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Message started by LukeWebb on Apr 6th, 2010 at 9:50pm

Title: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by LukeWebb on Apr 6th, 2010 at 9:50pm
Hey, I have scoured the entire info for any videos of sling hunting and can't find a thing.  I was wondering if any of you slingers have any video or pictures of sling hunting.  I am new to slinging and would love to try for some rabbits, squirrels and birds with them.  I am just curious as to what kind of damage they will do and how efficient the kill will be, (squirrels and little buggers, I have shot them clean in the skull with a .22 wadcutter 495fps. pellet gun and still had them squirm back into their dens.)  I am not a big hunter but do enjoy it from time to time and it makes for some good exercise as well as a tasty meal! Not accurate enough yet for it, but I am curious to see what kind of effect it would have and what ammo works best.  Right now I am collecting egg to marble sized flint nodules to hunt with and making up clay shot.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Et Cetera on Apr 6th, 2010 at 10:05pm
You'll want consistent ammo for accuracy I've heard. I'm too lazy to do that, and that's probably why I'm not super accurate. A decent sized rock (around golf ball sized) should easily kill a squirrel. As long as you hit it hard enough it should die.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Masiakasaurus on Apr 6th, 2010 at 11:24pm
An early member from before I joined claimed to have obliterated a rabbit with a lead sinker. Another member made a target of 2 foam gun targets back to back, and he threw a sinker through both of them and knocked a fist sized chunk out of a cinder block wall and some drywall if I remember correctly which makes the disappearing bunny seem plausible.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Masiakasaurus on Apr 6th, 2010 at 11:32pm
Our first sling hunting thread: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1060288276/0#0
The Rabbit Story: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1095082537/14#14

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Rat Man on Apr 7th, 2010 at 12:03am
Probably most of us sling with enough power to kill small game.  The problem is achieving the level of proficiency necessary to insure a good, clean kill.  Very few of us if any have the necessary skill to hit a squirrel sized target with any sort of consistency, let alone hit one with a clean shot.  I wouldn't want to go off maiming animals so I don't hunt with my sling.  Plus it's not legal in my state, and might not be anywhere in the U.S.  I've looked into what it would take in my state, New Jersey, to get the sling approved as a hunting weapon, and it just aint happenin'.   I would like to, some day, be good enough to hunt with a sling just in case I ever have to, but I have a long way to go.  I hate to throw a wet blanket on this.  The idea of hunting with a sling is exciting but the realities are another matter.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Masiakasaurus on Apr 7th, 2010 at 12:40am
In Alabama, the sling is legal for all non-migratory game birds except Turkey. It is also legal for varmints and small game animals that are not a raccoon, opossum, fox, coyote, or feral pig.

What does that leave? Mourning Doves, Nutria, Rabbits, and the like.

The sling is legal by non-exclusion. The only prohibited weapons are centerfire ammo guns, rimfire ammo guns larger than .22, shotguns above 10 gauge, shot larger than No. 4, and scoped pistols. Even blow darts are specifically mentioned as legal, as well as the sling shot which has an ambiguous definition in Alabama law. Have at, but tread carefully.

I do not have the accuracy to hunt, so I have not tried. You'd be better off not hunting either, at least for the immediate future.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by LukeWebb on Apr 7th, 2010 at 2:00am
 Oh no, I wouldn't go hurling stones at animals till I was good enough to do it, I would think that will be a while yet.  And when I do I won't go out after anything much, just stuff the local game warden wouldn't really mind seeing disappear anyway, like red squirrels.  I can get really close to red squirrels, close enough to hit them with a stick if I wanted to.  I don't think it would matter much where I hit one if I hit it hard with a golf ball sized slingstone.  But that's all in the future, right now I'm just shooting targets.  Tomorrow that water jug DIES!!

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Et Cetera on Apr 7th, 2010 at 7:19am
I would think that a good sized rock would stun an animal wherever you hit it, letting you get closer and club it or something. Would a shot in the head be necessary?

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Jaegoor on Apr 7th, 2010 at 7:28am
The meeting becomes one shoots with Schroot.

A handful of pebbles is enough for birds (crows)
Hares and squirrels. They die by shock.

In Kazakhstan I shot a small roe deer with 200gr stone at approx. 30 m. It was dead immediately.
I traff it in the neck.
The shot broke the backbone.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by paleoarts on Apr 7th, 2010 at 10:04am
as a long time sling hunter, i can tell you this. number one...use larger ammo. use stones, not clay, the size and shape of jumbo eggs. clay doesn't have the density to insure a clean kill that stones do. number two...against small prey such as rabbits, squirells, doves, quail, etc, the sling is a devastating weapon that almost always kills cleanly, or at the very least, stuns and wounds enough to enable retrieval. imagine that you are shot with a rifle. unless it's a head or heart shot, you might very well survive long enough to escape, right? now imagine you are hit by a basketball sized boulder traveling at 100 miles per hour. you're down, no question. the impact shock of sling stones on small game is very effective and has the added benefit of not ruining the pelt.  so, it comes down to this..against small game the sling either misses completely (what usually happens) and the animal gets away, or you hit it and take it home. of the many animals i've hunted with mine i think only one or two ever got hit and escaped.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by LukeWebb on Apr 7th, 2010 at 11:12am
 I read an article on paleoplanet a while back about a shotgun sling, made using half a gord.  She said it was used primarily for birds and you would just throw a handful of small pebbles from it.  Does anyone know anymore about these and how effective they are?  It would be great for squirrels to have something like this as it would really improve your chances of a hit.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by xxkid123 on Apr 7th, 2010 at 3:30pm
there was some Gatorade bottle sling as well. the bottom was cut off, with a leather flap over it. the flap was kept in the way of the stones coming out by the release cords. it would work, and i'd think it would be much cheaper than a nice gourd (even thought they're pebbles, the total will weigh maybe more than what your used to).

