I'm becoming more confident in my knapping abilities and plan on using some rivercane arrows with some obsidian arrowheads this year.
I'd like to hear about animals taken with stone points, how they performed and what design the head was.
I'm partial to the Cahokia style point. It is similar to a grizzly in the length to width ratio.
What is the largest game taken with a modern/replica knapped head? Elk?
I took my first animal with a stone point last fall.I used a point that I knapped out of grey colored novaculite, to take a 110# whitetail doe.Point was a 150grs. side notch style point mounted on a cedar shaft.
I was using a 51# longbow and shaft buried up to the fletching.
Hopefully I will be successful with stone points again this fall.
Wow, that's great! Did the point survive? What shape was it?
The point held up pretty well.There was a chip on one side .Pm me your email address and I will try to send you a pic of point,or if you can get pics on your cell phone that would be better. I am on dial up so I have a hard time sending photo's.
I have 4 whitetails under my belt with obsidian heads. Only one of the four broke and that was in an off side shoulder. Put them where it counts and they kill just fine.
Heres a Doe taken in Indiana with a complete pass through from a 53# Bob lee recurve.
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/adeeden/IN2007008.jpg)
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/adeeden/IN2007011.jpg)
Wow that is awesome! Did you knapp that head? What did the total arrow weigh?
Yeah I knapped it, I'm far from good but they seem to work for me, honestly I have no idea what the total arrow weight was but the head itself was rather light probably around 100 grains or less.
I have killed a couple of hogs and three deer with stone points and cane arrows. Side notch is the way to go. The only point I ever had break was a stemmed point. Also, taper the end of the notch so there is no hump or shelf on the side of the point. That will greatly improve penetration. Bill
Ok cool. I can see how a stemmed point would be weaker. Easier to mount but not as strong.
You asked about the biggest animals taken with stone: Doug Campbell has taken several buffalo with his knapped points. They worked, and worked well.
Design is important. Smooth tapers with the thickest part just ahead of the end of the shaft. And I agree with what was said above -- go with side notches and a length to width ratio of about 3:1.
Good luck! :thumbsup:
Gotta work on my taper a bit. I'm trying to make them strong and sharp.
I'd like to see the heads that killed those buffs! Anyone got any pics of them?
razorsharptokill : I don't have any pictures: but lest I missed it; thanks for you service to our country. :campfire:
Your welcome, it's an honor to serve.
I shot a whitetail doe with a knapped head I got from Doug Campbell. Arrow entered behind the ribs on right side and came out between the shoulder and neck on the left side. As has been stated Doug has killed several bison with stone heads and I know Dick robertson has shot a lot of critters with them.
Hey woody, how thick do you get your points for hunting? I keep working on going thinner and thinner and thinner. But now I'm afraid I'm compromising strength and the points will break. I know a bunch of guys have used your points for hunting and have had awesome results. I'm consistently getting around 3/16" (a hair thicker) on my cahokias. Is that about right, too thick, too thin? I don't think I can get much thinner without seriously frustrating myself with lots of breakage! My worry, having never used one on an animal, is that it will be too weak. Any input?? Thanks! -chad
Seven, it sounds like you're in the ballpark. Mine are close to 1/4" at the thickest (just forward of the notches), but from there it's a clean taper to the tip and the base. The ones I make with a strong single bevel have a flattened cross-section. The ones without a bevel have a slight median ridge for strength.
I've made some thin and flat, but they never flew right... I thought it might be due to planing.
Please don't take ANY of the above as gospel: it's just what's worked on my points. They've got a pretty good track record so far, but there are guys with more experience than me! :readit: :wavey:
I killed a whitetail doe last January with a flint point that I found. Was using a 1963 model Ben Pearson recurve @ 55 lbs. and cedar shaft.
Thanks Woody. I appreciate it! Last year I couldn't get them any thinner than 1/4" (plus a bit; 5/16" or so) and once they were mounted to a 3/8" shaft there was not much for hafting! So I've really been working on getting them thinner from the get go, concentrating on the base more too. Your video, among others, has helped a lot! -Chad
Watch out those rocks can get to be addicting... ;) As some said I've shot a few critters with stone points, the biggest being 1500# bison down thru elk, several deer, cougar, sheep and turkey. Out of probably 30 or so points shot into critters as long as I did my part right they performed just fine. Many times you will break or chip a point but I believe in all except a couple cases the breakage was caused by hitting bone on the off side of the animal. Now it also goes without saying that if you hit a large bone on entry the outcome isn't going to be pretty...
The point design didn't seem to be as important as the material it was made out of. Don't want to cause any arguments and I've used obsidian plenty so I'll only say there are several materials that are tougher and stronger for our purposes.... :readit:
I've given away most of em but here are some examples for you to look at...
The one at about 8 o-clock is actually made from bison leg bone.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/R0010650.jpg)
Good luck Jim and take lots of pics...
Thank you all so much! Keep the pics coming if ya got em'!
I know what you mean about being addictive, like crack... but a different kind of rock! LOL!
Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/TG%20Uploads/Points/FirstFlight1997.jpg)
After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/TG%20Uploads/Points/AshleysHead2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/TG%20Uploads/Points/AshleysHead1.jpg)
It hit a vertebra in the neck, which chipped the tip off. I snuck up on the spined deer and put another up through her chest. That stone head shattered on the ventral aspect of a thoracic vertebra, at very short range.
The shafts are different, as I hunted with that head for four years, and swapped shafts after the first season. The black stuff is a mix of pine pitch and deer tallow, for waterproofing.
Killdeer
Cool Killdeer!
Here is another point by Knife River
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/TwoSnakes13.jpg)
Properly colored too! Awesome! Here is one I hope to make the same way soon! What do you think?
http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/d0a36248444748eaae34c14285976415476a2811.jpg
It looks razor sharp to kill!
I have been hunting whitetail deer with stone heads and selfbows for around 15 years. On Aug. 15 under the title "Used Rocks" is a photo, I posted, of points collected which took the deer over that period of time.
If a point is notched I prefer it be from the base or the corners. A problem with side notched points is that penetration is sometimes inhibited because of hair and tissue hanging up in the notches. Jack
I had a friend Billy Berger knap me some heads last fall and I enjoyed success with them I shot a small spike buck with a passthru, and two does each making it less than 40 -50 yards the bloodtrail was amazing and steady and the heads came out in great shape except for the obsidian head it chipped a flake of the end but I do not know if it did it in the animal or the ground when it blowed thru the ribcage! They work just put them in the ribs and there is no worries!
(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/anaconda12/541.jpg)
(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/anaconda12/551.jpg)
GREAT PICS!!!!!
Oh man, I love those pics of bloody knapped heads! Gonna have to try that some day.