Blowgun Darts

Blowguns are thought to have first been used by indigenous peoples hunting small game such as rabbits and squirrels. While the sport is often associated with the Far East (thanks in part to the prevalence of blow darts in martial arts films), blowgun hunting is popular all over the world, from North America to Australia. In some places, the pastime is a highly competitive one and features cash prizes for its contest winners.

The principles behind blowguns and blowgun darts are fairly simple. It is the lungs and mouth that provide darts with their propulsion through the blowgun's shaft, much the way the diaphragm and mouth muscles power the notes of trumpets or saxophones. By and large, the guns themselves are made of PVC or a related form of pipe, while darts may be fashioned from wooden dowels and paper cones.

The Finer Points of Blowguns

It's not uncommon for blowguns to reach up to six or seven feet in length in order to provide maximum power. More impressively, the breath alone is capable of generating blowgun dart speeds of several hundred feet per second, easily fast enough to hit scampering fleet-footed animals. After each shot, a new dart must be loaded, its point facing out from the barrel, its conical base butting up against the shaft's opening.

Before you race out and buy or make a blowgun of your own, it's important to check your local laws about the sport. Some states such as California outlaw blowgun hunting altogether, while other states sanction it but spell out the terms and conditions for hunters. In the middle are states that fail to mention blowgun hunting in their laws but do make rules for similar weapons such as air rifles and regular darts.