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Hunt Primitive (Read 2516 times)
Morphy
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Hunt Primitive
Jun 9th, 2020 at 12:57pm
 
https://youtu.be/ynK4jBQnc5s

This is quickly becoming my favorite primitive YouTube channel. This is a primitive (stone) bow build and hunt. Quite an accomplishment to get it all on video.
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Rat Man
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #1 - Jun 9th, 2020 at 4:08pm
 
   He makes constructing the bow look so easy.  I'll  bet a complete novice would screw up quite a few pieces of wood before he got it right.  Great video.
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AncientCraftwork
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #2 - Jun 9th, 2020 at 4:19pm
 
I tried making a bow with nothing but sharp stones a few weeks ago. First thing I did was split the stave in halve. I split it from the top hammering  wedge shaped rock into it with a big round rock, then used small sharp wedge shaped rocks to hammer it in with a big rock. Then I tried to carve the halve stave with sharp rocks. That didn't work so good so I thought why not split it into another quarter.  I ended with a bendy stick but not a bow. It didn't work out. This is not an easy thing to do at all.
It's much easier collecting natural fibre from plants and making a sling out of it than, making a bow with nothing but stones age tech. But to make a sling from natural fibre, I estimate it will still take 2 weeks. That's the rate at which I am working now, I get about 2 meters of twine nettle in a day (on a good day!) and I need about 20 meters for a decent sling ( my guess, we will see about this)

It's not surprising to me that there are still some hunter-gatherer civilizations who never used the bow, if they got by fine using throw sticks, spear (throwers) and slings. The bow is the most complex of the bunch to make.
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All Glory to God forever and ever, amen
 
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vetryan15
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #3 - Jun 9th, 2020 at 5:51pm
 
Damn you. Just finished the video, they just got a new subscriber..lol
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #4 - Jun 9th, 2020 at 9:36pm
 
Nice channel. Thanks for sharing!
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #5 - Jun 10th, 2020 at 10:49am
 
The rocks were from Texas, the hunt was in Florida.  If you don't have the right type of rock, it gets way more difficult.  To make the various cutting and scraping tools, you'll need a rock  that breaks like glass with a fine edge.  He also had Moose, Elk and Whitetail deer antler tools.  Those are also separated by a great deal of territory.  Elk were in the mountains in Georgia, the state above Florida.  Closest moose were in the Great lakes area. 

BTW, he used Hickory for the bow, hickory doesn't make a particularly good bow down where he was.  The wood soaks up moisture in the morning and evening and gets loggy and slow.  Which was why he was hunting in the middle of the day.

I would have used Red Mulberry, which was the preferred wood down here.  Hornbeam would have also worked nicely while green, but it's a major PITA to split.  I would have found a dead mulberry limb, it would have been seasoned.

And yes, I have made a bow with stone tools.  I already use wooden wedges to split the wood, using a large spall to rough it out was a little slower than a hatchet.  After that, scraping is scraping.  It just takes a lot longer with stone tools because the rocks don't have handles.

And you tend to cut your fingers a lot more.  You don't have a handle to keep your hands out from your work.  Luckily, I know lots of swear words.

However, I couldn't do what he did in an afternoon.
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Morphy
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #6 - Jun 10th, 2020 at 12:07pm
 
Bill Skinner wrote on Jun 10th, 2020 at 10:49am:
The rocks were from Texas, the hunt was in Florida.  If you don't have the right type of rock, it gets way more difficult.  To make the various cutting and scraping tools, you'll need a rock  that breaks like glass with a fine edge.  He also had Moose, Elk and Whitetail deer antler tools.  Those are also separated by a great deal of territory.  Elk were in the mountains in Georgia, the state above Florida.  Closest moose were in the Great lakes area. 

BTW, he used Hickory for the bow, hickory doesn't make a particularly good bow down where he was.  The wood soaks up moisture in the morning and evening and gets loggy and slow.  Which was why he was hunting in the middle of the day.

