Slinging.org Forum - Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly

Captain_Twine

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Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Aug 24^th, 2020 at 12:44pm

I don't know how it happened, and I don't know if I'll ever manage it again, but this was a moment too epic to not document.

A while back, on a whim, I made myself a basic tree fork slingshot (see photo.) I played around with it a bit, but besides knocking some trees between using my regular sling on practice trips, I hadn't done too much with it. But today, on yet another whim, I decided to pit my slingshot against that fell invader, the tree-destroying Spotted Lanternfly. So, I walked out my front door, and after a minute of searching, I saw one, perched in perfect obliviousness on my fence. So I pulled out my slingshot, and POW! I hit it, and it went flying behind some shrubs! (I tracked it down and destroyed it more thoroughly, to make sure it wasn't just injured - They're pretty hardy bugs.) I tried again and again to hit another, but I couldn't manage it. I figure my success was a fluke, but I'm still ecstatic that my slingshot got to see some action. Grin

I'll probably get more chances to try again as autumn approaches. To borrow a phrase from Thorin Oakenshield, May it soon cleave goblins... Er, Spotted Lanternflies once again!

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slingshot_002.jpg (142 KB | 49 )

“For as this ought, or ought not, expresses some new relation or affirmation, 'tis necessary that it should be observed and explained; and... a reason should be given, for what seems altogether inconceivable, how this new relation can be a deduction from others, which are entirely different from it. ..[V]ice and virtue is not founded merely on the relations of objects, nor is perceived by reason.”

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Kick

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Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Reply #1 - Aug 25^th, 2020 at 3:10am

It's all about the mindgames with aiming. You probably were seriously expecting to hit it the first time but as soon as you knew it was possible your mind consciously tried to aim instead of aiming instinctively. I've made similar difficult shots and it's always when I fully expect to miss and so don't put any thought into it.

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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923

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Captain_Twine

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Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Reply #2 - Aug 25^th, 2020 at 5:03pm

That's very possible - I managed to hit one or two more in the span of around 30 tries, and another today, but not as solidly as that first one. I wonder if it'd be possible to teach someone to consistently aim without thinking, to maximize that mysterious "feeling..." Or maybe just thinking about not thinking about aiming is the same problem, I dunno! Ha ha.

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“For as this ought, or ought not, expresses some new relation or affirmation, 'tis necessary that it should be observed and explained; and... a reason should be given, for what seems altogether inconceivable, how this new relation can be a deduction from others, which are entirely different from it. ..[V]ice and virtue is not founded merely on the relations of objects, nor is perceived by reason.”

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IronGoober Interfector Viris Spurii Offline ...and now, No. 1, the larch... Posts: 1601 California Gender:	Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly Reply #3 - Aug 25^th, 2020 at 7:26pm Just in case you haven't seen it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieWrWLjii0
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Captain_Twine

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Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Reply #4 - Aug 25^th, 2020 at 9:16pm

IronGoober wrote on Aug 25^th, 2020 at 7:26pm:

Just in case you haven't seen it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieWrWLjii0

Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Man, that just goes to show ya, there's always someone better lol. That's just incredible.

I guess that tells me whether my idea about aiming without thinking was possible.

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“For as this ought, or ought not, expresses some new relation or affirmation, 'tis necessary that it should be observed and explained; and... a reason should be given, for what seems altogether inconceivable, how this new relation can be a deduction from others, which are entirely different from it. ..[V]ice and virtue is not founded merely on the relations of objects, nor is perceived by reason.”

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ghost0311-8541 Senior Member Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 392 Florida Gender:	Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly Reply #5 - Aug 25^th, 2020 at 10:47pm https://youtu.be/P3gK1dxH-ko Here you go.
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Captain_Twine

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Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Reply #6 - Aug 26^th, 2020 at 12:03pm

That's crazy. I wish I had a slingshot and that kind of skill when I was a kid, when carpenter bees would come out and eat our front porch every summer. Shocked

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“For as this ought, or ought not, expresses some new relation or affirmation, 'tis necessary that it should be observed and explained; and... a reason should be given, for what seems altogether inconceivable, how this new relation can be a deduction from others, which are entirely different from it. ..[V]ice and virtue is not founded merely on the relations of objects, nor is perceived by reason.”

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ghost0311-8541 Senior Member Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 392 Florida Gender:	Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly Reply #7 - Aug 26^th, 2020 at 3:15pm https://youtu.be/6MBhEETlY78
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Rat Man Slinging.org Administrator Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 13678 New Jersey, USA Gender:	Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly Reply #8 - Aug 29^th, 2020 at 1:50pm Your story doesn't surprise me, CT. The slingshot is a very accurate weapon. If I had to choose between a slingshot or sling as a survival tool the slingshot wins. I'd rather eat small critters than miss big ones.
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Captain_Twine

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Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Reply #9 - Aug 30^th, 2020 at 1:15pm

That's what I'm finding out very quickly! I wish I could hit things with the sling just as easily sometimes! Roll Eyes

I wouldn't eat a spotted lanternfly if my life depended on it, though, ha ha.

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Lanternfly_Smores.png (97 KB | 55 )

“For as this ought, or ought not, expresses some new relation or affirmation, 'tis necessary that it should be observed and explained; and... a reason should be given, for what seems altogether inconceivable, how this new relation can be a deduction from others, which are entirely different from it. ..[V]ice and virtue is not founded merely on the relations of objects, nor is perceived by reason.”

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Rat Man

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Re: Slingshot vs. Spotted Lanternfly
Reply #10 - Aug 30^th, 2020 at 1:36pm

Captain_Twine wrote on Aug 30^th, 2020 at 1:15pm:

That's what I'm finding out very quickly! I wish I could hit things with the sling just as easily sometimes! Roll Eyes

I wouldn't eat a spotted lanternfly if my life depended on it, though, ha ha.

They don't look appetizing at all and usually bugs that are colored so brightly are poisonous. Spotted Lanternflies are very far down on my list of emergency foods.

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