Originally Posted by
Fox
Ethics are a personal thing, I would never hunt in a way that were illegal, I don't roll that way. I have a problem though with discouraging people who want to try something that is perfectly legal. My take on it is that if you can hit your target 10 times out of 10 that you can then go out and use it for hunting. Hitting a piece of paper is one thing, hitting an animal in the vitals is another. I have a long bow, when I was 16 I wanted to hunt with it. This bow is a 40lb bow, bare minimum for deer in Ontario and I was scolded by a number of bow shop employees about using it and how I had to have a sight, I had to have a 60lb bow and I had to have $50 broadheads. I sharpened by broadheads, I started shooting and within my safe range I was able to hit the vital area of a deer with every single shot without any sight at that range. It was a short range, I was limiting myself to 15 yards because I knew that was as far and I was 100% sure that the arrow would hit the mark and put a deer down quickly. This was also taking into account the lower poundage bow I was shooting and the penetration that it had. To stick with this I put up a tree stand where by the only safe shot without putting my arrow through a pile of trees had a maximum range of about 12 yards, this was down an old bush road. Well, I was not able to get a deer to come down, called it and the buck was staying back about 50 yards behind me in the thick stuff. If I had a high end crossbow I could have been positioned so that I would have had a good shot on that animal but I wanted to hunt with this bow so I limited myself by range and enjoyed every moment being in the bush.
We hunt to get food yes, but we also hunt for the experience and my experiences trying new things and going away from the norm have meant a lot more to me and taught me a heck of a lot more than just doing what everyone at the camp or gun shop said. I know where my 22LR hits, I know what a 410 slug does at 30 yards, I know how tight an open choke shotgun is, I know how far I can hit a pop can sized target with a full choke. I shoot to learn, I shoot to have fun and I feel that I am a better hunter for learning all of these things.
If this guy/gal wants to hunt with a slingshot then go out and practice, have fun shooting pop cans and stumps and find out everything you can about it, then, when you are 10 for 10 at 15 yards go out hunting for rabbits or squirrels and take a shot at 5 or 10 yards, enjoy all of the steps and enjoy the meal at the end of the road.