"I, Caveman" atlatl kill on Discovery

[Certaindeaf]

Did anyone see that caveman show, "I, Caveman" last night on the Discovery channel?. I did and thought it was interesting. It was about a two hour show where about ten people had to wear period clothing and try to make do/survive with tools etc of that time while being observed by a remote crew of scientists etc.
Here's a bit of a clip of after the elk kill.. couldn't really find one of the actual kill, as seen in the show, but I didn't look too hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KlT7kEXXaZk

 

[7.62 Nato]

And for those (like me) who didn't know what an Atlata was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlatl .

 

[grubbylabs]

Not a real big fan of the show. To much drama based on current world ideas. I highly doubt that any one at that time would have worried about being a vegetation, they would have eaten the animal and been happy not to be hungry.

Plus outside of YNP I have never seen elk just hang out and let someone spear them.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Not a real big fan of the show. To much drama based on current world ideas. I highly doubt that any one at that time would have worried about being a vegetation, they would have eaten the animal and been happy not to be hungry.

Plus outside of YNP I have never seen elk just hang out and let someone spear them.

I hear you. I think the show would've been pretty lame though if all they said was "ug".
Yea, that one vegetarian sure woulda died, then and now.
I was surprised they let them try to and then were actually able to kill that bull elk with an obsidian tipped dart. Those critters over there can be pretty calm.. they are herd animals.

 

[MCgunner]

My cousin's boy is an anthropologist out in West Texas studying cave paintings in the Seminole Canyon/Pecos Canyon area. His pic was in "Texas Highways" in march or april, forget, got it around here somewhere. Anyway, he works there in the park and does seminars for kids, makes and throws his own atlatl and even has done some competitions with it. He's killed a javalina with one, ain't really a hunter, was in the quest of science you understand. LOL

 

[jim147]

The atlatl is an approved weapon for deer hunting in Missouri. I read last year or early this year that someone had the first successful hunt with one here.

Not something I plan on hunting with, but I might try building one this winter just to play with.

jim

 

[mokin]

Atlatls are a lot of fun. I caught the beginning of that show but had to get up early (3:30) the next day and figured if I was really interested I would catch it later. My wife is pretty good with one. We're archaeologists and kind of play with that sort of stuff. There are demonstrations and contests out here where I live, though I don't believe it is legal to take game that way. If any of y'all are interested you can also try launcing an arrow with a string wrapped around the knock (hint, the heavier, the better). Same principle. I don't think this is a legal hunting techinque though.

 

[MCgunner]

They're apparently legal in some states 'cause I was all into checking out atlatl sites a few years back and there were discussions on hunting, kills made and such. It's a cult thing, methinks. Me, I have a bow that doesn't have wheels on it. That's about as primitive as I'd go. It takes practice, can imagine the atlatl would take time to learn. I never did very well shooting instinctive with a recurve. I need sights. I'm no Byron Ferguson, that's for sure. Even with sights, I have an eye dominance problem and can't make myself shoot lefty like I do with rifles and shotguns. Takes strength I don't have in my non-dominant arm and don't wanna build. I've practiced a lot and think I'd be okay hunting with a compound to maybe 40 yards, recurve maybe 30, but it needs to be good light. Often you don't have good light deer hunting. So, I've never really gotten into hunting with my archery equipment. I have made handgun and BP kills, but sticks and strings are a little much, so that should tell ya where I'd fall on atlatls. LOL I do think they're cool, just ain't ready to mess with 'em and sure wouldn't care to hunt with 'em. I mean, there hasn't been a mammoth, wooly rhinoceros, ground sloth, or even a bison around here in a few years, anyway. Deer is a smaller target. Might could kill a hog with a spear sometime, in the trap of course. I have killed 'em with a knife while being immobilized by another hunter and the dogs.

 

[CoRoMo]

I thought we had a thread here a while back about that episode.

The bull elk wasn't at all wild, whatsoever... correct?

That's the way I remember it anyway.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I thought we had a thread here a while back about that episode.

The bull elk wasn't at all wild, whatsoever... correct?

That's the way I remember it anyway.

I don't know about that. It seemed to me that the show was "new" the day I saw it and I posted the day after..

The elk wasn't fenced and many (probably the majority of) non-fenced public land elk are fed by the government in the winter.. not that this was winter. I'd say that these could be construed as "wild".. they might have appeared as tame because of being unhunted/unhuntable.

 

[CoRoMo]

The episode first aired last fall. Here's the thread I was referring to: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=618072

Just because a fence wasn't in view, doesn't mean the elk wasn't fenced.

...the majority of) non-fenced public land elk are fed by the government...

On what planet does that take place?!?

Certainly not here. Colorado contains almost a third of all elk in North America. We certainly don't feed them in winter. They know good and well how to feed themselves.

I don't assume that it was a wild bull. In fact, I tend to believe otherwise. Elk never allow you to get close enough to do that. It's hard enough for us experienced elk hunters to call one in close enough to draw a bow.

 

[Certaindeaf]

^
I was trying to see what you constitute as a "tame elk". I understand that elk are migratory and have legs. I also understand that there are many winter elk feeding programs and are regularly fed in the winter by the government.
What was your point?