Many people have expressed an interest in getting more information about atlatl hunting and fishing. We have come a long way since those first lame attempts at hunting with atlatls and darts ten years ago, but now after making and correcting many mistakes we have developed good workable systems for both hunting and fishing. We have also looked for and found many places where it is legal to hunt or fish with the atlatl and dart. Thanks to the many people who have assisted and accompanied me on my adventures. Bob Berg
All posts by Bob
Visitors From Germany
Welcome to Thunderbird Atlatl’s website. This week we had visitors from Germany- the Weigel Family, who are all good atlatlists.
Next week we plan to be at Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky for the second annual atlatl fishing derby. All are welcome to join us. Please email me for further information if you plan to go. Bob Berg
The following are some excerpts from the Community Zero website.
Thunderbirdatlatl
Apr-24-2003 10:30 AM
We are glad to have the Family Weigel as guests here at out home in Candor. As many of you already know, Paul is an exchange student who is staying with us for the school year. His parents Uli, Jutta and sister Lene have come to visit. What is special is that we came in contact through this web site. We are having a good time getting to know Paul’s family. We went to the atlatl contest on Tuesday evening at Brandon Anderson’s house and enjoyed the comaradie of the Tioga Atlatl Association. The Waa is truly a world organization. Bob Berg
Thunderbirdatlatl
Apr-23-2003 6:57 PM
hey ich habe eben den anschlag von meinem vater & gast vater gelesen und wollte natuerlich auch eben sagen das es mir gut gefaellt meinen familie wieder zu sehen und zu zeigen wie und wo ich das letzte jahr gelebt habe. ausserdem ist dies natuerlich eine gute gelegenheit um ein paar deutsch- americanische atlatl kontakte zu knuepfen. paul
Thunderbirdatlatl
Apr-23-2003 6:49 PM
Apres la instruction de Bob en aleman je peux constate, que nos sommes tres allegres en la maison de la famille Berg, aussi heureux de revoir notre fils Paul apres 9 mois, domage que n’y a pas plus que 3 jours de rester, mais en effet un exellent possibilite de constater les meilleurs relations europeens-americains en sujet d’ AtlAtl.- y surtout en relation “interpersonel”! Salut y hello a tout le monde! Bob and Uli
Thunderbirdatlatl
Apr-23-2003 6:34 PM
Die Familie Weigel ist jezt bei uns in Candor. Wir habens uns mit Communitz zero kennengelernt. Viele von Euch haben shon die Gelegenheit gehabt, Paul kennenzulernen. Er war bei uns in Flintridge, Letchworth, Paines Prarie und mehreren anderen Orten. Gestern haben wir einen kleinen Atlatlkontest bei Brandon Anderson in Waverly gehabt. Wir haben viel Spaß gehabt neue Freunde kennengelernt. Bob
Spring 2003! Another Atlatl Season Under Way!
Spring Fever is hitting the atlatl world! Atlatl contests started in January but they become more and more plentiful as we move into the warmer weather. Check out the World Atlatl Association website for a complete listing of upcoming contests.
Thunderbird Atlatl had some earlier adventures in Feburary and the beginning of March in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. We will be attending shows in Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan over the next few months.
Atlatl Dart Making Instructions
Finished Dart. This dart is made from a 9/16×7′ Thunderbird Atlatl dart shaft, 3 Gateway full length fletches, artificial sinew and Elmers carpenter glue
A properly made dart is the most important part of a spear throwing set. These instructions will take you through the process step by step. Wooden shafts available from Thunderbird are made from straight grained hardwood. However, even the straightest grained wood may need a little straightening. This is accomplished by simply bending the shaft in the opposite direction of the bend. This is most easily accomplished when the dart is relatively new. After several months the shaft will season in and become harder to straighten without heating. If this is the case heat it over a heat source such as a kitchen stove and carefully apply pressure in the opposite direction of the bend (be careful not to burn the wood or your hand). I recommend the use of thick leather gloves for this procedure. Apply light constant pressure, checking often to see if the shaft is straight.
The heat will allow the fibers on the inside of the curve to stretch and the fibers on the opposite side to compress. Cooling will allow the wood to “set†and remain straight. Be patient and work back and forth over the full length of the shaft until all the curves and bends are straightened out. Be careful to not char or burn the wood. The tip of the dart is already tapered for the field points enclosed in your kit. The top of the dart is also finished for using it with your atlatl. Finish the shaft with a waterproof wax or oil. Avoid finish at the tip and where the feathers will be glued or plan to scrape it away before glue is applied.
The best adhesive to apply the field tip with is “amber†hot glue, used in a commonly available hot glue gun. Put the hot glue on the wood, turning the dart shaft to apply it evenly. Heat the field tip at the open end , enough to melt the glue when it is applied to the tapered end of the dart, turning it almost as if you were tightening a screw. The glue will set when it is cool. Wait until the glue is totally cool to the touch before casting it, or you will loose the tip. Do not put the glue into the hollow part of the field tip first as the glue will harden before you can attach it to the wood.
