Hirtius
Senior Member
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Slinging Rocks!
Posts: 272
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Mersa: How do you have issues with hunting with the sling if you haven’t seriously committed to it? We already know it’s possible and effective.
And as for negative attention, do firearms and bows get negative attention from hunting? Maybe a little, but at least in the United States it’s not much of an issue as far as I’ve ever heard. The negative press is from when they are used against people. There is the exception of spear hunting, but that was due to some really bad PR incidents. Since this is such a big issue, I’m confident that the slinging community can be more respectful. By removing the sling from a context that would prove itself legitimate to the general public, you’re arguing for keeping it obscure to not rock the boat. Frankly, we’ll still likely be overlooked, but we’d probably get a little more respect and interest.
Joe: I’m not saying a podcast shouldn’t be done without picture or video evidence, but don’t you find it a little weird that there is absolutely zero pictures of any animal hunted with a sling? You might not find that weird, but I do. You know there’s video out there of bolas being used in a hunt? Of throwing sticks? Both relatively recent. We might make all these claims and speculation, but we would be taken more seriously if we had some solid proof. I know some people don’t really care about that, but it would make a big difference to those unfamiliar with the sling and some doubters who have been using it for years.
And sure, the podcast may be a discussion of concept. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it is clearly lacking without proof of concept. The entire debate around the ethics of sling hunting is almost completely speculative, and it could be completely wrong. What I mean by this is that even within the slinging community that think that slings will leave a bunch of wounded rabbits outrunning around suffering, while others point to an account where a rabbit got exploded. We don’t have good documentation, just speculation and stories. By the way, sword enthusiasts do everything they are really allowed to do to better understand how they were used. That’s why people have done cutting tests, sparring, etc. You have armchair sword experts, but I’d trust more active methods. We have a context we can use the sling in that you can’t do with swords. I think we’ll get a much better understanding if we do it.
J: I think you have a classic case of needing to “get good”. That’s not meant to offend, I’m pretty sure most of us here suck. It just means you need to work at it more. People around the world were able to do it, so it’s definitely possible. And if you’re bringing in survival, a completely different topic, what if you don’t have a bow? Slings (and atlatls) are both much harder to use than bows, but from what we know (completely different different topic) they are both older than bows. People survived with them, it’s certainly possible. While you at the present moment might not be good enough for that (I don’t know why you would be trying to survive off it anyways), but you of the future could be.
In my personal experience, I’ve improved many times over since I started focusing on accuracy to hunt. I could probably do it with a lot of time in and a little luck, but I’m far from anything resembling competent. That’s why I will keep working at it. I know it’s possible, I just have to work at it a lot more. As for the stealth, I’ve had similar issues. However, animals I’ve been around get more startled by my lack of stealth skills than the motion and crack of the sling (don’t worry, I haven’t actually tried to kill anything). I still have a lot to learn.
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