Time to file your ax return

Story & photos by Gretchen Ammerman

Oregon Coast TODAY

Is there anything more Oregonian than the rapidly growing sport of ax throwing? Sure, you can try it in hipster bars in Brooklyn, or do it next to sommeliers in San Francisco, but browse a few photos on the websites of those businesses and something will immediately stand out — the decor just screams Pacific Northwest.

So, it’s only natural that Scout Northwest Trading Company, a store that had axes on its logo well before the rise in popularity of this sharp-edged sport, would put up a cool set of targets and throwing cages in their flagship store at the Lincoln City Outlets, where you can throw hatchets or axes, as the muse dictates.

“It looked like fun and we had the space so we thought, ‘Why not?’” said Gitl Black, who owns the business with her husband, Jerome. “It took me a little practice to get good at it and there are still some days the axes just bounce off the walls. But the other days when I’m throwing well and landing throws, I find that it’s oddly satisfying.”

Jerome, who also coaches new throwers on request, says it helps him clear his head when he’s working on the numerous other ventures the couple have going on, including beard wax making, screen and laser printing and coffee roasting.

“I wouldn’t say I do it so much as a stress reliever,” he said. “But sometimes if I’m having trouble focusing I come throw a few axes and it really helps clear my head.”

Lucas Donart from McMinnville wandered into Scout not knowing about the sharp new addition to the store, and quickly signed up to try his hand at hitting an innocent object with deadly force.

“I’ve never tried ax throwing,” he said. “My friends and I used to throw knives at targets in the backyard when we were kids, but that’s about it. But I thought it looked cool and was excited to find a place to give it a try.”

He chose to do the 10 throws option, but turned out to be a natural, hitting a bullseye in his first few throws.

“That was awesome,” he said. “Even better than I expected.”

I took my turn, and sure enough, it went a little something like this: bounce, bounce, stick. Yup, oddly satisfying indeed.

Ax throwing has had a sudden rise in popularity in the past few years, with a particular appeal to “city folk.” Ax throwing cages not only began showing up in bars, but there are even businesses solely dedicated to it, like Bad Ax Throwing in San Francisco and Kick Axe Throwing in New York. And because rules must be made, the World Axe Throwing League was formed in 2017.

While doing research for this story, I actually came across this sentence in a recent New York Times article: “The American ax fetish is everywhere.”

Ax fetish?

In the same article, there was the oddly disturbing fact that there even exists a thing called an “artisan axe.” This speaks, apparently to the times we are in, where people are starting to relearn the joy of doing things for themselves, or at least want to look like they are. Things like gardening, bread baking and yes, chopping firewood.

Which brings me back to my point about the sport having Oregon all over it. We’re a state of people who generally pride ourselves on self-reliance, and you can’t walk through the property of many Oregonians without tripping over at least one ax. But unless you are in Portland, you can bet your booty it won’t be “artisanal.”

Scout Northwest Trading Company is located in the northwest corner of the Lincoln City Outlets, 1500 SE Devils Lake Road. For more information, go to https://scoutnorthwest.com or call 541-418-5305.