Hunting Blowguns : The Techniques and the history behind it use - Outdoors - Hunting

Before there were guns, blowguns were a way of life in most primitive cultures. A blowgun is basically a long tube that needs the hunter to blow and fire projectiles. It can be used as a weapon for hunting or in close combat during battles. The truth about hunting blowguns is that it is used in close range to hunt preys. A Gun has a complex mechanism and at the same time its powerful as it uses Gun powder to accelerate the projectile. A blowgun uses the hunters blow force and is relatively has a simpler mechanism that is used in firing.

A hunting blowgun is among the oldest weapons known to mankind. It has been used to hunt prey and protect their way of life in ancient cultures. The blowgun is only limited by the blowers respiratory muscles. Its a very simple way of firing but has enough power. In ancient times, primitive cultures would use this method to hunt prey by firing darts from these blowguns and paralyzing their victim. The blowgun has been a weapon of choice in close combat for the ancient samurais in Japan to invade palaces by paralyzing palace guards and knocking them unconscious or even killing them.

Blowguns consists of two parts a blow tube and a dart or also know as a projectile in this case. A hunter first loads the dart in the tube from behind or the part from where he would blow. Then he takes a deep breath and aims his target and blows hard to send the dart on its way. There are various types of hunting blowguns that are available. These blowguns vary in length and so do the size of the dart. Longer blowguns are used for the dart to achieve stability before it leaves the tube whereas shorter tubes are use used when the dart needs to achieve speed and the prey is close.

Dart used in hunting blowguns are dipped in different tranquilizers and strengths depending on the size of the victim to be paralyzed. A bigger prey like a wild boar would need a stronger tranquilizer whereas a bird like a wild hen would need a smaller dose of tranquilizers. If the tranquilizer is too strong, then it might result in the prey dying and if the tranquilizer is weak, it might end in the prey not being paralyzed. Most primitive culture prefers paralyzing the prey and not killing it. This is because the meat could go stale if the animal is dead to long and also that a ritual is performed before consuming it.

The most common use of hunting blowguns is seen in primitive south East Asians cultures, indigenous South American population, the pigmies of Congo in Africa and many privative cultures. Though it is an ancient method to kill prey, its also a sport. The sport that uses blowguns is called Fukiya and it is controlled by the International Fukiyado Association (IFA). There are various blowguns for sale that are available in synthetic materials today as compared to traditional structures of wood.

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