From How Many Paces?

[musketman]

What was the longest tomahawk throw you made that stuck in your intended target?

 

...have not experimented with throws over one revolution (except by accident )...my normal distance is 5 paces for the hawk and 4-4.5 paces for the knife (my particular gear). Are ye going to brag to us? :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

Are ye going to brag to us? :thumbsup:

Nope, nothing to brag about, just want to hear about some really impressive throws...

 

24 paces...once...into a BIG block...

I have engaged in contests where you had to double your range, so for me it was 16[url] paces....again[/url], big block, made it stick. With a little practice, it can work....sort of...if you're better than me, which is just about everyone.

 

[Griz]

12 steps, I'm 6'8" so those are BIG steps. I think it was around 30+ feet. My cousin was playing around and found the " sweet spot". It is just like throwing from a 5 step spot....you just need to throw a little harder and find that right number of foot prints. :thumbsup:

 

[rich pierce]

Never throw away your last weapon. That's my excuse! :haha:

 

[flaming canvas]

12 steps, I'm 6'8" so those are BIG steps. I think it was around 30+ feet. My cousin was playing around and found the " sweet spot". It is just like throwing from a 5 step spot....you just need to throw a little harder and find that right number of foot prints. :thumbsup:

Sounds like we should be calling you Kodiak.


Probably more than that. I'm 6'1 and would be more than 30 feet away in 12 steps, which is getting pretty close to my distance for a double turn throw. Seems like I have to get farther back than about anyone around for my throws, 7 steps for single turn. I guess I just don't spin the hawk as fast as the rest of the guys and I usually throw harder. That seems more natural to me than a wimpy toss from up close. That way, if she don't stick she'll still knock the hell out of some hostile.

 

[Ron LaClair]

What was the longest tomahawk throw you made that stuck in your intended target?

I used to make double flips sometimes just for fun. The challange is to try to judge your distance without pacing. Woods roving and throwing a hawk or knife at stumps or dead trees is good practice for getting the "feel" of the right distance.

When your throwing for serious competition the distance for a knife or hawk throw is about 5 paces or 15', give or take.

When my two boys were teenagers we would throw hawks every day in the yard and we got pretty good. I won the State championship three years running. The last year I competed I threw a perfect score of 50 with both the knife and hawk. At Friendship I placed 1st in knife and 2nd with a hawk. The guy that took 1st hawk had his handle cut down to about 4 or 5" and threw it like you'd throw darts. I don't think they allow that now, that was 1980.

It's fun throwing knives and hawks and I think the Mountain men did it for the same reasons we do...for fun.

 

[The Kansan]

Musketman,

This is gonna' sound like I'm bragging and maybe I am - but I have 2 witnesses to it:

First let me say that I've been tossin' a hawk for a lot of years and have nearly always had a hawk stump set up in the back yard where I routinely praticed 1, 1 1/2, 2 and 3 revolution throwing, as well as underhand and sidearm. - Second, there got to be a time when no one wanted to compete if I was throwing. (I've got myself so screwed up mentally now, that I rarely place higher than 2nd or 3rd in competition, but almost never miss if I'm just showing off!)

Now that I've got the preface out of the way - Several years ago a couple of friends and I showed up two days early for a spring rondy and were over at the hawk range throwing for quarters. Well, we were all three running just about even after 1 , 1 1/2, 2 and even 3 revolutions, so we backed off once again. With a small blaze orange target dot stuck to the middle of the stump, we started trying for four complete revolutions !. After a total of 18 misses, (6 each) and nearly five bucks worth of quarters had built up (a quarter per throw!) - I took a swig from the jug, reared back, let loose and cut the target dot in half!

I have no idea of the distance and have never repeated this feat or even tried to. I darn near threw out out my shoulder in the process and haven't thrown for more than 2 revs since then. But ya know what? As soon as I let the hawk go on that 7th throw, I just knew that it was gonna cut that little orange dot!


...The Kansan...

P.S. The other two guys with me were Peaches (Frank Aaron) and Pucker (Jack Lovin) both from Wakeeney, Ks.. And they might grumble a little, but I reckon they'll vouch for me.

...T K...

 

[The Kansan]

After making the previous post, I was out in the back yard taking care of some honeydo's;

Well, my hawk stump was sittin' there lookin' all lonesome and everything and my 'hawks were only a few feet away in the Rondyvoo trailer. And I stood there "guestimating" about where I would throw from if I was trying for another 4 revolution toss, then I marked the spot and grabbed my favorite 3J from the trailer. I walked back to my mark, loosened up a little bit and threw the hawk... I missed the d@mn stump completely, and stuck the s0b in the powerline pole behind it! 29 paces to the pole for a little over 72 feet total distance.

