Tag Archives: spears

News

Thunderbird Atlatl Elves Ready for Holiday Orders!

November 29, 2025 Cheryll Leave a comment

It is a busy time of year at the Thunderbird Atlatl shop. We are ready for your atlatl and dart orders. Gift certificates are also available.
In the next couple of weeks, we cannot handle custom orders.

Shop cat, Molly, is ready to help with gift certificates. Molly & our dog, Tina, worked hard on atlatl orders. Tina is no longer with us but Molly carries on the work.

The majority of our orders are shipped Ground Advantage via the post office. Due to holiday shipping price increases and the oversize charge, there is additional shipping for other services. While not guaranteed, the post office says orders going out by December 17 should arrive by Christmas. Here are the holiday mailing deadlines for USPS/UPS/Fed Ex:
Note that these deadlines are guidelines; weather, inventory issues, congestion may delay arrival of packages.
Here are some of the shipping deadlines for those looking to receive packages by Dec. 24.
2025 holiday gifts shipping deadline:
USPS: Ground and First-Class by Dec. 17, Priority Mail by Dec. 18, Priority Mail Express by Dec. 20. Shipping might take longer for Alaska and Hawaii addresses. UPS: 3-Day Select by Dec. 19, 2nd Day by Dec. 22, Next Day by Dec. 23.
FedEx: Ground and Home Delivery shipments by Dec. 17, 4-day by Dec. 18, 3-day by Dec. 19, 2-day by Dec. 22, 1-day by Dec. 23; Overnight or Express shipping deadline is Dec. 23, Same-Day still possible on Dec. 24, depending on zip code.

Valentina (Tina) is no longer with us but she was always ready to help out. We know she is with us in spirit. She and Molly made a great team. Molly is working hard to carry on the for both of them.

Molly will try to train her fellow felines (Nadia, Opal and Chester) to help out this season. She says our new canine helper, Reggie, does not have Tina’s skills. Molly is not expecting much help from Reggie this season.

News, Our Products

Look Forward To Spring! Think Atlatl Fishing!

January 19, 2014 Cheryll Leave a comment

Okay so it’s snowy and cold in a lot of places but we can dream of what awaits us (or if you live in a warmer climate, get ready for an adventure)! We’re already getting seed catalogs in the mail so think spring!

Fishing with atlatls and harpoons is exciting and fun. It’s one of the most satisfying uses of an atlatl even if you don’t get anything. We and our customers have experienced atlatl harpoon fishing in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, on lakes in Kentucky and New York, Michigan, Florida and Michigan. Thunderbird Atlatl’s harpoons have proven themselves over and over again.

Bob Berg with a blue fish caught with a Wyalusing atlatl and a Thunderbird Atlatl harpoon. Bob was fishing in Long Island sound off the Connecticut coast with Gary Nolf and Scott Van Arsdale. — Bob Berg with a blue fish caught with a Wyalusing atlatl and a Thunderbird Atlatl harpoon. Bob was fishing in Long Island Sound off the Connecticut coast with Gary Nolf and Scott Van Arsdale.

Last July just off of Drummond Island in Lake Huron, Michigan, a group of us spent an enjoyable day and night making our equipment and preparing for atlatl fishing. We fastened two canoes together to make a pontoon so people could stand up in the boat safely so they could see into the water to shoot fish. This was all part of the Great Lakes Traditional Arts Gathering which will take place again in July 2014.

Fishing with harpoons in Lake Huron, Michigan, just off of Drummond Island. No fish were harmed in the production of this photo.

One of our canoes used battery powered lights. The other more traditional setup used birch bark torches. The piece of birch about the torch is a blind to keep the harpooner from being blinded by the light.

Night Fishing at Drummond Island with birch bark torches at the Great Lakes Traditional Arts Gathering.

History, News

Melting Ice Sheet Reveals 10,000 Year Old Atlatl Dart

July 6, 2010 Cheryll Leave a comment

Pictures and stories were all over this week of a 10,000 year-old atlatl dart which showed up after an ice sheet melted near Yellowstone National Park.

Craig Lee of the University of Colorado at Boulder discovered the dart. The three foot long dart was bent with a sharp kink in it when discovered. It had a projectile point on one end and a cup or dimple on the other end. It is a birch sapling. To read more about this find and to see a photo, check out this link: Atlatl Dart Discovered

If you are ready to check out some newer atlatl darts, Thunderbird Atlatl has wooden and cane darts available in sizes ranging from five foot to seven foot. Darts are sold individually or in bundles of seven darts. It’s best to order at least three darts as shipping is based on length rather than weight and it’s difficult to ship one dart.

You can order through our web page or give us a call at 800-836-4520 or try our cell phone at 607-743-4379.

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