How Did Native Americans Hunt Deer?
01-07-2013, 05:43 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Northern WI
Posts: 853
How Did Native Americans Hunt Deer?
Just curious if anyone here has first-hand knowledge on how Native Americans hunted deer centuries ago. It had to be quite a challenge. We see the TV-depictions of their bows that could shoot a bullseye at 50 yds, but we all know that was not the case. I would bet they had to get fairly close, or have some sort of way of driving the deer into a funnel point. Perhaps they used some sort of natural cover scents as well. I don't know, but am curious.
01-07-2013, 06:28 AM
#3
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: East Coast Florida
Posts: 66
Remember..is wasn't a SPORT to them
Snares across trails. Pretty easy..just like rabbits
Booby-traps, pungi sticks..anything to break legs
AND they did have firearms eventually.
Mostly the just ate buffalo who were "easy" to ride next to and arrow. (thats why the US Gov't slaughtered the buffalo to deprive the tribes of their ability to feed themselves and thus HAVE to seek "assistance" from the US Gov't or Starve.
Booby-traps, pungi sticks..anything to break legs
AND they did have firearms eventually.
Mostly the just ate buffalo who were "easy" to ride next to and arrow. (thats why the US Gov't slaughtered the buffalo to deprive the tribes of their ability to feed themselves and thus HAVE to seek "assistance" from the US Gov't or Starve.
01-07-2013, 07:14 AM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
Look up some of John White's drawings...He came over with the Lost Colony in the mid 1580s...This is before Native Americans had much contact with Europeans...
Some of the pics show hunters wearing deer skins, compleat with heads, crouching over with a bow...
Some of the pics show hunters wearing deer skins, compleat with heads, crouching over with a bow...
01-07-2013, 07:46 AM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mi.
Posts: 282
Great lakes area,sorry no references off hand,
Fences were made for long distances and occasionally deer were driven using them to a pen or corral where they could be dispatched.
If you ever had deer close at night seeming unconcerned there would be possibility of approach by torch lite? Have seen them nearly hand shaking range!.
Fences were made for long distances and occasionally deer were driven using them to a pen or corral where they could be dispatched.
If you ever had deer close at night seeming unconcerned there would be possibility of approach by torch lite? Have seen them nearly hand shaking range!.
01-07-2013, 07:59 AM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
Keep in mind there were lots of tribes. They had their own methods of hunting and fighting. Different terrains required different methods.
You can't lump them all together, and say how they did anything.
You can't lump them all together, and say how they did anything.
01-07-2013, 08:44 AM
#8
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Northern WI
Posts: 853
Originally Posted by Muley Hunter
Keep in mind there were lots of tribes. They had their own methods of hunting and fighting. Different terrains required different methods.
You can't lump them all together, and say how they did anything.
You can't lump them all together, and say how they did anything.
01-07-2013, 11:42 AM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 276
Ive seen some groups would push them into the river and then chase then down with canuse and club them. When they did use archery they did it with mass abmush using many arrows and differnt hunters. But they had arrows and flint heads made for small game and birds to large game and spears. They had a special flint heads for any game they came accross.
01-07-2013, 12:22 PM
#10
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Northern WI
Posts: 853
Here is an interesting account. http://www.archerylibrary.com/books/...chapter03.html Don't know how much of this was practiced in days long ago.
