Hunting Competency Test

12664 Views 61 Replies 22 Participants Last post by Slingshots rule, Aug 7, 2011

Sam

Discussion Starter · Aug 28, 2010 (Edited by Moderator)

Hey guys, before anyone goes hunting I recommend that they practice on these excellent targets first:
My link
My link
My link
My link

I would suggest that you attempt to take your quarry from no further than you can successfully hit all four targets in a row, and would recommend that you use metallic, spherical, projectiles with a mass of no less than 7 grams. With a minimum draw length of 28" and weight of 15lb... What do you guys think?

Here are some more from the same website, this time they imitate specific species:
Squirrel
Rabbit
Corvid

An extremely talented of mine is even working on similar targets, made from high-resolution photographs of real animals, with the area of vital organs highlighted in red for me, and I may distribute them, pro bono, as per request.

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philly

· #41 · Sep 18, 2010

whipcrackdeadbunny said:
My new target is a golf ball on a string at 10 meters, size of a squerrel's head. Not hitting it all the time but helps to visualize the true kill zone. We owe it to the game to shoot within our limits and with proper ammo. LEAD.
Philly

I like this idea, aim small to hit big; if you shot in the middle of the squizzer, you're bound to hit him, and if you get really good, you can claim all the meat.
[/quote]

You would be surprised at how much it improves your visualization. I hit it about 8 times on average out of 25 but the rest of my shots are real tightly grouped.
Problem I have is that the golf ball is so dense that you never know where your shot is going to end up after the hit. I have had them come right back at me. The idea is good, perhaps the target needs to be a little softer.
Philly

philly

· #42 · Sep 18, 2010

BTW, received my .375" swaged lead balls by Hornady yesterday, shoot great. Waiting for my next chance to get upstate to my property to shoot some more bushy tails.
Philly

Sam

Discussion Starter · #43 · Sep 18, 2010

philly said:
BTW, received my .375" swaged lead balls by Hornady yesterday, shoot great. Waiting for my next chance to get upstate to my property to shoot some more bushy tails.
Philly

I cannot wait to see some pics!

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Chugosh

· #44 · Oct 10, 2010

Perhaps a table tennis ball would be a less dangerous target that a golf ball.

Unless you like the bounce-back effect to simulate the return fire of the armed red squirrels.

Personally, I have no business hunting anything, yet. Can't get a 3/8" ball on a coke can at twenty feet.

josephlys

· #45 · Oct 11, 2010

are rabbits harder to kill or pigeons. I mean which is the toughest. ;

Sam

Discussion Starter · #46 · Oct 11, 2010

josephlys said:
are rabbits harder to kill or pigeons. I mean which is the toughest. ;

I believe rabbits are tougher although I could well be wrong.

whipcrackdeadbunny

· #47 · Oct 11, 2010

josephlys said:
are rabbits harder to kill or pigeons. I mean which is the toughest. ;

Squirrel skin is much tougher; the American Indians (I forget which tribes) used to tear the Rabbit skin into strips, and use it to make cordage, it dries tightly and is very strong, like tendons.

philly

· #48 · Oct 11, 2010

Rabbits are very thin skinned, you can tear thier skim with yoir fingers Squerrels are tough. Much harder to kill. Need head shots with lead to anchor them.

josephlys

· #49 · Oct 12, 2010

So I have not tried killing pigeons with a slingshot before. So now I currently have a light slingshot around 10lbs drawweight, and use 7grams leadshots= Is this setup good enough to hunt with. Will I get consistent kills with it. My draw length is around 27'' btw.
Just let me know what you guys think, help me out here thanks.

whipcrackdeadbunny

· #50 · Oct 12, 2010

josephlys said:
So I have not tried killing pigeons with a slingshot before. So now I currently have a light slingshot around 10lbs drawweight, and use 7grams leadshots= Is this setup good enough to hunt with. Will I get consistent kills with it. My draw length is around 27'' btw.
Just let me know what you guys think, help me out here thanks.

Anything that leaves a nasty dent, or hole in a can should be good enough; but keep to your distances.

philly

· #51 · Oct 12, 2010

Go for it, sounds fine for pigeons.

Sam

Discussion Starter · #52 · Oct 13, 2010

josephlys said:
So I have not tried killing pigeons with a slingshot before. So now I currently have a light slingshot around 10lbs drawweight, and use 7grams leadshots= Is this setup good enough to hunt with. Will I get consistent kills with it. My draw length is around 27'' btw.
Just let me know what you guys think, help me out here thanks.

Definitely not with such a low draw weight and length, you simply won't impart enough energy to your projectile. I would personally recommend using a band-set with a 16lb draw weight and a 30" or longer draw length for your chosen projectile.

