Just uploaded a bunch of premium atlatls and darts to our Etsy store!
20 more $20 beginner atlatls are on the way … 8 more $40 oak/poplar beginner atlatls too.
Here are some pictures. Pretty proud of how these turned out…
SNEAK PEAK!!!
Here are some new styles I’ve been working on…
Check out this TV news story about some kids in Wisconsin learning about the atlatl.
My dad has received more than a few emails from people running school programs in Alaska and Canada asking about how to teach children about the atlatl (or where they can get their hands on one). I think a number of them are actually teaching kids with Native American ancestry but, in our humble opinion, the atlatl is a great learning tool for any class, and for a number of reasons:
If you teach a park or school program like Native History, physics or even shop class, buy one of our simple, inexpensive atlatl models and build your own from the prototype.
Thanks to Thunderbird Atlatl for the link. (Their atlatls and darts are featured in the clip.)
Previously, Cory showed off an atlatl target he set up in a driveway in Washington, DC.
Since then, readers have been asking where we get our target backings, etc … and I thought it would be good to do a little atlatl target brain dump:
Ray’s Atlatl Targets
I make my atlatl targets out of ISO board (“closed-cell synthetic rubber foam”) — preferably the black, squishy (but rigid) kind. It’s about 3 3/4 inches thick. I get mine at a place called Knapps Pools and Spas in Michigan but you can probably find it at a roofing store or straight from the manufacturer. If you, humble reader, know where I can this substance delivered straight from the manufacturer (for cheap), please let me know!
I hold this foam up with a simple plywood structure but a few stakes would probably suffice.
For practice at home, we don’t put a face on these targets. But taping a simple target up is a good idea as it’s much easier to focus on and hit a target than a blank spot.
“Official” Atlatl Targets
FITA Archery Target from Wikimedia Commons
For the Ohio Atlatl Accuracy Contest and the International Atlatl Society Accuracy Contest we use a standard 120 cm FITA archery target (with 2 white, 2 black, 2 blue, 2 red, and 2 yellow cirlces). 120 cm needs a cardboard backing of 50 inches by 50 inches. Use 3M spray adhesive to glue the target face to the cardboard. Get the cardboard from furniture stores that import from overseas.
You can get these 120 cm target faces for $6 to $10 each through Lancaster Archery (www.lancasterarchery.com) or any other large archery store with a web page. They print them on regular paper, paper with nylon webbing reinforcement, and also on thick poster board stock which accounts for the price difference. I find the cheaper paper target faces last as well as the nylon web and poster board so why pay more?
International Standard Accuracy Competition target faces (white and black circles only) can be purchased through the World Atlatl Association web page. Last time I checked, WAA referred everyone to Jack Rowe for target sales.
The Alternatives to the Foam Rubber Atlatl Target Backings
A lot of people don’t have the time to drive to the middle of Hell, Michigan, to buy black foam from gypsies…
1. Bales of hay (straw, actually)
Consider the target, whether its the 5 color 120 cm standard FITA archery target (50 inches by 50 inches) used for Ohio Standard Accuracy Competitions or the WAA’s black and white ISAC target (48 inches by 48 inches), you will need 6 to 8 bales of hay (straw actually) depending on the size of the bales available at your local feed and grain or landscaping store.
Remember, the bullseye of the target must be waist high off the ground, so the stack of hey bales must be such as to allow for that.
Hey, bales are for horses … not to mention bulky and difficult to transport without a pick-up truck. You will need rope to tie them all together and stakes to anchor them to the ground so they don’t fall over. The upside of using bales of hay is that if your atlatl site is permanent, you can cover the hey with a tarp when not in use as a target backing and the bales will last a whole season.
2. Cardboard boxes
Go to the import furniture store. The furniture they get comes with assembly required so often you can find boxes that are 50 inches wide by 6 to 8 feet long by 6 to 8 inches thick. Stuff the card board box with more cardboard. Use 6 foot long stakes to anchor the thing to the ground. Such a target backing will last a day or so and then the center will be shot out but that can be fixed by replacing the shot up cardboard inside with more cardboard.
3. Old carpets
I have been to atlatl events (Indiana comes to mind) where the target face is glued to a single sheet of cardboard which is then tacked to two vertical stakes. Behind this, about 6 inches away from the cardboard, a tarp or old carpet is loosely hung. The dart passes through the cardboard but does not go through the tarp or old carpet because the hanging tarp or old carpet provides no resistance. The tarp or old carpet lasts a lot longer than the target face on the single sheet of cardboard.
