thoughts on a slingshot for hunting?

JV3

JV3

Joined
Mar 17, 2010
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laying down traps and snares is one thing but what if you're on the move to look for a better location (be it for a water source or so the rescue plane, etc. can find you better) and happen to see a squirrel or two?

anyone include one in your hiking gear?
 
Good idea i think i'll practice my sling-shot shooting & eventually put one in my backpack.
 
It is a great thought if you are proficient with a sling shot. I shoot them all the time, but I really just hope to hit what I am aiming at. 1 in 10 will hit what I am going for, maybe.
 
TheGame said:
It is a great thought if you are proficient with a sling shot. I shoot them all the time, but I really just hope to hit what I am aiming at. 1 in 10 will hit what I am going for, maybe.
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That's great! Shoot at 10 squirrels a day and you'll at least have something to put in your belly! :D
 
I have a Chief AJ QP-HFX slingshot. You can shoot arrows and ball ammo out of it. You can also attach a fishing reel to shoot fish using arrows. It is very light and doesn't take up much room. Tons of fun to practice shooting with. The black bands are really strong. It also came with a DVD on quick point shooting basics. With some practice you pick it up quickly and you would be supprised at how fast you can aquire and hit a target. I keep my Chief AJ Quick point slingshot in my car or in my bag so I can practice when I am kicking around doing stuff. I think it is worth taking with me on a hike or outing.
 
Slingshots are fun to shoot but hard to kill a squirrel with when using 1/4" ball bearings, unless you are pretty close. I have hit gray squirrels at 20-25 yards and the squirrel keeps on going, unless you hit him in the head.

I saw an older neighbor take out a rabbit with a home made slingshot when I was young, so with enough practice it can be done.

I still have my Wrist Rocket :thumbup:

They are cheap enough to buy and try - give it a shot ;)
 
Slingshots are fun, lightweight camp toys, as well.

surgical tubing is cheap. The pro models are much greater strength and are really hunting gear.

fun.
 
wintermute said:
That's great! Shoot at 10 squirrels a day and you'll at least have something to put in your belly! :D
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With my luck I would only see 9 squirrels in the day, though :p

I've thought about adding a slingshot multiple times, actually. I just doubt I would have the wits to use it properly if something were to happen and I needed to get game with one.
 
I carry one in my pack as well. Not very good at shooting it because I don't really get the
opportunity to practice that much.
Now that the weather is a bit warmer, I'm going to get out and get some shot time in.

Cheers
 
I've seen a guy shoot asprin tablets with a sling shot- granted at relatively close range. I can hit a paper plate at 20 yards pretty repeatably. Unfortunately, I'd be hard pressed to find game with a paper plate sized kill zone that could be taken with a sling shot.
 
Slingshots, if you can find a durable enough elastic material, are actually a really effective way to hunt small animals. I've used surgical tubing before and although not superiorly elastic, holds up pretty good. They're more or less pretty reflexive so it's not as skill intensive as a sling or atlatl or something like that.
 
I like the added accuracy and draw strength of "Wrist Rocket" style sling shots. They pack a serious wallop. Not as easy to pack though :(
 
I used to shoot slingshots, at one point I could hit a pop can pretty reliably, not exactly the size of a squirrels head though. The wrist rockets are available everywhere and so are the replacement bands so if I was going to get back into it I'd probably use those, or maybe surgical tubing but I've never tried that. I used flat bands on a natural forked branch slingshot for a bit and loved them but flat bands wear out pretty fast and they're not available locally so I stopped.

I tried hunting with them a few times and although I came really close a few times I never got a squirrel. Lately I've been thinking about using one again because I'm looking into getting a rifle for big game and a slingshot would make a good backup for the small game but you do have to be pretty good with one to actually hunt.
 
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