HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission on Tuesday signaled its support for allowing hunters to stalk deer with a primitive spearlike weapon known as the atlatl.

The unanimous, preliminary vote came against the recommendation of the commission's staff, which said the weapons were not consistently lethal enough to be humane. A final vote is expected in April.

At least one other state already allows deer hunting with the atlatl, which even proponents say is unlikely to result in large numbers of deer being killed because it can be difficult to master.

The atlatl employs a wooden piece or "throwing board" to provides leverage that propels darts at speeds users say can reach 80 mph. Prehistoric atlatls have a distinctive counterweight feature called a winged banner stone and its use goes back as far as 12,000 years in North America and far longer in Europe.

Game commissioner Steve Mohr insisted that the atlatl is a legitimate and lethal weapon.

"People associate it with something prehistoric," Mohr said during a break in the commission's meeting. "It may have come about a long time ago, but so did our bow, and the bow is today an accepted means of hunting all over the world."

A representative of the Humane Society of the United States, Heidi Prescott, contended that the atlatl is more likely to deliver a painful and inhumane death.

"The staff of the Pennsylvania Game Commission was intelligent enough to take a stand against this and the commissioners are siding with our troglodyte ancestors," Prescott said. "I mean, this is a weapon that was rightfully left in the stone ages."

Tuesday's vote triggers a legal review by the Attorney General's Office, and the tentatively approved rule also will be advertised for public comment. Mohr said the measure is strongly supported by the commissioners and will probably get final approval in April.

Mohr on Tuesday asked the commission's staff to examine whether the atlatl should be permitted for use in hunting all game species, except during the archery deer season. The Game Commission rule would permits darts 5 to 8 feet long.

Wes Waldron, a member of the board of the 4,000-member United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania, said he has used an atlatl for more than 10 years but does not consider himself proficient enough to hunt with it. The bowhunters' group supports atlatl hunting.

"There are probably going to be very few of our members who are going to utilize it. I can only think of four," Waldron said.

Ed Wentzler, who produces and sells reproduction atlatls from his Lycoming County business, Lost Arts, said he won't try to hunt with it until his skills improve.

"The learning curve is so extreme," he said. "I won't go into the field until I know I'm ready. There is an ethical obligation."

There is evidence that atlatls were used more than 8,000 years ago in Pennsylvania, a state archaeologist has said.