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by walter on Apr 7th, 2010 at 3:34pm
No abo weapon beats a light bow for small game. Slingshots are (my op) second best. I also practice slinging. I wouldn't hunt small game with one, but for larger animals a sling would be practical. It's why many members always warn newbies to be careful. An accident could cause serious injury or even death.

walter

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by timann on Apr 7th, 2010 at 3:55pm
The Apache sling article describes hunting animals, including deer, with sling.  It is suggested to bring a knife and a first aid kit, and be within 35 meters distance of your supposed dinner.
If the stone just stun the animal kill it with the knife.  Fast.

BTW I once read an Danish deer hunting instruction/manual from 18??(I read it in a book from the 1870s, but it was obviously older).  It was then done at close range from hiding, with an single shot muzzle loader loaded with buckshot.  It was apparent that the shot often did not kill the dear, and the hunter usually had to step forth and cut the throat, stab the heart, or sometimes hamstring the deer to stop it from running.  If all this failed it was time to bring out the dog to follow the blood trail.
This would not be that different from a sling hunters task.

I suppose I`ll be good enough to hunt with a sling after the world as we know it has ended, and it will be an issue for me.
timann


Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by slingingrat on Apr 7th, 2010 at 5:39pm
I offten go out small game chasing[sp?] as i call it and do this first by geting alot of good rocks to take with u as u will need to use them fast and may not have time to pick they up as u need them then go find a rabbit or squirrle to hunt sling a rock at it remmber u are not trying to kill it u want to miss but still be close so the game runs most fo the time the game will only run 10 or 20ft and stop and u can do it agian if it runs behind a tree or something sling a rock past the game so it lands 30ft or so behind him since the sling makes no nosie the game will run from the landing stone most of the time right at u this makes for a fun time at least for me since i like the hunt more then the kill plus this way i can hunt the same game tomarrow ........ please note that in doing this u may kill the game this has at least for me always been a fast death for the game and please if u do kill the game eat it do not wate it if u dont eat it dont hunt it ;) ;D  

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Aussie on Apr 7th, 2010 at 6:58pm
This thread seems to have started some lively discussion so I have added the link to the FAQ as previous threads are quite old.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by lpcenter52 on Apr 10th, 2010 at 11:41pm
not really hunting but i watched a show where an "modern day" Aztec threw a clay round bullet though a human skull...pretty powerful :o

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by WOODSLORE on Apr 12th, 2010 at 9:21am
I hit a squirel off a tree last year while fishing......he was disturbin the hatch ;) ;D He got right back up and ran away so hes alright

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Rat Man on Apr 12th, 2010 at 11:01am
If I had to hunt with a sling right now to put food on the table in an emergency situation I'd go down to the lake.  I that we're a coastal state here in New Jersey we always have lots of geese and ducks.  Though not considered to be very "sporting" I think that a sling could be best used shooting at flocks resting on the water.  Again, this is an emergency situation.  If you were handy with such a shot you could fire at them underhanded and even if your shot was a bit sort there should be enough power in the second or even third bounce to take out a duck of goose.  I have hunted ducks and geese with a 12 gauge shotgun before and I know how sturdy especially geese are.  Though I'm not mrboss, my shots are powerful and I'm sure that with a good hit I could knock a goose into next Thursday.  
  My second choice would be another very non-sporting way to hunt.  I'd wait until dusk and blast away at a squirrel's nest.  Though it would probably take me a few shots to hit one, the squirrels would stay put in the nest, believing that they are safe.  For this type of food gathering I'd use a longer sling for more power and a larger projectile, like around half the size of my fist, to negate any protection their nest might offer them.  
  I've got a long way to go before I'll be accurate enough to go into the woods and really hunt with a sling.  With that in mind, the sling could still be a useful tool for gathering food in some not so sporting ways.  Btw, in my state hunting with a sling, shooting water foul at rest on the water, and shooting squirrels in their nests are all illegal.  

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by lone-stone on Apr 14th, 2010 at 7:12am
Hi, I think whatever we do it should be done with consideration for the prey..... To make the kill as quick and accurate as possible.
So stick to bigger pebbles which will be easier to gain accuracey with and are hard and dense. Concerning clay though,,,I would dry them over a few days the high fire them-in a pit fire. this is quite easy when you keep it simple. But still These may not be hard enough.? But volcanic rocks,,granite pebbles and quartz, flinty ones Etc (though not as dense is harder than steel...just more brittle)
       Practice,and dont give up..And have faith that You will become a master shot!!

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by Rat Man on Apr 14th, 2010 at 12:12pm
Welcome, lone-star, and good post.  As far as stones go, I personally like slinging basalt.  It's very dense, usually round or oval shape, and packs a wallop.

Title: Re: SLING HUNTING INFO?
Post by lone-stone on Apr 15th, 2010 at 10:00am

Rat Man wrote on Apr 14th, 2010 at 12:12pm:
Welcome, lone-star, and good post.  As far as stones go, I personally like slinging basalt.  It's very dense, usually round or oval shape, and packs a wallop.

 Thats Great,,,Basalt is a brill material,(Ive made one or two Axes with it) I built stone walls for years,and my steel hammer could not break it, without danger!!
 There are Many Basalt Deposits around Buxton Derbyshire...A massive hole used for tarmac!! what a waste! I can find it in 5mins.
I could probably shape it too,as I understand the fracture etc,,,almost!
Ive also noticed the weight,,,,I think its very dense- being lava type.  
I'm going to have to go and experiment now..Thanks "Rat-man"
I'l let You know the details,If I dont knock myself out with it!

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