Originally posted by Spark
The advancement of the human race, and our survival, surely had nothing to do with the consumption of meat. I would argue the weapons you listed would have primarily been used as weapons of self defence before they would have ever been used to 'hunt' animals. Could you ever imagine trying to hunt a deer with a club!?!?!
As well these weapons, and hunting for that matter, would have taken a large group of people who would have had to go on missions for weeks at a time in order to return with any type of worthwhile amounts.
Basic History and Anthropology shows us that humans were primarily vegetarian for most of our existence and it wasn't until the introduction of farming, and then factory farming, that meat became a 'staple' of the human diet.
Actually, I have been able to get within feet, and sometimes even inches of deer that were not aware I was there.
Once I had a doe realize something was not right - she sniffed at my face and then snorted big time, I didn't appreciate getting slimed , so I stood up. She suddenly was confronted with a predator she wasn't expecting, and we both kinda stared at each other for half a second and then she bolted.
I've done the same with fox, coyotes, turkeys, elk, and even bobcat. It's easier with animals like elk, deer, and turkeys, because they tend to process movement. Don't move & that can't really process what's going on.
Predators like fox, coyotes, and bobcat can also process more than just movement and are much, much harder to stalk / get close to.
Anyways, I suspect that just because URBANIZED people cannot get close to an animal, primitive cultures and motivated people, can do a much better job than you may want to beleive.
Also, I suspect you'd find that the dietary habiots of early man was more in line with say, those of a bear, than other animals. Bears, though largely vegitarians, also eat carrion, and will kill an animal for food given the chance.
Oh, and I am very impressed at the tone of this thread as I did choose my wording in an half-hearted attempt at sparking controversy.
Fighting is not about who is right, it is about who is left.
A year from now, no one will remember who used what style, or what technique, only who prevailed.