Hunting weapon
[1] The spear was in use for hunting as early as five million years ago in hominid and chimpanzee societies, and its usage may go back even further.
The atlatl was displaced starting in the late Paleolithic with the easier to make and use bow and arrow, which remains in common use today in both sporting and hunting.
[4] The kylie, for example, Australian hunting boomerang in use into modern times, uses the bent shape and a symmetric airfoil cross-section to provide stability and low drag for long, accurate throws.
Boomerangs, of both the non-returning and returning variety, have been found in many ancient cultures, ranging from Egypt to North America.
[6] Other early weapons used for hunting include the sling, which allows small stones or metal balls to be thrown at much higher velocities than the arm alone, and the blowgun.
The use of rifles is often banned for safety reasons in areas with high population density, limited topographic relief, or for hunting on bodies of water where the danger of ricochet exists.
Specific seasons for bow hunting or muzzle-loading black-powder guns are often established to limit competition with hunters using more effective firearms.
There are some who object, stating that the atlatl is rarely capable of a clean kill, resulting in undue suffering for the sport animal.
[13] A bang stick, a specialized type of firearm, is then often used to sever the spinal cord of the alligator just to the rear of the head.
Hunting shotguns are shoulder-fired weapons, and are generally smoothbores, but guns designed to fire slugs may have rifled barrels.
Shotguns are used for short range shooting, and are less accurate than rifles, though the ability to fire multiple projectiles makes them ideal for small, fast moving targets.
Intended to be fired with one or two hands, but lacking a shoulder support, handguns are more challenging to shoot accurately than a long gun (a rifle or shotgun).
Bang sticks are often carried for defense against shark attack, but are legally required for alligator hunting in some areas.
On the other hand, their single-shot characteristic limit one's ability to make follow-up or repeated shots quickly, when the first round does not provide a clean kill or when multiples of game appear.
Repeating actions provide an easy way for the user to load a new round of ammunition into the firearm, usually from a spring-loaded magazine.
Examples of animals used in this way are some breeds of canines such as hounds, terriers, and dachshunds or raptors such as falcons, hawks, and eagles.
