The Art Of The Dart

Jonny shows us how to make a dart which can be thrown using the atlatl from last month’s article – you can’t use it for hunting, but you can have hours of fun practicing with targets!

- Jonny Crockett

Now that you have made your dart launcher (the atlatl), you are ready to make the dart! The dart should be 5-6 feet long and made from as straight a rod of wood as possible. It has a sharp point made of flint, bone or iron on one end and flights on the other.

The best place to find the shaft of the dart is in a hedgerow or open area that is not obscured by mature trees (pic 1). You are looking for the straightest possible rod, no more than a thumb’s thickness and with as few side branches as you can find. The bark should then be removed to prevent rotting and infestation by wood-eating fungi and insects.