Hunting Small Game With A Slingshot?

[krakadawn]

Why would you suggest banning the 22. It's a great little rim fire. My initial reference to this is because we have seen countless times the question in a thread of whether a 22 was good for larger game...we all know it is not.

It's a long way from comparing a 20 guage to a 12 to make a case for a sling shot. As you probably know there are certainly 20 guage loads with a higher pellet count then certain 12's. There 's no argument to be made for banning the 20 in your example. It's not a legal issue, no suggestion was ever made about that. I've never been against the slingshot, I've just questioned it's limitations and one's ability to be that accurate.

Good to see that you can reference your ethics. Reading some other threads(illegal moose shooting) it's clear to see that some of our brethren are badly lacking with ethics.

[Fox]

Why would you suggest banning the 22. It's a great little rim fire. My initial reference to this is because we have seen countless times the question in a thread of whether a 22 was good for larger game...we all know it is not.

It's a long way from comparing a 20 guage to a 12 to make a case for a sling shot. As you probably know there are certainly 20 guage loads with a higher pellet count then certain 12's. There 's no argument to be made for banning the 20 in your example. It's not a legal issue, no suggestion was ever made about that. I've never been against the slingshot, I've just questioned it's limitations and one's ability to be that accurate.

Good to see that you can reference your ethics. Reading some other threads(illegal moose shooting) it's clear to see that some of our brethren are badly lacking with ethics.

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.

[jaycee]

We can say the same for wing shooting, since your much more likely to kill that bird with more pellets then we must ban the 20ga, there are other options that give you more pellets down range, the obvious choice is to mandate the 10ga or even the 8ga for any type of hunting, this way we will maximize the chance of a kill shot.

That is about the most rediculous statement you have made! when you mention an 8 gauge, that tells me you don't know what you are talking about. A 10 gauge is the maximum gauge allowed to hunt with.

[Cass]

This is one of the most absurd threads I've seen on this forum.

[Hunter John]

This is one of the most absurd threads I've seen on this forum.

All kinds of " Special " going on here. Lol

[Snowwalker]

Thanks Fox for the explanation but I think I'll still take the shotgun, not sure my aim with one 1/4'' ball is good enough.

At least you have a good reason to pick the shotgun. Unlike some that scream about it not being humane but can't really give a reason. I think most( we all know a few that would not) that were going to try hunting with the slingshot would take the time to practice. Same group can be found practicing with what ever they plan to use. Bow, Xbow, rifle, shotgun, slingshot would be practiced.

[Snowwalker]

This is one of the most absurd threads I've seen on this forum.

All kinds of " Special " going on here. Lol

People getting squirrelly waiting for turkey, trout or spring bear to open.

[Sharon]

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.

Very well said. This has been quite the read.
My ethics tell me that only a planned out ( gun wise, ammo wise) humane kill is acceptable.This is why I never use poison on rats, but rather traps.
If one can kill humanely with a slingshot, then good for them.

PS David at least hit him in the forehead , but Goliath did have a seeing problem.

[JBen]

Curious.
The man who taught me most of what I know, has a motto, that I've adopted. "I hunt to kill"
For him and he makes no bones about it, he kills. He also will use the most efficient tool available to him. If he' can choose between a bow and a rifle, he will grab the rifle each and every time.

Assuming one puts the practise in and can hit what they are aiming at.
Why would a sling shot be considered inhumane, but a bow not? In other words Im guessing many in the thread that don't like the idea of using a sling shot against grouse, are probably more than ok using a bow vs Big game. Assuming two good shots.
Sling shot its instant or near.
Bow might be 20 40 minutes bleeding out or drowning in its own blood.

Dont get me wrong, just "saying" that at one time I imagine a lot of hunters might have felt the same about archery, as some do slingshots.

[jaycee]

Barn sparrows are considered along the same lines as crows and starlings in Ontario, just an FYI.

So 2 3/4" is no good for ducks, gotcha.

I an glad you clarified that statement and said "barn sparrows ", as all the other species of sparrows are considered song birds FYI.
Also FYI, what you are calling barn sparrows they are actually weaver finches, an introduced old world species that resemble our native sparrows [songbirds] but have shorter legs and thicker beaks.
Go ahead and shoot barn sparrows all you want as long as you don't mistake them and shoot our native sparrows because you are then shooting songbirds -illegal.