Trim three feathers to the desired length, leaving a ½ ” tab at each end where the vanes are trimmed off. Tie the feathers to the dart with a 4 foot length of artificial sinew or thin thread. The strand of artificial sinew will split into four parts that are perfect for fletching. Be careful to separate it along the natural seams or it will “fuzz upâ€. Start by determining the location of the front end of the fletching. Allow 1 ½’ from the back end of the dart to the back end of the fletching. Use a dab of glue to embed the thread at the front end of the fletching. Roll just enough of the thread onto the dart until it “catches”. Then place the first feather with the front tab centered over the thread. Wrap it twice and add the next feather the same way, then finish with the third. The three feathers should be evenly spaced around the round dart. After covering the tabs with thread, start wrapping the thread through the vane in a helical fashion. The best results are achieved by wrapping at the same angle as the vane leans back from the quill. Finish by covering the back tab with thread. Whip the end with a loop of thread, pull it through and snip off the excess. Smear a daub of glue on the thread at each end. – Bob Berg
Bob Berg With Several Finished Darts. Here is the result of several hours of dart making by Bob Berg. Two of these shafts were painted black.
Fallow Deer Hunt
The colors of Autumn ornamented the hillsides as seven intrepid atlatl hunters came into a wide open expanse of short grasses and tall goldenrod. The forest on either side of the field sheltered the fallow deer which were our quarry. On our mind was one in particular that Doug had hit earlier with an atlatl dart. The task at hand was to find the deer which was last seen a quarter mile away with the dart in its back. We fanned out to try to find either the deer or the dart which would give us a starting point from which to track it.
Fallow deer can run like the wind and traverse a hundred yards in about 5 seconds when they are alarmed. We had no idea where Doug’s deer ran other than a general direction.. It was by good luck and perseverance that we managed to find the dart near the edge of the field.
Doug mentioned to me that it was the same dart that he had scored the 94 xx in the ISAC a couple of months earlier. This was his lucky dart that we were examining for traces of blood that would tell the story of what had happened. From the evidence I was looking at, things didn’t look so good for
finding that deer soon. The shaft had only penetrated the depth of the 2 inch stone point that was now missing. I looked at the other stone pointed dart that Doug had and noticed that it was not particularly sharp and its hafting had been loosened by the rigors of the hunt. If the other one was like that, the deer would live to see an other day. I guess this was the deer’s lucky dart also.
Never the less we needed to find out for sure what happened to that deer because it is the responsibility of any hunter to do so. Doug said it was a long shot perhaps 40 or 50 yards or more. But the dart only weighed 3 1/2 ounces. For several hours we observed the herd to see if we could locate the deer. On two or three occasions we managed to see a deer with a small patch of dried blood on its side. The dart point was apparently lodged in the meaty part of the loin above the ribcage. This is kind of wound is far from fatal and this deer would heal eventually.
We were just about finished with the hunt and about to go home when a line of fallow does came toward me at full speed trying desperately to avoid myself and Doug who was about 400 feet away. They chose a path exactly half the distance between us. I knew the lead doe’s path will be followed faithfully by the remaining herd no matter what else happens so I quickly closed the distance between me and the line until I was just within range and cast a dart at a high angle and as hard as I could, leading the deer I hoped to hit by thirty yards. The shot, although very long, felt good as I watched the deer and dart converge 55 yards distant. I am sure that Doug had experienced such a scene earlier that day.
The dart severed both jugglers in the neck and the deer went down seconds after it got into the woods. Some would say it was a lucky shot, and so it was if you believe in such things. If you were to calculate the odds of whether a person would hit such a distant target moving at such a speed, the chances would be so small that it would be better to buy a lottery ticket. I have taken these long shots several times before and made them! I have also seen other people do the same. There is something working here that seems to be in the realm of the supernatural, but its not. This phenomenon is something that we as human beings share that is just a small step past primal instinct on the evolutionary scale, which I believe has in part, led to our success as a species. Its not a mental skill that you can turn on or off,like the ability to do massive chess calculations or planing a camping trip to the Grand Canyon, but it is something that is very likely to happen if you let it. Its the stage to which the Japanese martial artist aspires, except with atlatl and darts instead of a yumi.
Doug’s shot was also just such a long one but unfortunately his dart was too light and possibly not sharp enough or fastened to the shaft well enough to deliver a killing hit to the vitals of the deer. The failure to kill the deer had to do with gear rather than skill. Doug would surely have been a successful hunter if he were hunting every day for a living as his ancestors did on the plains of Eastern Europe ten thousand years ago. As far as I’m concerned he was as successful a hunter as I on this particular hunt because he actually hit a fallow deer, which we have found out is not an easy thing to do. Doug is the only one that I know of in the world other than myself who has hit one of these elusive animals with an atlatl dart. I gave the meat to Doug and Lori because they are in fact King and Queen Mother of the meat rack. Besides, Doug needs the protein to help him develop more of that super primal instinct.
Bob Berg