Think guns are the only way to bag a meal? Think again. The world of hunting is peppered with 10 bizarre ancient practices that have survived the ages and are still being pulled off today. From daring lion‑stealing raids to the oddly graceful art of flounder tramping, these methods showcase humanity’s uncanny knack for turning the environment into a hunting partner.

10 Bizarre Ancient Hunting Methods

10 Kleptoparisitism

Snatching meat straight from a lion’s kill might sound like a fool’s gamble, yet the Mbororo herders of Cameroon have been perfecting this audacious act for centuries. Armed with flaming sticks, they drive the big cats away from their fresh kills, allowing the humans to swoop in and claim the prize. Though kleptoparasitism is well‑documented among animal predators, it is a rarity in human culture, making this practice all the more extraordinary.

As lions grow increasingly wary of human presence, the opportunity for kleptoparasitism has widened. Reports from Cameroon, Uganda and Tanzania suggest the technique is on the rise, a trend that spells trouble for big cats. Lions expend massive energy to bring down prey; having their hard‑won meals stolen can dramatically affect survival rates. Conservationists warn that unchecked human kleptoparasitism could drive entire lion populations toward extinction.

9 Trout Tickling

Despite sounding like a mischievous prank, trout tickling is a centuries‑old, equipment‑free fishing technique that yields a free dinner for the patient practitioner. The method calls for a stealthy approach: the angler slips downstream toward a likely trout hole, lies flat on the riverbank, and gently reaches into the water. Once a trout is felt, the fisher gently rubs the fish’s belly, moving from tail to head to lull it into a trance.

When the fish’s head is within reach, the hunter gives a swift squeeze and lifts the trout out of the water. Historically favored by Europe’s impoverished, who could not afford rods or tackle, trout tickling skirts the line of poaching. Notably, Django Reinhardt, the celebrated Gypsy guitarist, was reputed to be a master of this art—perhaps his nimble fingers on a guitar translated into deft fish‑tickling skills.

8 Golden Eagle Hunting

The Burkitshi, a subgroup of Mongolia’s Khazakh minority, have cultivated a breathtaking partnership with golden eagles, riding horseback while the massive raptors perch on their arms, scanning the High Altai for foxes and other quarry. This aerial alliance, honed over generations, blends human horsemanship with avian ferocity.

To forge this bond, hunters capture four‑year‑old female eagles—young enough to be trainable yet already seasoned hunters. The females, boasting a broader wingspan and a fiercer temperament than their male counterparts, are hand‑fed, co‑sleep with their masters, and become lifelong companions. Though an eagle may live up to thirty years, the Burkitshi typically release the bird after a decade, allowing it to return to the wild for the remainder of its life.

Unfortunately, the tradition teeters on the brink of disappearance. With only about 50 to 60 practitioners left, the art of golden‑eagle hunting faces extinction alongside the dwindling nomadic lifestyle of the Burkitshi.

7 Aboriginal Fire Hunting

The Martu people of Australia’s Western Desert have long employed fire as a strategic tool to hunt goannas, the lizards that supply roughly 40 % of their caloric intake. By igniting a carefully measured swath of grass around goanna burrows, they coax the reptiles out of hibernation, making them easy prey.

This controlled burn not only yields food but also reshapes the landscape into a mosaic of fresh growth that benefits a host of bush critters. Without such fire‑clearing, vegetation would become overly dense, providing fuel for catastrophic lightning‑induced wildfires that devastate mammalian habitats. The Martu’s fire‑hunting practice is so ingrained that their language possesses distinct terms for every stage of post‑burn vegetation succession.

6 Rat Hunting With Dogs

Hunting rats may seem a modest endeavor, yet it demands a remarkable choreography of predators. Mid‑19th‑century London accounts describe terriers flushing rats from burrows while ferrets pursued them, and a second dog delivering the final blow. Many of today’s beloved lap‑dog breeds trace their lineage back to these vermin‑hunting ancestors.

Modern New York City has revived this tradition, training Jack Russells, fox terriers and dachshunds to chase down the urban rodent menace. While some view the practice as a time‑honored rite, animal‑rights advocates argue it borders on cruelty. Nevertheless, proponents claim it may be more humane than poison, which can cause prolonged suffering and secondary poisoning of predators that consume the tainted rats.

5 Persistence Hunting

Human evolution is thought to have progressed from scavenging to endurance running, with our upright posture, naked skin and abundant sweat glands acting as natural cooling systems. Our powerful gluteal muscles and elastic tendons enable us to out‑run most four‑legged animals over long distances, a trait exploited by persistence hunters.

Today, Kalahari Bushmen in Botswana and the Rarámuri of northern Mexico still practice this ancient method, chasing prey until exhaustion forces it to collapse. Even fitness enthusiasts in the West have begun experimenting with persistence hunting, often adopting a vegetarian diet and focusing on the physiological challenge rather than sustenance.

