I was curious about the term sharpened blade in the TN hunting guide so I aksed two CO's if flint knapped heads were legal the one was like no it has to be a sharpened blade. The other was like :confused: . So then I asked what is the definition of a blade. And the guy started to get mad and was like now your getting into a grey area. They wouldn't give me straight anwser. What do you consider a sharpened blade?
ive always went by if it shaves the hair off my arm its sharp enough...Curtis
Same..shaving equals sharp enough..I have held but not used knapped heads that were defyling sharp.
You need to check the rules for where your hunting. I have killed a deer with an obsidian head; and whew! They cut. I did not practice with the head though; shot others for practice.
I would think you could dull an obsidian head if you shot it only once.
As with other heads........
Obsidian when done right is one of the sharpest blade materials on Earth. Just have a talk with Woody Blackwell or look at the thread about kills made with his work.
I saw a show on TV where plastic surgeons were actually using obsidian flakes for surgery because the edge is so much better than a scalpel. They showed both edges under a microscope and the scalpel looked like a saw blade compared to the obsidian.
I would try to get better clarification from Fish and Game. Most times the regs that are printed and handed out with the purchase of a license are not the full letter of the the law, but rather a guideline written in non-legalese.
Here's what NJ's wording (in the annual hunting regs booklet) regarding broadheads is: "All arrows used for hunting deer, turkey, coyote or woodchuck must be fitted with a well-sharpened metal head with a minimum width
of 3/4 inches."
Doesn't leave much open to interpretation.
If in doubt and the CO's don't know the answer you could contact Tenns Wildlife Resource Commission. Lay out your question about a sharpened blade and exactly you want to hunt with if it is an obsidian head. Make them tell you and in writing would be best since you could carry it with you should a CO not in the know stops you.
Both co's acted like they would have written me a ticket. And the one guy who was getting adjetated by my questions asked me why i would want to use a knapped head then he laughed and said youd be the only one using them. What a jerk. Thats been bothering me for days just had to get it off my chest.
It's a good thing all those Indians didn't know a knapped head won't kill deer. They'd have got pretty darn hungry I bet.
that's the problem with a lot of game agencey's today, they are hiring people with little or no knowledge of hunting, and some are even anti-hunting people. When I lived in California the wardens would go out of their way looking for the slighest infraction to write you a ticket, however when you reported a poaching incident they would not even investigate it because they might get shot at! Montana is completely different, great people to work with.
Bob