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Posted by Gary Pewitt on November 2, 2007, 7:36 pm
Please log in for more thread options The method used in hunting boars as well as other dangerous game such
as Jaguars involved getting the animal to charge you. With the butt of
the spear grounded securely you caught the critter in the chest or
throat with the tip of the spear and let him run himself onto the
blade. The cross bar was -very- important in keeping the enraged
animal away from your tender hide. Like having a tiger by the tail,
you don't dare let go until it's dead. The blade needs to be very
stout, the cross piece even stouter, and the shaft must not break
under the enormous strain of the battle with furious animal.
I can't quite remember the name of the gentleman who used to hunt
Jaguars with dogs and a spear, Sasha something, but he killed dozens.
His teacher killed hundreds before his last and -only- losing fight.
A real macho way to hunt.
The technique with the knife is the way they hunt stags in France.
Chase them on horse back, jump off and stab them in the heart.
73 Gary
wrote:
>Prometheus wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I don't have much use for a spear myself, but I did get a request for
>> one today from one of my co-worker's fathers. Evidently, his hobby is
>> hunting wild boar with dogs and a spear- not my cup of tea, but if
>> he's into that, I'm not going to be the one to tell him no.
>>
>> He must have done this in the past, at least once, as he evidently
>> lost his trusty boar-hunting spear on a recent expidition, and now
>> he's looking for a replacement.
>>
>> Seems like a blacksmithing job to me, if there ever was one- and I've
>> got a couple of bars of 1095 steel that will work nicely.
>>
>> But here's my dilemma- as I'm not a spear-chucking boar hunter, I have
>> no idea what kind of dimensions a spearhead like that might need to
>> have. I know a boar's hide is tough, and I also know that they're not
>> very easy to kill even with a gun. So, I'm wondering if anyone on
>> here has any knowledge about the situation, so that I can make this
>> thing for the guy.
>>
>> If it was just for show, it wouldn't be an issue, as it'd just have to
>> look nice- but I hate to imagine the guy sticking a 700 pound hog and
>> only wounding it- not only is it a little less humane than I'd prefer
>> to be turning an animal into a pin cushion while dogs are pinning it
>> down, but it could be dangerous for the hunter if the thing got loose
>> after he pissed it off by giving it a poke or two with an inadequate
>> weapon.
>>
>> My gut feeling is that I should make it pretty thick, to reduce the
>> chance of breaking or bending, and reasonably slender, to make it
>> easier to drive in. I don't know if I'm going to forge it or grind it
>> from the bar stock, but the forge will come into play during heat
>> treating, at the very least.
>>
>> Anyone have any particular knowledge on the subject they'd be willing
>> to share, maybe a sketch or two with some rough dimensions on it?
>
> Find a kids book on medival weapons.
>
> Look for a picture of one of the spears that has a blade that looks
>more like a short sword, with a crossbar, to prevent the VERY annoyed
>boar from getting closer.
>
> Or get the customer to give you his input into what works or does not.
>(the way I would go)
>
> IIRC the spear as decribed above, was the weapon used in Europe for
>hunting boar. It may, or may not, meet the needs of the client.
>
> I know that there are outfitters that book hunts, where they will
>provide the dogs, and, if you do not have one, an appropriate knife.
>
> No guns. No spears.
>
> Up close and personal, wading into the fray, with a critter that can
>rip you quite to shreds. :-)
>
> Not my cup O' meat, but... could be a pretty good TV sport. If you
>could get a cameraman that could keep up, running behind the dogs. :-)
>
> Google for "Boar Spear"
>
> Cheers
> Trevor Jones
Gary Pewitt N9ZSV
Sturgeon's Law "Ninety percent of everything is crap"
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