When you are trying to survive in the wild, it might seem like nothing will go your way. It makes sense to assume, as surviving does not mean thriving. Yet all of that can turn around when you make things to help you succeed. One of the best things you make is homemade weapons.
What do we mean by this? It is quite likely that you will not have anything beyond a simple knife in the wild. You did not pack for a long stay, right? However, you’re now out here until someone comes to rescue you or you find a way out yourself.
To remain alive, weapons will be needed. This is not just to protect yourself from possible danger but also for hunting and fishing. Due to the numerous uses and aid they provide, homemade weapons in the wild can be important.
As a result of this, we felt the best thing we could do to help would be to tell you how to make some using things you could likely find in survival situations. That means only items that could be outdoors, whether they might wash up on a beach or come from naturally growing materials.
(we chose not to use those one might come across in a home they run into during survival)
Table of Contents
1.) Spear
We feel it only makes sense to start with the item that has been made by people for thousands of years. What they are made out of today versus 5,000 B.C. might differ, but the idea, in the end, is the exact same. The most popular blade for people to use has changed up over the years.
Today, you’d likely see people use steel. However, centuries ago the most prized thing people could find was Obsidian. This is a naturally growing rock that happens to be capable of creating literally the sharpest blade known to man.
We’re not exaggerating when saying that either. Obsidian is incredibly sharp. In fact, some places are now using it in surgeries as it’s thought to be better and more effective with cleaner cuts. As a result, we want to find this but where oh where could we do so?
Obsidian traditionally appears near or around volcanoes. Places like Hawaii and Iceland are very prominent with it. Yet there are some Obsidian outcrops throughout the United States in the states of Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
This might be due to past or current volcanic activity. As a result of this being abundant along the West Coast and parts of the Midwest, there’s enough to use for your spear.
We’d recommend you make the spear handling out of PVC Pipe that can be heat treated. However, you could also find a lot of hardened wood that is tough to break. The hardest wood that can be found is the Allocasuarina luehmannii, but it’s mostly just native to Australia.
The next best is Hickory, which often grows in the Midwest or Eastern sections of the United States. Therefore, you might find it or Oak Tree wood to use. In South America, however, you can likely just spit in the air and it’ll blow near a tree with some of the hardest wood in the world.
Simply shape the obsidian rock into a blade and attach it to your wood. You can likely use vine or paracord if you have it. Both will work perfectly fine.
We’d recommend adding some handling to the wood like rubber if it’s available. After that, you’ll have your technically homemade spear.
2.) Bow And Arrows
Just like the spear, Bows & Arrows have been used for thousands of years by people all over the world. Probably every single early society eventually used them, and it’s clear that they did not have access to 2020 materials like you do.
Making your bow will be hard but that is only due to how tough it will be to find the right wood to use. That goes sometimes triple for the right type of string material to use.
Bamboo was looked to the most for the wood. Why? It handles well in cold and wet weather. On top of that, it can be bent without breaking. Therefore, it’s flexible enough to handle numerous pulls without compromising the wood itself.
If you do not have bamboo, then proper bows can be made out of Red Elm, Maple, Cedar, and even Hickory. Today, Fiberglass or Carbon Fiber is used to make many bows. However, these wood bows are thought to be just as effective if not more so by comparison.
This means you could make a bow out of outdoor contents that can be compared to factory-made bows. The real tough part comes into play not so much with the bow itself, but the string used to shoot the arrows.
People made their string for bows out of numerous different materials. It could be linen or silk while others preferred hemp or sinew. When properly added to a bow, they could be attached in such a way that they become hardened together. At the same time, they are still capable of bending but not breaking.
However, at times, some of the materials could break. Yet this was not until after repeated use if the bow was made correctly.
Arrows:
As for the arrows, this part can be both easy and difficult. After you gather wood for your bow, you’ll likely have a good bit left over for arrows. You could often use the same wood to make an arrow or numerous.
You can make these in a few ways. While feathers were well-liked for your back-end section, usually called fletchings and a nock, people also used sinew here too. Just be sure to properly attach these as it will often be what makes your arrows properly fly.
They can also take time to make for the arrow-end itself. You can make these out of glass if you pick at it as one might do with obsidian. But you can do the same with certain rock types, depending on the rock.
Native Americans are notable for the arrowheads they used to make by hand. All of which could be used again if they were made well. They usually used rocks, which they’d painstakingly make into sharp arrowheads by hand for several hours.
You might be able to make arrows using hard plastic if properly heat-treated. Yet it might not pierce a lot of animals unless your bow is powerful.
3.) Bola
Likely the coolest weapon on this entire list, the Bola is likely something you may not know by name. However, once you see it and especially how it works, you’ll likely know EXACTLY what we’re referencing.