MORE Atlatl target ideas…
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. Here are some more links … Read all that and you’ll be the world expert on Atlatl targets. You know, back in the day they just aimed at the mammoth. Oh, how things have changed.
Thanks to Debbie Andrews for this list of 2010 Ohio Atlatl Association Events… Want to print this out? Download the PDF here.
(Events to be added when scheduled. If you have questions, please contact Ray.)
April 24
College of Wooster
Behind Lowry Student Center
Beall Ave/University St.
Wooster, OH
In conjunction with College of Wooster’s Archeology Day, OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. Event has moved sites on campus to behind Lowry Student Center. Campus map shows parking off of University Street east of Beall Ave.
May 1-2
Hocking College
Nelsonville, OH
First Hocking College Atlatl Competition, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday, 11:am –4:00 pm Sunday. ISAC, IASAC, and Ohio contests both days. Free Camping available. Contact Corey Merritt (Hocking College Atlatl Club) or Mamerto Tindongan (Ohio Altatl Association).
May 14-16
8th Annual Kentucky Knap-In
Jacobson Park (Shelter 7)
4001 Athens-Boonesboro Rd.
Lexington KY
OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals.
June 12-13
Fort Firelands RV Park
5850 E. Harbor Rd.
Marblehead, OH 43440
OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals.
June 25-26
Athens Public Library
Home Street
Athens, Ohio 45701
OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. 9:00 – 5:00 each day, Friday and Saturday.
July 2-4
Hueston Woods State Park
(Old Softball Field near the riding stables)
College Corner, Ohio
OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals.
July 17-19
Flint Ridge State Park
Brownsville, OH
OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.
August 13
Steve Barnett’s House near Albany, Ohio
That Dam ISAC – IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals.
5:00 pm – dark (or thereabouts).
August 14-15
Albany Riding Club, Albany, OH
Eleventh Annual Albany OH Atlatl Contests – OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. Camping available at nearby Lake Snowden, Albany.
September 3-5
Flint Ridge State Park
Brownsville, OH
Flint Ridge Lithic Society Knap-In. – OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. Lots of booths, flintknapping, crafts, etc. Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.
September 17-19
Lake Snowden
Rt. 32
Albany, OH
Twelfth Annual Ohio PawPaw Festival – OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. Lots of booths, crafts, pawpaw food and information. Friday evening (4:00) for atlatl, through Sunday afternoon. Admission fee per car.
October 29-30
Zaleski State Forest, Lake Hope State Park, Zaleski, Ohio
Ohio ROAR Days – OAA will provide instruction and conduct atlatl accuracy contests. IASAC, ISAC, and Ohio locals. Lots of booths, crafts, pawpaw food and information. Friday evening (4:00) for atlatl, all day Saturday. Camping available.
The atlatls and darts are made. Now Ray just has to buff and polish, take some pictures, and upload to the Etsy account … Tick, tick, tick.
5 X $50 Atlatls
6 X $80 Atlatls
2 X $80 Atlatls (version 2)
20 X Bamboo Darts
SOLD OUT (Already!) – Carbon Fiber Darts
Happy to say, the first round of new carbon fiber darts are already sold out. Taking them up to Columbus this weekend while I do some refletching work ($5/dart).
The atlatl style shown is a spur-less atlatl (or “split and wedge”). Instead of a spur, a cord is stretched tight in a Y-shaped split at the end of the atlatl.
The darts used would have to have their butt ends amended. Instead of a cup or cone shape in the rear of the dart, the darts would need a shallow groove cut across the end to accomodate the stretched string. A groove too deep would hamper a smooth release of the dart butt from the stretched string during the throwing motion, much the same way a too long and narrow and sharply pointed spur digs into the inner wall of the dart butt during the throwing motion.
The advantage of the stretched string method is that the dart butt could be cut at a node leaving a solid dart butt less likely to be damaged over time, as is the case with spur-and-cone dart butts. The second advantage would be the ease of manufacture as opposed to the work that goes into carving or building up a good spur.