I would have used Red Mulberry, which was the preferred wood down here.  Hornbeam would have also worked nicely while green, but it's a major PITA to split.  I would have found a dead mulberry limb, it would have been seasoned.

And yes, I have made a bow with stone tools.  I already use wooden wedges to split the wood, using a large spall to rough it out was a little slower than a hatchet.  After that, scraping is scraping.  It just takes a lot longer with stone tools because the rocks don't have handles.

And you tend to cut your fingers a lot more.  You don't have a handle to keep your hands out from your work.  Luckily, I know lots of swear words.

However, I couldn't do what he did in an afternoon. 


Hickory was definitely a safe choice. I think for time constraints he probably went with that since it offered the highest chance of success. Filming the entire process only to have a catastrophic break during the tillering would be a frustrating set back with stone tools. Got to keep those videos coming out on schedule.

I wonder if rendered fat from a hog would work to help waterproof it enough to stay strong at least for an afternoon. I’ve heard it’s not great but with enough coats it gives you something at least.
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Mersa
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #7 - Jun 11th, 2020 at 1:31am
 
I’ve spoken with Ryan Gill a few times on instagram, he’s a really nice fella.
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Razor glandes, Aim for the eyes!!!
 
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vetryan15
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #8 - Jun 11th, 2020 at 4:34am
 
I actually watched his tattoo with mammoth ivory last night. Makes me want more ink done..
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Kick
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #9 - Jun 11th, 2020 at 4:46am
 
Don't want to take this topic too far off track, but as soon as I feel more comfortable with the coronavirus situation, I'm getting more tattoos. Sadly the studio I got my existing tattoos has been devastated by corona and will now be closing. Really sucks.
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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #10 - Jun 11th, 2020 at 11:41am
 
@Morphy I’ve had great results polymerizing wood with pure soybean oil in a modern oven. Pig fat would be similar, especially if you filter it a few times first. The difficult part of doing it with primitive equipment is A) filtering, and B) regulating the oven temperature.
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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Morphy
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #11 - Jun 13th, 2020 at 9:22am
 
NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jun 11th, 2020 at 11:41am:
@Morphy I’ve had great results polymerizing wood with pure soybean oil in a modern oven. Pig fat would be similar, especially if you filter it a few times first. The difficult part of doing it with primitive equipment is A) filtering, and B) regulating the oven temperature.


I would like to try this if it can be done without accidentally tempering the back of the bow which would be bad.

I’ve also wanted for years now to build a pressurized tank to force in spar urethane deep into the wood. Not sure how high a pressure I would need but thinking maybe 200psi would be a good starting point. I’ve heard from someone that telephone poles are treated in this manner to make the wood super resistant to the elements/rot. No idea if that’s true and frankly I’m too lazy to research it but it makes sense that it would work. I would love a nearly waterproof/humidity proof wood bow.
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #12 - Jun 13th, 2020 at 10:42am
 
You can always do it the old fashioned way.

Sand the bow or any wood object smooth.  This is important.

Put a slop of oil on the wood, this will get messy.  Now, take a rag and rub like crazy, pressing in.  The wood should get warm, the warmer the better.  Do that until all the oil is absorbed by the wood.  Let it sit for a day or so and then repeat.  If the rag catches splinters, carefully sand it smooth.

About the third coat, use way less oil and rub it in by hand.
Now you want to rub until the wood is hot.  You'll need add a coat every couple to six months or after you get caught in the rain.

I've used vegetable cooking oil, olive oil and rendered bear grease.  I prefer olive oil, the cheap kind.  The bear grease was given to me by someone who got it because he thought I could find a use for it.

Never used lard, it should work.  A warning about animal products, they can spoil(?) or go rancid or something and the bow will pick up a weird smell.  And they don't seem to penetrate as deep as vegetable oils.
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Morphy
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #13 - Jul 6th, 2020 at 11:56pm
 
https://youtu.be/QraoLyg_BF0

Love this video.  Wink
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Kick
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Re: Hunt Primitive
Reply #14 - Jul 7th, 2020 at 4:11am
 
Pretty ingenious.
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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
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