Related PSA: if you go out on a Hunter quest to shoot an arrow into a specific animal, make sure your character draws a bow, because despite the fact that the spear is "thrown" this ranged attack mode is also used through "shoot" action.
r0ck4ev3r wrote:Hot key your bow/spear/axe then press the selected hot key before you shoot?
(The ranged weapon you're currently holding should be prioritized. To be perfectly safe, do not carry Boar Spear when doing "put an arrow in X" -quests, or move it to your inventory when you found the specific animal.)