How Do You Make Arrows Out Of Cattails?
Survivalists have often found the lowly cattail to be high on their lists of important plants. It is a food source, a fire starter and even the stem can be used as an arrow shaft. Apparently, native American Indians used the stems of the cattail often for this purpose, as the plant was readily available and easy to manipulate. This is a very primitive arrow and is more of an activity to do on a weekend outing, rather than a serious arrow to be used for food hunting. Locate a stand of cattails. They usually can be found near standing water. The plant is characterized by its brown tubular seed heads that swell over the summer and then burst in the fall and winter. Look for dry and browning stems that have hardened, unlike the green stems around them. Cut as low to the ground as possible with a sharp knife. Trim the top of the reed off, as it gets more narrow near the top and is weaker. Cut the reed to about half the length of your bow or even a little shorter. Shorter arrows are a little