4 Knife Hunting Wild Boar

Hawaii’s delicate ecosystems are under siege by invasive wild boar, whose rooting behavior devastates native flora. The island’s response? A culinary one—hunters use knives to stalk, chase with dogs, and then deliver a precise, fatal stab.

Knives are prized for being both traditional and safer than firearms on a crowded island where stray bullets could endanger tourists and wildlife alike. This low‑impact method also minimizes collateral damage, preserving the fragile environment while providing a tasty source of protein.

Outside Hawaii, wild boar pose a looming threat across the lower 48 states. Some desperate measures have turned to explosives—a method that destroys the meat and classifies the act as extermination rather than hunting.

3 Octopus Pots

Octopuses are among the most intelligent invertebrates, yet they fall prey to a surprisingly simple trap: the pot. Fishermen lower bait‑free vessels to the sea floor; an inquisitive octopus crawls inside, mistaking it for shelter. The pot is then hauled aboard, and the creature, rarely attempting escape, is collected for its prized flesh.

This technique has changed little over millennia. Ancient Greeks employed terracotta pots, while modern fishers use durable plastic. From Spain to Japan, octopus pots remain a staple, underscoring the timeless efficiency of a low‑tech solution to a high‑tech problem.

2 Gum Lime Sticks

In Cyprus, poachers target songbirds with a cunning contraption: lime sticks coated in a sticky gum harvested from Syrian plums. The sticks are placed in lower branches of juniper trees, where unsuspecting birds become ensnared while seeking shelter.

The primary quarry is the blackcap, a cherished delicacy in local cuisine. However, the gum‑stick method indiscriminately traps other species, including the endangered spotted flycatcher. Conservation groups and volunteers are battling the tradition, which is deeply embedded in Cypriot culture, to curb the widespread avian slaughter.

1 Flounder Tramping

Flounders, the flat, flaky fish of estuarine mudflats, have inspired a delightfully simple yet daring harvest method: tramping. Hunters wade through the shallow waters, feeling for the subtle rise of a flounder beneath their soles, then stand firm long enough to lift the fish before it can dart away.

Some practitioners supplement their footwork with a stick, using it to prod the fish from behind as they shuffle. The sport has even birthed an annual World Flounder Tramping Competition in Palnackie, Scotland, broadcast across the UK and Australia each August, celebrating this quirky tradition.

+ Further Reading

Craving more wild tales? Dive into these additional articles for a deeper look at the animal kingdom’s most astonishing stories.

10 Mysterious Trips Into The Wilderness That Went Horribly Wrong
8 Endangered Species Still Hunted
Top 10 Worst Man Eaters In History
10 Deadly Tricksters of the Animal World

Abraham Rinquist is the executive director of the Winooski, Vermont branch of the Helen Hartness Flanders Folklore Society. He co‑authored Codex Exotica and Song‑Catcher: The Adventures of Blackwater Jukebox.

A recent opinion poll suggested that as many as 45% of Americans believe in ghosts or spirits of some kind. Certainly, people have been telling each other ghost stories since the dawn of time. We seem to have a natural inclination to believe that there is a shadow world in which departed loved ones, repentant sinners, or those who have a message for us dwell.

Perhaps this belief simply shows that we need an explanation for everything. When we lived in small groups of vulnerable hunter-gatherers, a sound in the trees at night might mean danger. Something caused it. But what? The noise might be nothing important, or it might be a predator. For survival, it’s better to assume that it could be something dangerous. Add a dash of imagination, and it becomes easy to assume something paranormal exists.

Here are ten explanations for the “creepiest” ghost-hunting encounters we found on YouTube.

Related: Top 10 Ghost Towns Inside Or Near Famous Cities

10 Weird Worley

The hospital in Worley opened in 1928 and closed in the ’70s when it ran out of funds. In 2002, a woman named Carol Peet bought it intending to turn the building into a ministry center. She aimed to create a place where vulnerable individuals could learn life skills. For some reason, the project never came to fruition, but Peet spent a lot of time at the building and said she never saw anything strange.

In our video, the new owner, Chelsea, has a different opinion. Her contractor says that there are demons behind the walls. Notice that the investigator sees a shape on his thermal image camera. He calls the shape “a figure,” this is a little misleading as it’s not a figure—it’s simply a shape. Dust in the air, moved by a draft, has high emissivity and can show up on a thermal imager as the shape we see.

The rest of the video does beg some questions. Is anybody there?

9 Meowwww

In our next video, a ghost hunting expert visited the Ancient Ram Inn in Wotton, Gloucestershire, England. The house is spooky enough—in fact, it looks like a movie set for a film about a haunted house.

The investigators swap observations that have no objective value. One of them says that he hears a cat. Probably the best explanation for hearing a cat is that there is a cat. After all, if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.

A serious investigation into the paranormal should have to meet higher standards than what is shown in the video. Unfortunately, many similar videos play on our imagination at the expense of rigorous research.

8 Mom, Are You Here?

Our next haunting has the house owner comforted that his deceased mother is still around and fulfilling her last promise to “always look over him.” After the investigation, the owner is no longer scared and deals with the fact of his mother’s presence calmly and with humor.

