Slingshot Hunting. Pros and Cons

Nowadays there's plenty of hunting tools to take down virtually all kind of game, so it's hard to realize why did anyone wish to hunt with a slingshot? Especially considering its short range and inaccuracy.

But the fact is that there's a lot of people using slingshots for small game hunting; some of them just to improve their hunting skills while some others to be prepared in the event of the worst case scenario: lost and running out of amo.

The aforementioned plus the fact that slingshots are not prohibited on around 32 states; associated to its low cost and the capability to build your own weapon in a matter of hours with simple materials, make of slingshot a good "last resource weapon".

However if you think you'll need to take down a game with your slingshot, it's better to practice a lot at home in order to acquire notorious aiming capabilities because you have just one chance to hit your game to death in the head, otherwise the projectile will cause internal bleeding, the animal won't die fast and at the end the meat will be ruined; so a living creature would be killed for nothing.

So, if you wish to slingshot hunting, be sure to be able to hit a golf ball sized target (or even smaller) at a 30 feet distance or far, otherwise your chances will be null.

On the other hand you will need to improve your stalking skills, since it will be necessary to be very close to your game before shooting; the good news are that slingshots are very silent in both, when loading and when shooting, so stealth is on your side, but you still need to be patience and skilled enough to achieve the killing range without being detected.

With a slingshot you will be able to hunt rabbits, squirrels, quails, pheasant, dove and other small birds or rodents; perhaps nothing so impressive but good enough to survive, especially when things are as bad as possible.

Regarding ammo, the most accurate ammunitions are lead or steal balls, but if you run out of amo, there's always possible to find a rock around there, so you'll never will be out of load for your slingshot.

Of course a slingshot is not the best choice for regular hunting, but it's an available resource when need; however if you are planning to use one, be sure to have enough information about statal regulations (there's no federal laws regarding slingshot hunting) and be completely aware of what's legal and what's not; just to be sure to comply with the law.

Now you only need to choose between a handmade or a commercial slingshot and start practicing to be accurate enough to take down a small game with a single headshot.