I have enjoyed shotting bare bow since I was 12 years old, and throwing hunting boomerangs for about 8 years now, so have experience and love of both sports. An overview I can think of off hand for use as a hunting tool. As a weapon in battle the boomerang is inferior to the bow and arrows. But as a hunting tool things are different. Bow Advantages: Deployed well from cover Deployed in heavy brush. Accurate on stationary targets Penetrates flesh, allowing for take down of large game Bow Disadvantages: Relatively short lethal hunting range (only about 30 meters max in most cases) Arrows difficult to match spine and weight to achieve consistent accuracy, and very fragile and easy to lose. High level of accuracy needed to kill instead of maim game. Bow and arrows are not multi-tools, having only one purpose. Arrows can only take out one target at a time so not good against groups of animals. Wounded game can escape and die while they bleed out. Wet weather can make bow non-functional depending on string material. Boomerang Advantages: Deployed from long ranges (60-100 meters hunting ranges possible) Weapon readily available/deployed rapidly on targets one wouldn't even try to engage with a bow. Good against running targets. Good against groups of animals and capable of capturing multiple targets in a single throw. A multi-tool useful for many other purposes in the field besides hunting and thus carried in hand constantly. Breaks bones, often stopping game from escaping or killing more instantly than an arrow. Boomerang Disadvantages: Accuracy depends on finesse of thrower and is more difficult to maintain than with a bow. Not as reliably accurate or lethal on single stationary targets shot from cover as a bow. Not deployed from cover very easily. Gets caught up in heavy brush, limiting use in some terrains. Deployment at close range can startle game due to thrower's movements. Does not penetrate flesh and larger game must be taken through breaking the leg with the boomerang. These are an overview of my thoughts on this question. Early man prepared his hunting grounds and matched the grounds, the game, the tactics and the weapons to be most effective.