STICKING POINTS
We all have that one friend. Anytime you take him into the woods, the first thing he does is break out his knife and grab a stick to sharpen it into a “spear.” When you ask him what he’s doing, he usually responds with, “this is in case something jumps out at us” or “so I can stab a bear.” While the effectiveness of such a spear is questionable, there’s no doubt it gives your friend a sense of security — and for good reason.
The spear is perhaps the first man-made weapon; examples of sharpened sticks date back hundreds of thousands of years. Spears are just as effective today as they were in the days of primitive man. The practicality and purpose of different types of spears hasn’t changed, although the manner in which they’ve been presented over the years has. We did our research, coming up with six different types of pointed sticks you can use for protection and food collection.
Materials
Before you get started, you need a basic understanding of the wood you’ll work with. Wood can be broken down into two categories: green or seasoned and living or dead, respectively. You can work with either to make your
