Hunting Arrow Point Selection

[PeteDavis]

I want to start a discussion of suitable stone hunting points. I will be hunting with stone points and knapping, for the first time this fall. I have sorta decided on a shallow corner-notch point, 7/8ths wide at the shoulder, 1 1/2 long in the blade, and thinned to just over 1/8th in the core. Using these on some cane arrows I picked up. I'd really appreciate seeing other's hunting points and explanations of choices. Hoping this thread does not die out. Knapping is great to be sure, and I am getting better I like to think. But hunting with this stuff is what it's really all about for me. Show us what you got!

Here's some of mine. The ones I prefer so far are Indiana Hornstone and are the three nearest my finger tips.


Thinning:


Someone please follow.

PD

Same style blown up for illustration purposes. I would not hunt with a point this big (pardon me James!), but I do like the proportion and style.

[mullet]

 I'll take pictures of mine tomorrow.

[sailordad]

persoannly i dont knapp,however those points look fabulous to me.
the three closest to your fingers are sweet, and the perfect knickle to use for scale



                                                                      tim

[Otoe Bow]

I've got two almost ready.  I may be able to photograph them in the next day or so.  I also plan on putting them on cane arrows as well. 

Mike

Those look positively deadly.      They ought to do the trick. 

[Hillbilly]

I like triangular points with shallow side notches, also corner-notched points like the ones in your photos. We have to watch the no-barbs law here with the corner-notched points, though. Here in NC they have to be  7/8" wide, so I like to make them about 1"-1 1/4" wide so that I can get a couple resharpenings out of them before they get below legal width. Material and sharpness is more important to me than style, though. Rhyolite is my favorite material for hunting points, but I also use hornstone, Texas and other good, tough cherts, even obsidian sometimes. A lot of my hunting points are this general style but a bit longer in comparison to the width:

[mullet]

 here are some of mine mounted on Tonkin shafts. The small ones by the penny are going to be mounted on foreshafts. I'm going to try them on hogs on private property, along with the 3 head shooting shafts on the left. The other unmounted points are back-ups.  These points were made by myself and several different people from this board.

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[D. Tiller]

Eddie, did you make the Folsom on that shaft? If so, did you use bipolar flaking to flute it? Tell me more! Tell me more! I really would like to make some points up like this since they would be legal here in WA to hunt with.

Guys, I'm going to be trying to hunt some hogs one day with Gunther points! I love them swallow wings on them and I bet they hold onto the hog if they don't penetrate all the way but swing back and forth in the piggy making huge wounds. I also like parallel notching on the base of a triangular point. Its easy to haft and makes for a long smooth edge without any interuption in the cutting surface. I will try and get some pictures tonight.

David T

[mullet]

  David the Folsom in the second picture was made by one of your Washington state Brethen, Brian Melton. It's made from some of that Glass Buttes Obsidean. The gray one on the bottom left is actually fluted on both sides. Claude VanOrder made it and fluted it by setting up the platforms and pressure fluting it.

[D. Tiller]

Lots of talent there! I always wondered if the smaller Clovis points where not done by pressure flaking. Just seems like if you use a wide enough flaker with enough pressure you could get the flute to run well. Nice points! I will be trying more bipolar Folsom flaking in the future. I tried it a bit last night and it works really well!

David T

[mullet]

  I've done most of my fluting on short Folsom style points by setting up a REAL good platform and using a pressure flaker. You would be suprised how far it would run when you get the angle and grind correct.

[D. Tiller]

Try the bipolar method by setting up a nipple on each end and putting one end against a peice of antler or bone and smacking the other nipple at a slight angle. Man, the flake comes right off and looks like the originals!!!! Try it, you might like it. Besides seeing that flake fly six feet across the room is prety cool too. If ya get the angles just right one of the ends could be sticking out of the far wall. 

[Hillbilly]

Swoose Alexander used to flute Folsoms and Cumberlands by mashing them up in a big forked stick, then tapping the face with a billet-they said the flute flakes would fly several feet sometimes. Eddie, you still got that ground jade point, or is it still up at Cades?

[mullet]

  Steve, Cade has it. I can make some more. I some some tan and white jade that is harder than the green.

[D. Tiller]

How do you grind those points Eddie? Must be nice stuff.

[cowboy]

That certainly is some good stuff guys - all of it . Hey Steve, I had that Swoose video and the flakes do fly - good time for safetly glasses.
 I like the triangular Ishi type points too, also for the barb rule - and their easy to make . Here's the one's I'll be hafting and hunting/trading with this year. The two greens ones are Rhyolite, the rest are Pederanales. Oops, the one on bottom left is from AL - something Ridgerunner led me to in a creek.

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