I can think of no real disadvantage unless we are talking about atlatls with dart rests. The purpose of a dart rest is that the dart rest holds the dart allowing the atlatlist to use all his or her fingers to control the atlatl during the throwing motion. I think that a deeper groove would have to be cut into the dart butt to prevent the dart from sliding forward and off the string while the atlatlist holds the atlatl and dart ready for the throw. As stated earlier, a deeper groove in the dart butt may cause the dart to get hung up on the string during the throwing motion. That said, I am curious enough to give the thing a try.
Mike Richardson, the author, is a well respected atlatl and dart researcher. He wrote a terrific Masters Thesis on the subject of the atlatl and dart.
The Split and Wedge Atlatl by Mike Richardson @ www.primitiveways.com
Hi, Cory here (Atlatl Ray’s son) …
So, the other day I saw this video in a forum thread titled “Seven-Year-Old Takes Deer with Atlatl!”
As my Dad (Ray — the owner of this site) used to be a hunter when I was kid but stopped long before he started atlatling, I thought I’d ask him about the video and what he, as an atlatlist, feels primitive weapons hunting policies should consider.
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CORY: Have you seen this video? What do you think of it?
RAY: I have seen this video. As far as I know, it’s real. But I can’t imagine that the seven-year-old threw a dart hard enough to clean-kill the deer. Maybe Dad delivered the coup de grace. I didn’t see.
What do you think about it?
CORY: I think it raises some issues — like “should children be allowed to hunt?” and “should people be allowed to hunt with atlatls?” and “is one method of hunting more humane than another?” You’re an experienced hunter and atlatlist but you’ve never hunted with an atlatl, right? Do you think hunting with an atlatl is humane or no?
RAY: When talking about hunting with the atlatl, I have always suggested that perhaps states should use the ISAC as a test for who can get a license to hunt deer with an atlatl. Anyone scoring above 70, fine. Below, no.
CORY: Do states test gun hunters?
RAY: It’s been a while since I hunted but I believe licensing requires the hunter to pass “safety classes” in a number of states, if not all states. Do those classes feature discourses on humanity? I’m going to guess ‘probably not’ but I don’t know.
CORY: So, do you think hunting with the atlatl should be legal, in Ohio for example?
RAY: Yes, I think hunting with the atlatl should be legal in Ohio. I think the state should use either the World Atlatl Association’s ISAC (70 or better) or the Ohio Atlatl Association’s Ohio Standard Accuracy (100 or better) as the testing means. Both are posted on the Internet.
CORY: Why do you suggest an accuracy test?
RAY: 1) Because an inaccurate atlatlist is more likely to make a sloppy kill. 2) Because such cooperation between atlatl organizations and the state departments in charge of hunting would be good for the organizations’ growth. More people (hunters) would attend ataltl events just to get their scores recorded. And 3) … Because accuracy is good for the sport and good for the sportsman.
CORY: Do you think hunters would go for an accuracy test?
RAY: I can understand why hunters would prefer not to have to prove they can hit the broad side of a barn with an atlatl dart. Does that answer your question?
CORY: You’re concerned about the hunter’s ability to clean-kill. Is accuracy enough? Does the atlatl dart hit hard enough?
RAY: Well, if it’s all about “penetration” and clean kills and whether or not the atlatl has enough power or causes undue suffering for the deer, I have personally seen gun hunters blast away with multiple shots from high-powered rifles, shotguns, and pistols at everything from fully grown deer to Bambi babies, only wounding the poor things. And I think Bob Berg has proven the penetration power of the atlatl with his numerous boar hunts in which his darts pass through and stick out a foot on the opposite side of the boar.
However, if you’re getting back to the question of “should a seven-year-old hunt deer with an atlatl?” … I don’t know. I’m not even sure where it’s legal for a child that young to hunt, period.
CORY: What about frogs and fish?
RAY: People already hunt frogs with frog gigs. It is not much of a stretch to launch the pole with the atlatl. And it’s also legal to hunt fish with bow and tethered arrow. According to my reading of Ohio Fish Laws, “trash fish” (carp) can be hunted with just about anything. The atlatl was used for fish hunting along the coasts of North and South America for 1000s of years. It is already a proven equipment for that purpose. However, I would not limit atlatl hunting to fish or frogs.
CORY: Do you think gun and bow hunters should look into the atlatl?
RAY: Yes, give the atlatl a try in a target range, competition setting. If you like it, lobby for its inclusion in the primitive weapons season. The myth that atlatls would steal deer from archers is insane. Cars kill more deer every year than the number of people attending atlatl events. I estimate that less than 20 percent of atlatlists would hunt anything anyway because most atlatlists are attracted to the atlatl because of its cultural history, not its thrill of the kill.
