It's common knowledge that silver bullets kill werewolves, but I got to thinking today just how did our ancestors kill werewolves?

The earliest records of guns come from the 1100's, but it wasn't until the 1300's at least when their use became more common. I'm sure there were werewolves prior to the 1100's and I'm sure that people wanted them dead, but just how did they go about it?

Following the silver bullet train of thought one might suspect that any kind of silver weapon could be used. A silver tipped lance to pierce, a mace made from silver to bludgeon or perhaps a morning star to both bludgeon and puncture? The problem with all of these weapons is they require the user to be in relative close proximity to their target. While a bow and arrow might alleviate this problem, firing accurately at night from a distance could provide trouble. Of course these use of all these weapons hinges on the hypothesis that it is silver alone and not the silver BULLET which is necessary to kill a werewolf.

Unfortunately my knowledge of the occult and ways to terminate demons and the like is quite lacking. If a more educated mind than mine could provide some insight it would be most appreciated.