The entire use of a bola was meant to be a literal throwing trap. You’d swing it and aim for a person’s legs. They would usually trip around and be tangled up in the bola. Being unable to move, they’d often be easier to kill or capture.
This even worked on animals such as deer or elk. Yet it could technically be effective against any animals that move around primarily with 2 or more legs. Beyond those with smaller legs like crocodiles, alligators, and frogs.
The best part about this entire thing to us is that you honestly won’t need much to make one. To do so, you need to first know what your primary targets are going to be. Are you planning to use this just to hunt with or will it be for capturing humans?
Perhaps you want something that can be both. Regardless, you need at least 3 balls or heavy dense objects. Rocks will work for this but if you can somehow make some smaller metal balls that can be carried around, that works too. In the meantime, rocks will be our focus.
They need to be the same size if possible, but not always the same rock. The smoother the rock, the better. You want something that can be aerodynamic.
Once you have these, you need something to tie them to. Of course, some rope would be ideal here if you have it. If not, then paracord will be perfect too. If neither is available you can use vine or thin branches that can act as your makeshift tying material.
Now that you have all the materials, properly use your tying material to tie up the rocks. Then connect each to the other with one attached section being longer than the other. After making it, try it out and see if it works for you!
4.) Blowgun
Blowguns have been used by tribes for thousands of years. While many credit South American tribes with being the primary users, North American tribes also used them. In fact, tribes across South America and Africa still use blowguns to this day.
The main goal is to inhale and blow air with some force to ideally hit a target. Since some targets were too large to be killed by a dart itself, different types of poison were eventually added to the darts. This would then either kill a target or make it hard for them to move.
Poison from the Poison Dart Frog is usually what people used in South America. This was essentially a neurotoxin and made people or animals incapable of movement for a short period. It might also kill some animals too.
Yet the darts themselves could pierce through smaller animals. To make one, you’ll likely be good to go almost immediately with bamboo. It’s hollow on the inside and could become a blowgun from the start. Just make sure you get everything out of it that’s currently present.
To make other types, you can also use a branch that is as straight as possible, being sure to cut it to a good length. Then try to hollow out the inside while shaving the outside. Make sure the branch you use is not massively large. It needs to be a reasonable size for the blowgun to work right.
Darts are easy yet hard at times. Those can be made with many things too. If you come across any sorts of tacks, nails, or even screws you could likely form them to make great darts. Let’s pretend you don’t come across anything like that.
You can make them using wood, but hard versions of wood. It needs to be so it can pierce the skin, of course. That said, you can find wood and shave it into darts with a fine point.
Now you have everything. Next, you’ll just inhale, put the dart in, then blow in a direction.
5.) Slingshot
Slingshots are primitive but effective. They can be used as very good weapons, especially if you know how to make them. Obviously, all the materials to make a slingshot will be present outdoors. On top of that, you’ll likely just use rocks to shoot at people or animals.
That means the only worry you have is the slingshot itself. How do you make one? It’s simple.
Look for a sturdy yet Y-Shaped tree branch. You can shave it up to make it easier to hold but your main need is simply the Y-Shape. We’d recommend at least a 30-degree fork be present, as this will be your best bet.
Now you need some cordage that can bend. This is the hardest part. Paracord can be useful when it comes to tying things down or keeping them together. Yet it does not really bend well, while vines are useful for a lot but it’ll break with too much pull.
Your slingshot needs something to help it actually sling stuff, right? We’d recommend using plastic which you’ll likely have around in some form. Perhaps it’s a bottle, made of plastic. It could be stuff from your bag, whatever you can find.
Use fire to form your plastic so that it works together once it dries. Then form it in two holes you will put in the slingshot wood. Be sure to attach an area in the middle of the cloth, duct tape, or something similar. This will be where you put your projectile. Now you have your outdoor slingshot.
David’s Slingshot:
In the story of David & Goliath, the eventual King David would kill Goliath using a slingshot obviously. Yet he did not have any rubber or a lot of bendable materials. His slingshot would have been old school.
It was a form of slingshot that relied on cloth, swinging speed, and accuracy. In fact, this version of the slingshot was so powerful due to great G-Force that it could have killed or knocked out anyone the projectile from the slingshot hit.
This could be a better survival slingshot if you cannot find bendable materials. You make it using a string that has a pouch in the middle. It’ll have two sides the user will swing. One will simply add a projectile to the pouch and swing the slingshot above them in the air.
Once the user feels there is enough speed, they’ll release one end while aiming at a target. The projectile should hit the target well and with a lot of force and speed. Enough to do significant damage.
