Hunting Methods

On the previous post, there was a video giving us an idea on how the San people hunt. Now that we have a general idea, let's talk about some of their methods.

The San hunters are very excellent at what they do. Other than making traps, they are good using a bow and arrow. Instead of killing animals instantly, they sometimes slowly poison animals to death, which takes from a few hours to a few days depending on the size of the animal.


bushmen making arrows


They get their poison from different sources: poisonous caterpillars, larvae from of a small beetle, poisonous plants, and snake venom. Once they get the poison, the poison is boiled repeatedly until it looks like red currant jelly. Once it is done cooling down, it is put on the arrow inside the reed collar so that the hunters or anyone else won't be harmed by the poison. When the arrow hits an animal, the hunters would have to track it  until it dies.

You would think that the poison will contaminate the prey completely, making it uneatable, but the poison does not spread throughout the body. Once the animal that is hunted falls, the San cut around the area where the arrow hit and throw it away.


The San are clever when it comes to traps. One thing they would do is dig funnel shaped pitfalls near rivers and plant a sharp stake in the middle, then covering the hole with branches.
For smaller animals, they make traps out of twisted gut or fibers from plants. When a small animal enters a snare to collect the bate that was left for them, the trap strangles them.
There are other ways trap and catch animals, and these were just a couple ways.

Not only were they good in traps, but they also know how to track animals by studying there habits and learning where the herds are gathering.

No doubt that the San are clever when it comes to hunting. Their ability to track animals, make weapons, and create traps are what make them good hunters.



http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_bushmen_p2.html