Letter to the PGC

by Bob Berg
2/2/2006

The following article was written by Bob Berg to present to the Pennsylvania Game Commission on January 22, 2006: He did a lot of alteration during the trip and prior to speaking, so what he actually read was more refined and edited (for time) than what follows:
 
Thank you for letting me speak. My study of the atlatl has been conducted for the past 14 years at considerable expense. I, and several of my friends, have been using the atlatl for hunting and fishing since 1991. I have proven to myself, and many others, that the atlatl is a very effective hunting implement.
 
I have killed several deer, a dozen or so wild boar, fish and small game with the atlatl. People, who I have made atlatls and darts for, have also killed an array of wild game including black bear, elk, buffalo and alligators. What I have learned is that the atlatl is most effective at short distances under 20 yards. The atlatl gets more accurate the closer you get to the target which is not surprising since that is true with all hunting implements. I would point out that each and every hunting implement has its own limitations for distance. The atlatl's short range is a limitation but that is partly overcome by some of its advantages. Atlatls can be held in the ready position for a long time. The dart can be aimed at the deer as it approaches. From the deer's perspective it does not move. When the dart is thrown there is little noise to startle the deer, the motion of the atlatlist from the deer's point of view is very small.
 
Atlatls can be safely shot in almost any direction because of their limited distance potential. Atlatls never go off when you clean them. They are quiet and leave no toxic residue and do not damage trees.
 
As for effectiveness, darts are more deadly than arrows. They have the power to penetrate a deer completely. They are powerful enough to penetrate completely through wild boar weighing as much as 500 pounds and buffalo weighing half a ton. The seven-foot, eight-ounce, razor sharp darts are capable of penetrating completely through wild boar, which are heavier than deer.
 
Atlatls can be used from tree stands, from ground blinds and from the prone position allowing an atlatlist cover in short grass. Different styles of shooting the atlatl allow it to be used in ways a bow and arrow can't. Retrieval of darted deer has proven to be easier than arrow shot deer. In the hands of a person who has taken a reasonable amount of time to familiarize himself with it, the atlatl is just as effective in killing its quarry as any other weapon now in use during hunting seasons in Pennsylvania. The meat I have in my freezer, the collection of used darts that I keep as reminders of various hunts and the pictures I have in my photo album attest to these facts.
 
The atlatl's distance limitation requires a hunter's skills to be more developed in order to get in closer to the game to take effective shots. Those who will ultimately choose this method of hunting will find out that it also improves one?s skills with other hunting implements as each of the necessary skills are perfected. The atlatl hunter must become part of the background of the wilderness in order to succeed. Detail must be attended to and skills must be learned and practiced while using this strikingly powerful, albeit, short distance weapon. There will be many others who will be attracted by its challenge and take the time to master the necessary skills.
 
It has been suggested that the atlatl hunters are unethical, don't practice and take joy in making animals suffer. Instead, I find this dedicated group of hunters to be ethical and skilled at using atlatls. The people I have hunted with are safe and dedicated to making a clean kill.
 
A few weeks ago it was reported in Pennsylvania newspapers that the Pennsylvania Game Commission's staff concluded that an atlatl does not possess 'sufficient lethality to ethically and humanely harvest a deer'. When I attempted to obtain a copy of the internal study mentioned in the newspaper report, my calls went unanswered. I then asked a journalist to check to see if a copy of the report was available. She was told there was no study and that the mention of an internal study was a reporting error.
 
If there was indeed no study, I don't understand how a recommendation could have been made. If there was a study, I would like the opportunity to see it and to see how the study was conducted. The atlatl community is currently a small tightly knit community with many lines of communication and I do not know one atlatl hunter who was contacted before this recommendation was made by your staff.
 
I find it incredible that the Pennsylvania Wildlife Management Officers have made recommendations to the Pennsylvania Game Commission without researching all of the facts. It's easy to jump to conclusions when you only have a couple of facts to consider, although I would say that the conclusions they have jumped to are incorrect.
 
Why not let a few atlatlists hunt in Pennsylvania? It certainly won't cause any harm to other hunters. It will have almost no measurable effect on the deer population. The use of the atlatl is compatible with all other types of hunting as it is a lot like bow hunting in many respects. I can guarantee that there will be mostly positive outcomes from letting a small minority of hunters try their hand at a sport that is not much different than any other type of hunting than it being more of a challenge.
 
Hunting should be enjoyable. Taking the time to acquire knowledge and skills to use a primitive weapon should be admired, not berated. I encourage the Commission to vote to increase opportunities for the recreational enjoyment in Pennsylvania.
 
Thank you for your attention.
 
Bob Berg