Dating back to some 400,000 years ago, the spear is the oldest known weapon crafted by human hands.
Long before the invention of the bow and arrow, the spear was Stone Age man’s killer of choice when it came to hunting animals to secure meat for himself and his community.
Compared to today’s technology, it’s an archaic weapon, but as Daniel Breznau now knows, in the right hands, the spear can be just as effective, just as accurate and just as deadly as it was in the crude hands of our primitive ancestors.
The 21-year-old Oxford resident knows this because on Oct. 24 he used a spear to kill a 280-pound female Russian wild boar while hunting at the Trophy Ranch, a 160-acre game preserve operated in Ubly, Michigan since 1988.
‘I have a much greater respect now for spears and edged-weapons,? said Breznau, a pre-medicine senior at Oakland University.
In contrast to firearms, bows and crossbows, Breznau said the spear offers an ‘intimacy between you and what you’re going after that isn’t captured? with modern weaponry.
It’s somewhat ironic that the first animal Breznau’s ever killed was an exotic beast bagged with such a simple weapon.
‘I’m not really much of a hunter,? he admitted.
In the past, he’s gone after whitetail deer, ducks and rabbits, but always came home empty-handed.
The idea of using a spear to hunt wild boar was initially brought up by his father as a joke. But the thought actually appealed to Breznau, who’s an avid reader of the Bible.
‘Spears were used a lot in the Old Testament battles,? he said. ‘I felt it would be a really interesting experience to get that close.?
About a month prior to the hunt, Breznau went on-line and purchased a Cold Steel Boar Spear, weighing 4? pounds.
Far from being a Stone Age weapon, the 82-inch spear features a stainless steel, double-edged blade, measuring 18? inches in length and attached to an American Ash Wood shaft.
‘I practiced throwing it in the backyard,? said Breznau, who noted he can accurately toss it about 25 feet.
Breznau’s dad ‘was very sure that I was not going to get one,? not because he doubted his son, but because not many hunters are successful with a spear.
According to Ed Friend, manager of the Trophy Ranch, ‘probably not even 50 percent? of the folks who spear-hunt the preserve’s 15-30 wild boar are successful.
‘It’s extremely hard. He got pretty lucky,? he said.
Spear-hunting isn’t something a lot of people do either.
‘We a get a few every year. Probably half a dozen,? Friend said.
When asked what his favorite part of the hunt was, Breznau replied, ‘Probably sneaking up on it.?
‘At that point, there’s a lot of anticipation and you feel like something’s going to happen, but you don’t know what. Nothing’s been decided, it’s all in the balance. That’s certainly the best part right there.?
When his hunting party located some boar, they were asleep, so he tried to get as close as possible.
Although their eyesight isn’t great, wild boar make up for it with powerful noses.
‘Their sense of smell is much stronger than pretty much any other animal out there,? Breznau explained. ‘As soon as I started to get close, even though I was downwind, they started to get a whiff of me and wake up.
‘At that point, I kind of moseyed around towards them, hoping they wouldn’t view me as a threat. It worked to a point. I got fairly close.?
Once he got as close as possible, Breznau ‘sprinted at them? to ‘close the gap,? then threw his spear and hit one about 15 feet away.
‘At that point, it was moving really quick, so I had to lead it by quite a bit,? he explained. ‘I threw (the spear) towards the front (of the boar) and by the time (the boar) got to the spear, it hit towards the rear.?
The rest is hunting history.
‘My dad was wrong. I got one,? he said.
Breznau couldn’t believe how much meat the boar yielded once it was processed. He wasn’t sure of how many pounds he got for the old freezer, but he noted ‘it took me like four trips to empty out the car.?
‘I absolutely love the bacon,? he said. ‘The bacon is a lot better than what we’ve gotten at Meijer.?
So what’s the next potential conquest on this mighty hunter’s list?
‘I want to go spear an alligator, if possible, in Florida,? he said. ‘I’ve heard from my uncle, who lives down there, that it’s not too hard. Apparently, the alligators aren’t very afraid of humans, so you can go up to them pretty easy.?