it side-handed, curve forward, about knee high (like using a hand scythe to cut grass). Make two while your at it.
When hunting rabbits, they freeze when they see you to try and blend in with their surroundings, but they run when you stop and see them. So, walk quietly and slowly and when you see a rabbit, don’t stop. Keep walking slowly while bringing your arm back, then quickly turn and throw, aiming at them or slightly at their feet (the stick will hit the ground and bounce up into them). As soon as you throw, run towards it and hit, kick or grab it cuz you might only stun it for a second.
