Posted 11/13/2005 04:57:00 PM by Douglas

Other than giving deer a 12,000 year head start, I can't imagine why Pennsylvania wouldn't allow hunting with one of these:

An ancient weapon that struck fear in the hearts of Spanish conquistadors, and that some think was used to slay wooly mammoths in Florida, may soon be added to the arsenal of Pennsylvania's hunters.

The state Game Commission is currently drafting proposed regulations to allow hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device used to propel a six-foot dart as fast as 80 mph. The commission could vote to legalize its use as early as January.

It's unclear which animals atlatlists may be allowed to hunt, but the proposal is being pushed by people who want to kill deer with a handmade weapon of Stone Age design. The name, usually pronounced AT-lad-ul, is derived from an Aztec word for "throwing board."

"For me, it would be a thrill to have a deer get up close enough and to throw my dart and hit the deer, bag it like my ancestors did," said Jack Rowe, 45, a veteran hunter and atlatl enthusiast from Sayre.

Ah yes, what a thrill. To spear an animal as it "gets up close" and practices its secondary defense mechanism: Standing really still. I think all hunting should be facilitated that way. Really,what's the fun in shooting it (at a feeder, no less) from hundreds of yards away? Get up on it!

Conversely, you have to wonder why people in Pennsylvania want to use prehistoric hunting tools, yet Eskimos in Alaska want to use a .50 caliber rifle for their tribal whale hunts.