- – - – -
Anyhow, I’m Cory. I help my dad run this site and I like atlatls for sport but I’m not into hunting. I’m not anti-hunting or anti-gun or anti-weapon but I don’t hunt and I don’t recommend people seek out atlatling as a new venue for killing animals. However, I would like gun and bow hunters to learn more about the atlatl. The more popular it gets, the more people are going to try it out — as seen in the video. I would prefer that their be a legitimate set of rules and testing established state by state to make sure people know how to do it efficiently.
What do you think?
By the way, Thud’s Cave has an amazing list of state laws regarding hunting with an atlatl.
Here’s a photo from one of last summer’s many atlatl events:
(Many more great photos from that day here …)
Are you going to any atlatl events this summer? Where? Know of a site that has a good round up of US atlatl events? Let me know!
Hi — Cory writing today …
My dad (Ray) gave me a big foam target back in November and I finally found some time to set it up and throw here in DC. Posting some pictures that I took with my friend Mark over at his house in Anacostia, across the river from Capitol Hill.
The Urban Atlatl Range
Unlike Mark and I, my dad lives in a semi-rural location where it isn’t too difficult to find a good, safe 100-foot diameter area to throw a dart with an atlatl. Here in “The Nation’s Capitol,” it’s quite a bit more difficult to get away from the dense, yardless row house scene … and I reckon it’s probably not quite legal!
As you can see in the image below, Mark’s range is a driveway about 70 feet long. We were very careful not to hit the cars about 30 feet up above.
About the Atlatl Target
I’m pretty sure the target I’m showing here is the kind folks are using regularly in tournaments. (Correct me in the comments, if not.) It’s made of a plasticky, black foam at about 50 inches wide by 55 inches tall and 5 inches thick. It takes a hit really well, is lightweight and bends easily for transport in the back of my Subaru station wagon.
What I don’t like about it is that it’s clearly not environmentally friendly, will need replacing, and requires a little bit of fuss to set up. It’s better than nothing but my overall sense is that it will probably end up either in a landfill or my back patio with half a dozen others by the end of my atlatl career. So, if you have other material suggestions, let me know. I like hay bails too but maybe they’re not as easy to work with, I don’t know.
Setting up the Atlatl Target
Setup requires a frame that my dad built out of 2″X2″ posts and a bit of plywood. It’s just two independent legs that we balanced with cinder blocks and some sticks nailed through the feet.
Next we poked twine through the target and tied it off.
Done!
Hitting the Target
My dad’s a lot better at explaining how to hit a target with an atlatl … but I’ll tell you, a large, legitimate target is much easier and much, much more rewarding to hit than a bunch of crappy cardboard boxes.
Thwup!
PS: We did get a couple bullseyes. Next time I’ll remember to photograph that part.
I use PC-7 glue to make my wood atlatls and bamboo or river cane darts. It helps to attach parts that need to be flexible … but eternally united — like where the handle of my atlatl meets its shaft or where the point of my dart meets its shaft.
PC-7 looks dark grey/green when it sets. It comes in two cans; mix the two together on a piece of cardboard in equal amounts with a pop-sickle stick flatened at one end. You will need a roll of paper towels handy. The glue is a fudge consistency and does not run or shrink or expand. Dries hard but can be rasped and sanded like wood after it dries. Takes 12 hours to cure. If you come back to it after six hours it is firm enough (like rubber) to cut with a knife or have the excess removed with a scrapper.
I also use strips of duct tape to hold pieces of glued wood together until they are dried, rather than clamps. The roll of duct tape is 1/2 inches wide but you can tear 1/2 inch wide strips off easily enough.
I use the glue on both atlatls and darts…
If you look at my darts, you can see I use string covered with PC-7 glue to firm up the point attachment to the foreshaft, and the again at the receiving end of the dart where the foreshaft enters the dart, and at the end of the dart where spur of atlatl meets dart. Just wrap a strip of duct tape around the shaft where you want the glue to stop. Put the glue on, wrap the string around the glue, then using a folded paper towel, spin the glued shaft lightly into the paper towel to smooth everything up and remove the excess wet glue. PC-7 is absolutely waterproof and dries strong as a rock. Its like putting a cast on a broken arm.
