Hunting Question

[Taro]

Not being from the Americas, i would have thought that the native Americans were keen hunters. quite and stealthy, so being able to sneak up on a deer and using a spear thrower would be a large possibility, but would depend on what you want them to use.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I've actually thrown axes at targets. Single handed and double. The benefit of having friends who live on farms and have strange hobbies. For an axe I would say twenty feet is about the best range I could biff one and have any hope of hitting a target. They are awkward to use and quite heavy. Also roughly one chance in three the handle will hit the target and the axe will bounce off. I'll assume that your orc is stronger than me and better skilled, so maybe thirty feet.

Now its a question of how to get within thirty feet of a wild deer. That I haven't done. My understanding is that they are flighty creatures. So yes, maybe creeping up on one from down wind so they can't smell you, and then throwing the axe from concealment. Chances are if a deer spots the movement as you throw, they'll bolt, and throwing an axe requires a big swing action.

Spears being lighter and more aerodynamic can travel further, and having a point instead of an edge, will bite deeper into flesh. However if you hit with an axe it will do a lot of damage.

Perhaps your orc could take a trick from the cavemen. Chase the deer down until they are against say a cliff wall, and the only way they can escape is to run straight past you. Or chase them into a water body so that the water slows them down. Or chase them off a cliff and forget the axe.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[SeverinR]

T. Allen Smith:

Yes, in looking for more convincing sources, the information is sparse and appears to vary widely among contemporary accounts by Europeans first observing American Indians and their use of tomahawks (and it looks like the name 'tomahawk' has been applied to a wide variety of weapons, and there is some disagreement over what all was meant by it prior to the European-style hatchet that was adopted when colonists first came to the new world.

I did find one apparently credible reference to use of tomahawks by throwing:



That is from Morgan, League of the Iroquois, 11, Book 3, pp 15-16 (1904).

Morgan also references stone tomahawks that predate the type mentioned above. He does not, from what I could see, mention the use of the tomahawk in hunting (though I suppose from his statement on throwing one might surmise that they could well have been used as such). I do not know the ultimate source of Morgan's information.

Other reports I found indicated the presence of tomahawks, but did not list them among the weaponry of the American Indians, implying that they served non-weapon purposes (maybe ceremonial; maybe as tools; maybe both).

Perhaps the use depended on the geography of a given population and what they did or did not have available. In any event, although the links I provided before refer to them as hunting weapons, I don't see any academic sources that specifically refer to such a use.

It is interesting, however.

I am no expert, but the tomahawk is still a type of ax, good for chopping, even if not a weapon or hunting tool.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

Hi,

I've actually thrown axes at targets. Single handed and double. The benefit of having friends who live on farms and have strange hobbies. For an axe I would say twenty feet is about the best range I could biff one and have any hope of hitting a target. They are awkward to use and quite heavy. Also roughly one chance in three the handle will hit the target and the axe will bounce off. I'll assume that your orc is stronger than me and better skilled, so maybe thirty feet.

Now its a question of how to get within thirty feet of a wild deer. That I haven't done. My understanding is that they are flighty creatures. So yes, maybe creeping up on one from down wind so they can't smell you, and then throwing the axe from concealment. Chances are if a deer spots the movement as you throw, they'll bolt, and throwing an axe requires a big swing action.

Spears being lighter and more aerodynamic can travel further, and having a point instead of an edge, will bite deeper into flesh. However if you hit with an axe it will do a lot of damage.

Perhaps your orc could take a trick from the cavemen. Chase the deer down until they are against say a cliff wall, and the only way they can escape is to run straight past you. Or chase them into a water body so that the water slows them down. Or chase them off a cliff and forget the axe.

Cheers, Greg.

Thank you for the post! I was worried that the ax might not get deep enough since it's not like a spear. I was thinking of having it sever the deer's spinal column so from what you said I suppose that's plausible.

And I can just imagine a big orc chasing a deer off a cliff flailing his arms around shouting, "Blaaarrrgghh!!!"

 

[Taro]

Thank you for the post! I was worried that the ax might not get deep enough since it's not like a spear. I was thinking of having it sever the deer's spinal column so from what you said I suppose that's plausible.

And I can just imagine a big orc chasing a deer off a cliff flailing his arms around shouting, "Blaaarrrgghh!!!"

hehe i giggled a little with that image

 

[Androxine Vortex]

hehe i giggled a little with that image

Who wouldn't?

 

[Lawfire]

If an axe is the preferred weapon, why would the orc not use the "climb up a tree and drop on it" method?

Deer tend to focus on the ground, and therefore tree stands are an effective tactic. If sitting relatively still, and being relatively scent free, most deer would not recognize the threat from above. A pile of apples or acorns below would help to draw the deer to the perfect spot.

I think the biggest factors for the skittishness of deer would be familiarity with humans (humanoids) and hunting pressure. The more predators feeding on the deer, in a given area, the more skittish they will be. If the deer in question are unfamiliar with humans they may not immediately recognize them as a source of danger. Or, if their experiences with humans have been non-confrontational or beneficial they would be more likely to let a human get close.