PS: I think Tex's Express Bands would be perfect for you!

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josephlys

· #53 · Oct 14, 2010

Okay I'll see to it that my slingshot is juiced up. 16lbs you say, Bands seem to wear out pretty fast - a couple hundred shot and its draw becomes weak. How often do you change your band set?

Chuff

· #54 · Oct 16, 2010

philly said:
My new target is a golf ball on a string at 10 meters, size of a squerrel's head. Not hitting it all the time but helps to visualize the true kill zone. We owe it to the game to shoot within our limits and with proper ammo. LEAD.
Philly

I like this idea, aim small to hit big; if you shot in the middle of the squizzer, you're bound to hit him, and if you get really good, you can claim all the meat.
[/quote]

You would be surprised at how much it improves your visualization. I hit it about 8 times on average out of 25 but the rest of my shots are real tightly grouped.
Problem I have is that the golf ball is so dense that you never know where your shot is going to end up after the hit. I have had them come right back at me. The idea is good, perhaps the target needs to be a little softer.
Philly
[/quote]

I think a squash ball would be a good alternative. A ping pong (table tennis!) ball would not last long.

Darb

· #55 · Nov 5, 2010

philly said:
My new target is a golf ball on a string at 10 meters, size of a squerrel's head. Not hitting it all the time but helps to visualize the true kill zone. We owe it to the game to shoot within our limits and with proper ammo. LEAD.
Philly

I like this idea, aim small to hit big; if you shot in the middle of the squizzer, you're bound to hit him, and if you get really good, you can claim all the meat.
[/quote]

You would be surprised at how much it improves your visualization. I hit it about 8 times on average out of 25 but the rest of my shots are real tightly grouped.
Problem I have is that the golf ball is so dense that you never know where your shot is going to end up after the hit. I have had them come right back at me. The idea is good, perhaps the target needs to be a little softer.
Philly
[/quote]

Try the walnuts I mentioned in the daily scores thread. They're not only safer (no ricochets) but taste good too.

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Darb

· #56 · Nov 5, 2010 (Edited by Moderator)

Sam said:
Glass has a density of 2.5 g/cm[sup]3[/sup], Steel 7.86[sup] [/sup]g/cm[sup]3[/sup], Lead 11.34 g/cm[sup]3[/sup], even with steel you will only achieve clean kills with clean head-shots...

If you look over in this thread in Dan's blog, I posted some data on Tungsten-Carbide ballast pellets (the same stuff the military uses in fragmentation grenades), which have a density in the vicinity of 17-18[sup] [/sup]g/cm[sup]3[/sup], which is 50% more than lead, 118% more than steel, and just below gold. Dan and Aaron raised this idea months ago, and I only just ran across it today.

The trick will be trying to find it at a decent price ... but having a backstop that allows reuse will make a stiff price a lot more bearable, especially if the carbide alloy is magnetic (re: includes 10-15% cobalt).

EDIT: whoops, forgot the blog link ... hang on ...

http://slingshotforu...rojectile-size/

bushwacker

· #57 · Nov 5, 2010

Sam said:
So I have not tried killing pigeons with a slingshot before. So now I currently have a light slingshot around 10lbs drawweight, and use 7grams leadshots= Is this setup good enough to hunt with. Will I get consistent kills with it. My draw length is around 27'' btw.
Just let me know what you guys think, help me out here thanks.

Definitely not with such a low draw weight and length, you simply won't impart enough energy to your projectile. I would personally recommend using a band-set with a 16lb draw weight and a 30" or longer draw length for your chosen projectile.

PS: I think Tex's Express Bands would be perfect for you!

[/quote]

my gypsy sling as only got a 10lb draw wight and thats got enuff power to put a 8 gram lead ball straight through a pigeon head so i think his set will work

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Brooklyn00003

· #58 · Nov 5, 2010

My thera band gold setup is only 8 pounds at 71 cm draw 9.5mm steal.I shot sparrows at 10-15 meters no problem. As we know its not about the draw weight but,

with flatbands that is not thicker then 1 mm might not be far from each other in power.

Brooklyn00003

· #59 · Nov 6, 2010 (Edited by Moderator)

Wrong post sorry

jmplsnt

· #60 · Nov 7, 2010

Yeah I've seen Bushwhacker's kill shot and please allow me to state there is no doubt the pigeon in question was dead before it hit the ground.

I'm currently in the process of adjusting the draw weight of my bands down a notch or even two as I think it's costing me some precision/accuracy and as an Indian elder stated "Accuracy is its own form of power".

41 - 60 of 62 Posts

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