Fractures and wear patterns on the points were then magnified under the lens of a microscope, making it clear they were too short and heavy to be used as blowgun darts.

They range from filling a balloon with liquid nitrogen to making a laser-assisted blowgun.

One evening in late May, Olvera picked me up in a beat-up Dacia Logan station wagon with a blowgun in the back and enough drugs to knock out a charging elephant.

They stunned them with blowguns, removed feathers, and let them go.

He now hunted with a rifle instead of a blowgun, heading into the forest most days in search of game to sell.