The subsistence strategies of the Ainu people were comprised of hunting, fishing, and gathering. Agriculture was considered secondary, in part because it took too much time for vegetables to grow and took a significant less time to fish. In the late autumn when plant gathering, salmon fishing, and other ways of securing food came to an end, hunters went to the fields and mountains where plants had withered, making game easy to find. The Ainu hunted rabbit, fox, raccoon dog, and other animals, but bears and the Ezo deer were their favorites, and served as their largest protein supply, in addition to salmon.
The Ainu hunted mainly using poisoned arrows and spears. The poison used, called "surku," was made from the roots and stalks of aconites. The recipe for making the poison was a secret among the Ainu people, and differed from family to family. To enhance…show more content… The Ju/’hoansi used poisoned arrows and spears, just like the Ainu, for most of their hunts as well as other tools like the springhare hook and rope snares. The Ju/’hoansi had four types of hunting techniques, three of which are similar to that of the Ainu. The Ju/’hoansi would use a bow and poisoned arrows to hunt plains game such as kudu and wildebeest. Another technique used was hunting with trained dogs for animals such as warthogs and hares. Similar to the Ainu people using a spring trap to capture deer, the Ju/’hoansi would set up rope snares top capture hares or small antelopes. Unlike the Ainu people, the Ju/’hoansi also did a lot of underground hunting for burrowing animals such as warthogs and porcupines with the help of a special tool known as a springhare hook. The Ju/’hoansi had superb tracking skills which helped them limit the amount of energy they used on a particular hunt while increasing the possibility of a successful