As man has evolved, so have his hunting technologies. From the first rock heaved at an antelope to today‘s complex weapon systems, mankind has never said never. Here are some examples:
Human visual acuity is abysmal compared with the animals he hunts. However, having the advantage of a larger brain, we bested the best with the invention of a rifle scope. Scopes continually modernize with optical improvements and sighting adjustability. Adjustable turrets is a case in point. Now we have programs that calculate parallax error, windage, inclined shot placement and hold over. What more can we ask? The newest computerized scopes offer unparalleled accuracy and opportunity to compensate for shooter error and target variables.
Early hunting cultures developed the atlatyl to propel projectiles at a higher velocity than from an unaided arm. We’ve come a long way, baby! That stick has been transformed into the rifle. In the last decade, sporting arms have undergone a radical make-over in barrel and receiver configuration. This ain’t your daddy’s gun! Armalite shooting platforms have come of age and have revolutionized weapon design with improved ergonomics, modularity and accessory devices.
The bow and arrow continued for thousands of years relatively unchanged. Then came the cam. The design and component parts of today’s compound bows are worlds apart from the tree limb bent by primitive man. Aside from astronomical differences in appearance, today’s bows are light years ahead in accuracy, range, portability and ease of use. New limb and riser break-throughs find their way to the market place every year. If Native Americans had been armed with today’s compound bows, the western United States might have been “Indian territory” for decades longer.
The naked arm preceded the atlatyl that gave birth to the bow and arrow. Over millenia, sticks and stones were replaced by the fuse-lit Blunderbuss that predated the flintlock, which stepped up to the caplock. Ignition technology took a giant step when caps were replaced by today’s primers. Today’s expertly manufactured barrels of fine steel have replaced the twisted Damascus tubes. Stocks and receivers are things of beauty and last indefinitely. That’s progress!
From the first antelope that was thumped by a stone from 10 yards to today’s precision long range shooting systems that reach out at ranges well beyond a thousand yards, technology has changed hunting in truly incredible ways…and the arms race is far from over.