# What would be the best way to hunt Brontosaurus? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757 "2007-01-12T21:45:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/41 "2007-01-13T03:42:49Z")
Whatever you do, don’t step on any butterflies. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/42 "2007-01-13T04:53:29Z")
Just stay on the path and you’ll be fine ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/43 "2007-01-13T06:36:30Z")
The apatasauruses are the least of your problems. Clearly some super-villainous type is respsonsible for bringing them back–either through cloning or time travel–and this can be but the first salvo in his assault upon mankind. Your first priority should be discovering that villain’s identity, location and plan. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/44 "2007-01-13T06:50:53Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] The apatasauruses are the least of your problems. Clearly some super-villainous type is respsonsible for bringing them back–either through cloning or time travel–and this can be but the first salvo in his assault upon mankind. Your first priority should be discovering that villain’s identity, location and plan. [/QUOTE] Hell, Skald, we already know it’s gonna be you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/45 "2007-01-13T07:27:59Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] Hell, Skald, we already know it’s gonna be you. 😃 [/QUOTE] Yes, of _course_ it’s him, no need to look anywhere else, not at all . . . \< does Finger Pyramid of Evil Contemplation \> ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/46 "2007-01-13T13:37:09Z")
They’re not much different in size than a whale & we don’t need no steekin A-10 or Hellfire missiles to kill those. Just harpoon it and drive away while it thrashes about & eventually dies of blood loss. We’re not in a hurry here. It won’t be hard to track the dying animal nor to find the carcass. And the only damage will be a couple-inch hole where the harpoon went in. The hard part will be finding a car-hop strong enough to carry the bronto ribs out to the flintmobile. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/47 "2007-01-13T13:56:22Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] Hell, Skald, we already know it’s gonna be you. 😃 [/QUOTE] Don’t be silly. I’m of the non-subtle-villainy camp. If I’d brought the brontos back, they’d have materialized in the Capitol during the State of the Union address. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/48 "2007-01-13T13:58:37Z")
[QUOTE=LSLGuy] They’re not much different in size than a whale & we don’t need no steekin A-10 or Hellfire missiles to kill those. Just harpoon it and drive away while it thrashes about & eventually dies of blood loss. [/QUOTE] Quite right! Although in the old days, you didn’t kill the whale with a harpoon - that was just to stop him escaping. You killed him with a lance. And eventually, with an exploding _bomb lance_, launched from a shoulder gun. Like these ones: [Shoulder Guns - Whalecraft.net](http://www.whalecraft.net/Shoulder_Guns.html) Okay, so the shoulder guns weren’t very successful, but that was in the old days when both the propellant and the explosive were black powder. A lighter bomb lance filled with RDX, and a muzzle brake to kill some of the recoil, and I think Mr. Brontosaurus is going to have a bad day… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/49 "2007-01-13T15:16:39Z")
Use [A Gun](http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook806.htm) [For Dinosaur](http://ottolejeune.com/index.php/downloads/041_a_gun_for_dinosaur/). ---
**Author:** ![Barrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Barrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrington)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/50 "2007-01-13T15:19:27Z")
Nuke 'em from space. It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/51 "2007-01-13T15:50:34Z")
Ask Batman. He’s prepared. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/52 "2007-01-13T18:33:33Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] The apatasauruses are the least of your problems. Clearly some super-villainous type is respsonsible for bringing them back–either through cloning or time travel–and this can be but the first salvo in his assault upon mankind. Your first priority should be discovering that villain’s identity, location and plan. [/QUOTE] It’s been done: [Invasion of the Dinosaurs - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_Of_The_Dinosaurs) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/53 "2007-01-13T18:40:23Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Ask Batman. He’s prepared. [/QUOTE] Few people realize that the batplane is actually an A-10 Thunderbolt with a _really_ cool paint job. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/54 "2007-01-13T18:44:06Z")
[QUOTE=Barrington] Nuke 'em from space. It’s the only way to be sure. [/QUOTE] Wow, 50 posts before that one came out. I was sure it’d be within the first 10 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/55 "2007-01-13T21:09:50Z")
GE’s XM-214 minigun was a man-portable variant of the M-134, capable of firing linked 45 mm NATO rounds at up to 4000 rpm. Using a tripod or armored vehicle mount, this weapon could be used effectively to mow down the hordes of people who object to the name “brontosaurus.” Then you could tell the meat companies to go screw, get the brontosaurus habitat set aside as a national preserve instead, open up a “Brontosaurus Park” and rake in the sudden lavish influx of ecotourist dollars. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/56 "2007-01-14T01:04:06Z")
[QUOTE=Terrifel] GE’s XM-214 minigun…could be used effectively to mow down the hordes of people who object to the name “brontosaurus.” [/QUOTE] And could this method also be used to settle the dispute over whether the United States is a Republic or a Democracy? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/57 "2007-01-14T05:42:02Z")
Hmm…could you consume the meat from something that’d been nerve gassed? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/58 "2007-01-14T13:11:26Z")
[QUOTE=Ranchoth] Hmm…could you consume the meat from something that’d been nerve gassed? [/QUOTE] No. Go with Napalm, air-deployed. One Hell of a cookout! 🙂 Broto-roasts, Bronto-ribs, Bronto-burgers…Fred Flintstone would be pleased. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/59 "2007-01-14T13:20:59Z")
Assuming that you want to be sporting about the whole thing, I’m thinking a 2-bore calibre Express Rifle and a Land Rover. Failing that, a 25pdr Field Gun, firing Soft Point shells. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757/60 "2007-01-14T15:43:04Z")
[QUOTE=Terrifel] GE’s XM-214 minigun was a man-portable variant of the M-134, capable of firing linked 45 mm NATO rounds at up to 4000 rpm. [/QUOTE] You mean 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, which aren’t “45mm rounds” - that would be a gun (“cannon”), not small arms. Huuuuuuuuuuuge difference. Oh, and a hellfire missile wouldn’t be effective. There’s no way the targeting system would have any idea of how to track “Brontosaurus head” as a target. Actually - the old style laser guided ones could probably do it with manual gunner control, but the newer radar guided ones probably aren’t programmed to respond to the radar signature of a Brontosaurus head 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-best-way-to-hunt-brontosaurus/387757.md?page=4)