Patent Application
20170241755
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hunting accessories and, more particularly, to a throwable dart which emits olfactant so as to allow remote scent dispensing from a hidden location.
Description of the Prior Art
The practice of spreading olfactant while hunting game such as deer is well established. A problem which still exists, however, is that if a hunter's own scent is spread in the area where a hunter is attempting to lure a deer, the hunter's scent will general cause a deer to abandon an area immediately despite the olfactant. Thus, there remains a need for a scent emitting dart which would eliminate the need for a user to actually enter a target area in order to disperse olfactant in the target area. It would be helpful if such a scent emitting dart included a fabric fletching which allowed a user to apply a selected olfactant right before use. It would be additionally desirable for such a scent emitting dart to include an elongated body which allows it to be grasped and projected by hand so as to not require additional parts to project it to a desired location.
The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a scent emitting dart adapted to allow a user to project olfactant dispersing material to a remote target location from a hidden position. The primary components in Applicant's scent emitting dart are a tip, a shaft and scent carrying fletching. When in operation, the scent emitting dart enables olfactant to be dispersed in a target location by a user without the user's scent contaminating the target area. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by prior art structures are removed.
A scent emitting dart for dispersing an olfactant in the target area without having to physically enter the target area. The scent emitting dart comprises an elongated, textured shaft member that has a proximal end and a distal end, a tip member which includes a weighted portion and a tip portion integral with the distal end, and a scent carrying fletching integral having a plurality of absorbent vanes adjacent to the proximal end. The absorbent vanes both extend outwardly from the circumference of the shaft member to provide aerodynamic stabilization and also extend behind the shaft member to both increase the olfactant absorption capacity of the fletching and provide an accessible point of concentration for applied olfactant. In this regard, as the olfactant is emitted from the fletching, a hunted animal can be drawn thereto.
It is an object of this invention to provide a scent emitting dart which would eliminate the need for a user to actually enter a target area in order to disperse olfactant in the target area.
It is another object of this invention to provide a scent emitting dart which includes a fabric fletching which allowed a user to apply a selected olfactant right before use.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a scent emitting dart which includes an elongated body which allows it to be grasped and projected by hand so as to not require additional parts to project it to a desired location.
These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular
The tip member 12 includes a weighted portion 15 and a tip portion 16. The weighted portion 15, is constructed of a relatively dense metal, such as silver-nickel or a tungsten alloy (between 80 and 95 percent tungsten, to decrease the brittle nature of the tungsten). It is contemplated that distal end is permanently attached to the weighted portion 15. The tip portion 16 defines a tapering member with a pointed end and, in the preferred embodiment, is constructed of steel.
In the preferred embodiment, the fletching 13 includes four (4) vanes which extend from the shaft member 11 at various locations around its perimeter and extend beyond the proximal end of the shaft member 11 to connect with one another behind the shaft member 11. The defines fletching 13 is constructed of a fabric material which can absorb a liquid containing an olfactant. In the preferred embodiment, the fletching 13 is constructed of felt.
In use, a user can spray the fletching 13 with an liquid olfactant and then throw the scent emitting dart 10 towards a target area. Ideally, the tip member 12 of the scent emitting dart 10 will contact and stick into a ground surface, with the fletching 13 sticking up from the ground surface. From this position, the olfactant emits from the fletching 13 so as to attract the animal being hunted. Accordingly, a user can disperse the olfactant in the target area by merely throwing a scent emitting dart 10 which has been sprayed with such an olfactant into the vicinity—without having to physically enter the target area.
In the preferred embodiment, the scent emitting dart 10 measures five (5) inches.
In one embodiment, the shaft member 11 defines an elongated flexible body as opposed to a rigid dowel.
The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
