To pursue this approach I found a soda can and cut off the top using a sharp knife. With a little trimming I left two tabs on opposite sides that I bent out for the purpose of attaching to the bow. I used duct tape to wrap the tabs in order to prevent scratches on the bow, then I taped the tabs onto the bow itself, mounting the newly formed reel below the hand grip.

I had monofiliment fishing line on hand so I wound it around the can so that it would unwind from underneath the left side of the can to avoid entangling my hand while drawing back the arrow.

The challenge that I faced was that the monofiliment was “springy” by nature and tended to spool off the can too readily. I overcame this effect by placing a bobby-pin flat side up over the reel from the open end of the can so that the line could easily slip out when the arrow was released.

After my initial experience I did a little research and decided to make a second version using a plastic bottle that had a slight hour-glass shape. This helped to prevent line from sliding off of the reel. I also used braided cord instead of monofiliment because it was comparatively limp and more easily stayed in place. I happened to have twisted nylon mason line that I used in liew of commercial braided fishing line. Another benefit of using the plastic bottle is that there are several “grooves” at the bottom that acts to hold the line in place while drawing back the arrow.

Either reel version works. The monofiliment line is light and fast but tends to tangle. The braided cord is heavier but more easily handled. Either way these are improvised reels that could serve you well in a pinch. Why not give it a try for yourself and see which one works best for you.

Obsidian, a glassy rock, is a favored material but only found on the West Coast. A number of other states have flint. Here, in North Carolina, there is no flint. The local material in this region is quartz that is tough to knap and can be found in various shades of white. However a similar material to flint is found on the Southern boarder of the state that is called rhyolite and is usually greenish-gray in color. When this material is found locally you know that it was “imported” and is referred to as “trade stone” because Indians would trade goods to obtain this nicer material to fashion into arrowheads.

Local arrowhead hunters recommend that one of the best places to look for arrowheads is in a freshly plowed field after a heavy rain. The artifacts in the photo were not found in a field but rather in the mulch beds around an apartment complex that I tend. Fortunately for me the general public does not recognize these as artifacts and have been left as “rocks”. Having done some flint knapping I can recognize the signs of man-made shapes created by hammer stones, billets, and pressure flaking.

The two quartz pieces are rough compared to the finished points using trade-stone. Arrowheads can have different shapes based on tribes and differing eras. Some artifacts that are roughly shaped mid process are known as pre-faces. The rhyolite shown here is a piece off of a stone as it was reduced to the final shape. This is known as a spall from the spalling process. It’s not an arrowhead but a byproduct of the process to make one.

My guess is that the grounds where the mulch was processed happened to be located over old Indian campgrounds and were picked up when they loaded their trucks for delivery. It’s a delight to discover these bits of history in the course of tending the landscaped grounds. What can you find in your gardens?

I’ve always maintained that indigenous people would have used Bic Lighters if they were available, but, alas, they used the resources that were available to them at the time. As I watched a circle of flint knappers at work, I noticed some of the materials that they used. Although I saw some antlers traditionally used as billets, most used modified copper capped pipes that had been weighted with lead. Although there was obsidian piled in a box, I also saw some white material that was unfamiliar to me. I asked what the material was and the response was “John” stone… which was the porcelain from broken lids of toilets (or “Johns”). One knapper said that, outside of the wilderness, you could always find this resource to use. I also saw some arrowheads that were knapped from beer bottles.

It pleases me to see primitive skills kept alive while incorporating modern materials and resources. It’s the gift of ingenuity that helps us to adapt and survive. By continual practice and evaluation, we can improve and build our skills to better prepare us for emergencies and challenges that may lie ahead.