Naturally, we should want to believe that our departed loved ones are still with us in some way. But does this sentiment lead us to believe that they certainly are? The sound on the tape is not clear and is very brief. Could it be that the son is hearing what he wants to hear?

7 A Shocking Encounter

Land of mists and long winter nights, Scotland has a long history of paranormal phenomena. With typical good humor, our investigators here are using sophisticated equipment to track down Archie, the ghost.

One of the investigators reports that something (Archie?) touched him on the arm, a touch that he describes as being like an electric shock. Could this be simply a nervous reaction to the spooky surroundings? Or maybe wishful thinking?

Certainly, the building looks like an ideal candidate for a ghost haunting.

6 Hauntings x 3

One of the investigators here makes an interesting observation. He says that a place might be haunted, as we would expect, but also a person might be haunted or an object. You might have, he says, “a creepy teddy bear,” or I instantly think of dolls. Yikes.

The three possibilities have different qualities:

1. The Location: A ghost has a special attachment to a place. Once you leave the place, you leave the ghost behind.
2. The Person: A ghost uses a real person as a vehicle. Interestingly, a location can be haunted by good or bad spirits, but a person is usually haunted only by the bad.
3. The Item: An object must have had special significance for the departed. Though, it’s difficult to imagine how a ghost could haunt an inanimate object.

And how can we really know? Sometimes, people, places, and things are simply… people, places, and things.

5 Flicking Streetlights

In this piece, our guide takes us to a haunted town. One of the first events the guide films is a streetlight that flickers before it returns to normal. To be fair, the narrator immediately says that he doesn’t know whether this was paranormal. Probably not. It was simply a flickering streetlight.

This shows that people can be predisposed to interpret evidence as they wish to. It is a sort of confirmation bias where you give more credence to evidence that supports your view than to evidence that might contradict it. In other words, someone who believes in ghosts will readily believe that a flickering light is evidence of paranormal activity. The city maintenance department would be more likely to consider a faulty connection first.

4 Prisoner Ghosts

Well, if they’re looking for ghosts, any evidence is hidden by the fact that the investigators in this video spend a lot of time spoofing each other. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this, but it can obscure any serious purpose behind their investigation.

The Ohio State Penitentiary defiantly looks the part of hosting ghost hauntings. The word “creepy” often pops up in these videos, and here we find a building that deserves the term. One wonders why this penitentiary hasn’t been converted or demolished.

3 The Willow Weep House

“If it wasn’t evil, it wouldn’t be hurting people,” says the owner of Willows Weep, a house that some say is the most haunted place in America. Whoever built this unassuming house in 1890 constructed it in the shape of an inverted cross. Our narrator, William Shatner, signs off by asking, “Was Willows Weep really built to attract evil spirits?” and asks himself why anyone would want to do this. The answer he offers is that perhaps the idea was to entrap the visiting demons.

The house owner is convinced that there is something inside the place. She points to four suicides and three poisonings that have happened during its history and adds that she and her son had accidents while they were doing some renovation work. Hmm, accidents while renovating. I’ve never heard of that happening. *eye roll*

Without more evidence, we might be tempted to believe that this is a case of having expectations fulfilled. The owner’s comment, “If it wasn’t evil..” presupposes that there is an “it” there.

2 School Is in Session

For this investigation, why the investigative team included four ballerinas is a mystery to me. Their role seemed to be to look decorative and squeal whenever necessary. The rest of the team seems to prep the girls and lead them to expect that this old reformatory school must be haunted.

We’ll leave the ballerinas who don’t seem to add much ghost-hunting expertise alone. But everything else is here. A dark, abandoned place, the word “creepy,” and the essential EMF meter. Why an electro-magnetic field necessarily means that there are ghosts around is a mystery. But these meters seem sufficient for many to believe that paranormal activity exists. (On Amazon, you can buy a meter specifically advertised as a ghost-hunting device.)

The whole atmosphere the narrator creates leads the team to presuppose that there are phantoms in the school. His repetition that nothing is faked is no doubt truthful but irrelevant.

1 Hollywood Hotel Hauntings

I find this one a little difficult to explain away. We will have to assume that the hotel guests are acting in good faith and are not trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

To start, there are scientific explanations of how an ouija board works that rule out the occult (it’s called the ideomotor effect if you want to find out more). But I can’t find an easy explanation for the voice heard in the video. I suppose that even a cynic like myself will have to accept that some things are not easily explained away.

In most of the videos on our list, the viewer can explain most of the phenomena—you just have to watch them with a skeptical frame of mind. Most of these videos lead you to jump to a conclusion and believe what you are expected to believe.

This last video seems a little different; the setting is not “creepy”—it’s a well-lit, modern hotel room in Los Angeles, California. Yet, the history of the Roosevelt Hotel is sinister and full of haunting ghost stories. I’ll just wait for more definitive evidence, I guess.