black widow slingshot

[leon-b]

hi i am more than likely going to buy the black widow slingshot and will use it for hunting small game
what is the biggest or hardest to kill animal you have bagged with this slingshot?
do you think the slingshot is any good for a first time hunter?
if not what is the best and most powerfull slingshot i should buy for hunting?
leon

 

[scruff]

Hi leon-b

I've bagged a pigeon in flight with a slingshot before. I seem to remember there was a puff feathers as the bird dropped.

Why not have a look here though http://www.slinging.org/

I'm sure it sould be far more beneficial for your bushcrafting skills, especially if you use your own natrual cordage??

I seem to remember someone doing a sling tutorial on here also....will try and find it.

Tada!: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=9087&highlight=slings

Also check here for some more info on catapults:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=5563&highlight=slingshot
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=804&highlight=slingshot

 

[leon-b]

thanks
leon

 

[rapidboy]

I don't consider a sling or sling shot to be a suitable weapon for hunting.
I'm not saying that it's not possible to hunt with them but they are hard to master and require a lot of practise and skill to use them effectively.
You owe it to your quarry to kill it quickly and in as humane a way as possible,
Buy an air rifle if you want to kill small game.

 

[leon-b]

i would get an air rifle but i am not allowed
i asked my parents if i could get an air pistol but they said no aswell
the only thing i am allowed is a slingshot so i am buying one of those, its so unfair isnt it
leon

 

[Ogri the trog]

Leon,
No matter what you end up buying, you'll still need landowners permission to "take" vermin (in the case of rabbits or pidgeon). I won't even mention game laws for larger prey which are much more tightly controlled.
As RB said, you owe your prey the swiftest end you can, if you can't own an air-r*fle yet, ask around your area for someone who has permission to shoot and go out with them for a few nights - you'll soon see that there is a lot more to it than first meets the eye.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[leon-b]

yes i followed the link scruff gave me and read all about game laws, my uncle owns nearly half of a village called waldringfield it is mostly all fields and hedgerows and i will probably use this land, i will be hunting rabbit, pidgeon, hares, squirells and other edible game, i realise that it is my duty to give the prey the fasted death possible and this is why i will practice alot in my garden, i think i will have to get a few sets of bands. does anyone know how long the bands will last if i practice near enough every day

leon

 

[anthonyyy]

In my opinon you shouldent use any weapon unless you have a 99% chance of getting a clean kill. Unless your in a survival situation, of course.
That dosent mean you cant have fun using a catapult for target practice.

Why dont you try nature photography?

 

[leon-b]

i like hunting and fishing but i am not going to hunt untill i have practiced loads and that i am sure i will hit the animal in the kill zone and give it a nice clean death
leon

 

[anthonyyy]

i like hunting and fishing but i am not going to hunt untill i have practiced loads and that i am sure i will hit the animal in the kill zone and give it a nice clean death
leon

fair enough.

we old people do nag don't we!

 

[leon-b]

no i think its good that you tell us younguns if you dont tell us we wont learn will we
leon

 

[wiggles]

dont get hares mate,they are too nice to kill i think,they are magical creatures.i have been holding my gun with a hare 20 feet away and haven't shot it because they are too beautiful to shoot.stick to rabbits.

wiggles

 

[leon-b]

hares are beautifall creatures arent they
leon

 

[Martyn]

i like hunting and fishing but i am not going to hunt untill i have practiced loads and that i am sure i will hit the animal in the kill zone and give it a nice clean death
leon

I think one of the problems with a slingshot, is that even if you practice loads, your chances of getting a flyer (an unexpected shot that goes off target) are too high to make the weapons suitable for hunting under normal circumstances. Too many things can go wrong.

Try this, if you can get 995 shots out of 1000 inside a 50p target from 15 yards, then the weapon is probably good enough to use to kill an animal. But I think anyones chances of ever achieveing that level of reliability from a slingshot are extremely remote.

People do hunt with them, of course, and if you are starving, then all the rules and ethics go out the window. But if you dont have to, then maybe consider more humane alternatives.

It's not pleasant to watch an animal die an ugly and prolonged death, though I doubt you'd actually get to see it. A rabbit for example, would go underground and die an agonising death out of site and away from your ability to put it out of it's misery.

Bow hunting is illegal in the UK for similar reasons, though ironically, you probably stand a better chance of achieveing a reliable kill with a bow than you would with a slingshot.

If I were you, I'd practice with a slingshot against non-living targets and wait till you are old enough to buy an air rifle before you go hunting ...or find an older person willing to go hunting with you, teach you and take responsibility for the gun.

Just something to consider.

 

[Snufkin]

dont get hares mate,they are too nice to kill i think,they are magical creatures.i have been holding my gun with a hare 20 feet away and haven't shot it because they are too beautiful to shoot.stick to rabbits.

wiggles

Couldn't agree more. My favourite animal.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Taken a rabbit with catty before, and a few rats, but im soooo out of pratice now tho....

Must pratice again

 

[Hawk Hawkins]

Ive gotten considerable striking force shooting half inch lead balls...enough to kill a squirrel or rabbit, but (theres always one of those) I have never had confidence in using one to take wild game. I would think the cleanest and most humane harvest would be a head shot with one of these... and take into consideration how small a squirrel or a rabbits brain box is, its unlikely you will get that 100 percent sure shot all the time.
I agree on finding an older adult to show you the finer points in hunting...even if it means walking the woods with them unarmed for the first few times.
Hawk

 

[MattW]

hi i am more than likely going to buy the black widow slingshot and will use it for hunting small game

Is that legal?
Not saying it isn't, but if it is, it'd be surprising given the fact that bow hunting is illegal. I'd have thought it much too difficult to ensure a clean kill.


Matt

 

[leon-b]

yes it is legal to hunt with a slingshot

leon

 

[longshot]

hares are beautifall creatures arent they
leon

good eatin' as well.

yumm

dean