It doesn't count - I didn't hit what I was throwing at and I should never have attempted that type of throw without a safe backstop. Pure dumb luck that the pole was in the way of the tomahawk.

But, I learnt me lesson this morning:

I know it can be done, because I've done it... On purpose... With witnesses... But that doesn't mean that I have to prove to myself or anyone else that I can still do it!

:hmm: :nono:

...The Kansan...

 

[nit wit]

After a public demo in Andover Maine we ate suppa,then broke out the hawks.
The last throw we did was from 78 feet and underhand, yes it can be done.
Nit Wit :results:

 

[musketman]

After a public demo in Andover Maine we ate suppa,then broke out the hawks.
The last throw we did was from 78 feet and underhand, yes it can be done.
Nit Wit :results:

78 feet, thats almost as good as throwing it 26 yards... :winking:

Underhand, you say... :hmm:

Any side-arm throwers out there?

 

[Ron LaClair]

Any side-arm throwers out there?

I'm a lefty and leftys are natural side arm throwers. :results:

 

[hairsmith]

I am new to all this hawk throwing, but I have done some throwing with a double bit ax. Y'all ever try that? And would most gatherings allow me to join in with it ?
The ax I have used has a small head (for a double bit ax) and short handle 24in I think.
Used to love to throw it underhand and stick it handle up.

Hairsmith

 

[HillbillyDave]

After a public demo in Andover Maine we ate suppa,then broke out the hawks.
The last throw we did was from 78 feet and underhand, yes it can be done.
Nit Wit :results:

I can vouch for Nit Wit on this one. I was there. Nit Wit, Gomer and I, along with a few others were throwing. We used my french "battle ax" [large, heavy, hawk shaped trade ax] for some overhand throwing as well. We actually stood on the double yellow line of Main street and stopped trafic to get the distace we needed. We missed alot, but each of us stuck that thing from AT LEAST 80 feet. Somebody paced it off, but I can't remember exact distance. It was getting toward dark and we finnished up with a candle for a target. Don't remember cutting the candle, but we tore up that block! Man, my arm was some sore the next day!

 

[NORD]

Sounds like a lot of fun...I can't wait to get my tomahawk in the mail! I already found me a 30" cottonwood stump about 10" thick and I plan on attaching it to a homemade aisle. :front:

 

[trent/OH]

Well Nord, I like a BIG target block also, so I don't miss too often.My block is probably 26", but only about 5" thick. That 30" by 10" block might be too heavy to mount. If you can slice it into 2 pieces you may be better off.

 

[Doc Arroyo]

The Longest I ever made wasn't more than 45 feet (3 revs), and the best I ever saw wasn't that long. But I thought that you might ejoy the story.

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It was my 1st or 2nd rendevous, and I ended up at the hawk targets for practice with a few other folks. A gentleman that was pushing 70 or 80 stepped up and asked if he could join us. As a newby, I am watching everything, and quickly notice that this old feller ain't marking his spot, he is just stepping up, throwing and most time hitting the mark.

But one of the othe guys starts feeling his oats, and wanted to turn the practice into a full blown money on the barrelhead competition. The old feller says that he doesn't play for money, etc etc. Well you all have seen or been in conversations like that, and soon enough the old guy is being called chicken, and the fool is strutting around in his best chicken imitation.

The old feller steps up to the line, with the hawk in his left hand, stretches his right arm, and when he puts the arm to his side, he loosens the knife in the sheath on his hip. The hawk goes to the right hand, he looks the fool straight in the eye and says, "You know why I don't play this game fer money?"

Instantly the old feller steps though and hurls the hawk. His right hand continues though to the knife handle on his hip. In one motion he unsheaths the knife and underhand flips it at the target.

The hawk hit dead center, and stuck the top toe of the blade, with the handle nearly parallel to the ground. An instant latter that belt knife stuck dead center in it's target, the end of the handle of the hawk! ::

The old feller turned to the young fool. "I don't play this game fer money cuz ther ain't no competition!" With that he pulled is knife and hawk, and walked back to camp. Smiling all the way! ::

 

[Nenajungas]

While working at a boys scout camp in the shooting sports area I threw a 4 rev and got it to stick. Also worked out .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5 rev bebfore working up to the 4 rev. Plan on working up to a 4.5 and 5 rev throw this summer
~Nenajungas

 

[Maynerd62411]

"The hawk hit dead center, and stuck the top toe of the blade, with the handle nearly parallel to the ground. An instant latter that belt knife stuck dead center in it's target, the end of the handle of the hawk! "

I would have loved to seen that! ::
:curse: young wippersnappers :curse: :crackup:
:hatsoff: