I read on a few threads here that the sling was used everyday as a multi use tool in history. I can think of shepards using it to scare away predators and soldiers using it as a weapon but what other uses for it were used?

could see it used for knocking down beehives maybe? Scaring away birds from flocks, knocking coconuts out of a tree. I'm spit ballin here. This could all be nonsense. Hard core tag. You name it.

Use mine when we harvest pinyon seeds. The cones begin to dry out late august and are dry enough for the seeds to fall out if you hit a cluster with a tball all through september. This is the first year we didn't go.
Flu flus work good too, but sometimes get hung up in a tree :(

When you’re driving a Vietnam-era armored personnel carrier and have no place to put your coffee...

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    Good one,  NOC. A sling would also be useful for knocking squirrels out of their nests.  I've never done this but in an survival situation I wouldn't hesitate.  Also it would be useful for hunting a flock of sitting waterfowl.  Knocking apples or other fruit out of trees could be another use.

I know a few people who use slings for belts

Bayeaux tapestry showing a slinger scaring birds Maybe away from crops?

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A  herder would use it to direct the flock - herding dogs are a very recent innovation.
They would also use it to hunt their dinner and defend the flock.
So a multi-use tool.

In mexico it's used as a bird scarer and also to hunt them for food.

In the uk, mainly used for throwing tennis balls for dogs. :-)

I've often used mine as a dog lead, when I've either forgotten to throw one in the car or found a stray dog.

My friend Puchi, grew up in tibet on the family 'farm'. She used her sling to herd the yaks. She also uses the longest sling for target shooting I've yet seen. And a singular technique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGmnXHQxi0E
That is her target sling.

Curious Aardvark wrote on Oct 16^th, 2019 at 6:36am:

My friend Puchi, grew up in tibet on the family 'farm'. She used her sling to herd the yaks. She also uses the longest sling for target shooting I've yet seen. And a singular technique.

I talk about it every time it's mentioned but seeing that video was a revelation. If you have a long sling this is THE best way to get it moving and into a throw.

    I have also used slings as emergency dog leashes for lost dogs I've come across while walking my pack.  And yes, vetryan, a sling can also serve as a makeshift belt.

That's a really cool video

For fun !
Walking in the fields, on the beach, and throwing.

Curious Aardvark wrote on Oct 16^th, 2019 at 6:36am:

My friend Puchi, grew up in tibet on the family 'farm'. She used her sling to herd the yaks. She also uses the longest sling for target shooting I've yet seen. And a singular technique.

Looks like the Polynesian slinging technique for long slings.

My sons take their slings when they walk to the shop or anywhere. We have a big dog problem here. The boys don't take stones, but the crack sends the dogs packing.

Unsure if that is because I've hit a lot of dogs and they now associate the sound with a lot of pain or whether the crack scares them anyway.

The crack from the right sling is no joke!  I have been able to cut plant stems in half with a well-tapered sling just like you can with a bullwhip.

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Nov 14^th, 2020 at 9:45pm:

The crack from the right sling is no joke!

Yes I reckon that's possible, never tried it. But we don't let the dogs that close, they try and surround people and they will bite.

I’ve gotten a bit of use out of mine in everyday life...

Something to fiddle with while watching TV
Hold both ends and use it to hook over remote when it’s out of reach
Tie up things like gates etc
Conversation starter

You can see from the Bayeux tapestry that the sling is used to drive off birds during sowing (specifically, the clods are being harrowed, followed by sowing, followed by ploughing the seed in)

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