OUTDOORS
Gill’s YouTube video of hunting hogs using a Stone Age spear called an atlatl has gained him thousands of followers.
bow and arrow hunting, specifically — and now makes his living
fashioning custom equipment. Gill even handcrafts arrow
points out of stone and attaches turkey feathers as fletches so
they fly straight. A custom-made hunting bow adorned with
the buyer’s choice of snakeskin can cost up to $800.
“Most people want to hunt with the latest and greatest
equipment,” Gill says. But he is among those who seek an intimate
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connection with his quarry, getting very close to hogs
and other game in order to take them down with a Stone Age
weapon called an atlatl, which is a spear flung at high velocity
from a hand-held launcher made from river cane.
“The first time I tried it, I was hard-pressed to hit something
the size of a car with it,” he says. Practice and patience,
as well as lots of time aiming at a row of beer cans set on a
wall, resulted in a successful hog hunt with the archaic tool
last year. Fans have followed along on his YouTube channel,
with thousands of views logged for each of his professionally
produced videos. His atlatl hog hunt video concludes with
him cleaning the carcass with a razor-sharp piece of obsidian,
another Stone Age tool.
Those who dream of easy prey in this state of wide open
spaces should not be naïve, however. “Florida is a peculiar
place to hunt and it’s harder all the time,” Gill says, noting
the bear hunt that offered a two-day season several years
ago and did not allow any permits in his county despite a
rebounding state population that’s estimated at more than
4,000 adults.
Restrictions can be a headache for some people like Gill, for
whom hunting is more than a pastime. He relies completely
on wild game for his family’s source of protein.“That’s what
TIM DUSSIAS
QUAIL CREEK PLANTATION
Bird hunters can experience success at preserves and local wildlife management
areas where pheasant, quail and dove are plentiful.
we live on. I very rarely buy a beefsteak,” he says. To that
end, he’s tried to get primitive weapons like his recognized
in state hunting regulations to no avail. As a result he’s only
allowed to hunt hogs (which are unrestricted by size or bag
limits) or exotics on preserves with his atlatl.
“I have a collection of heirloom rifles that I’ll take out once in
a while for hunting,” he says. “Just to get it out of my system.”
Alison O’Leary is a freelance writer, book author and speaker. See
www.alisonoleary.com.
/www.alisonoleary.com