4 replies to this topic

[mikeuk]

Hi guys, newbie here so probably the first of many annoying questions with obvious answers
I have ordered a gamekeeper Pocket Poacher slingshot to get into the sport, Have ordered some 12 mm lead ball to try.
Once I have practiced and can shoot accurately enough to make humane kills, I intend hunting rabbits. Will this size ball be ok for that purpose ? also lead or steel, does it matter ?
Thanks in advance for any advice
Mike

[Charles]

12 mm lead should be quite adequate for rabbits, as long as your bands are strong enough and you are accurate enough. I prefer lead over steel for hunting on land, as the lead is heavier and will carry more energy and momentum. Around water, I would rather shoot steel (frogs, ducks, fish) because of the potential for lead toxicity.

Cheers ..... Charles

[Henry in Panama]

12mm lead should be just fine for hunting rabbits. Lead is a lot denser than steel, so retains more energy, and is a lot less likely to richocet of bounce back if you hit something hard with it.

I mildly disagree with Charles about lead over water. In the sizes used for slingshots, it is extremely unlikely that fish or fowl will ingest it.

Please post all hunting related topics in the Slingshot Hunting Forum.

[Charles]

Hey Henry,

I do not think we are in serious disagreement. My concern is the restriction in the BC Hunting Regulations which I quote:

The use of toxic (lead) shot for hunting waterfowl has been
prohibited in British Columbia since 1995 and in Canada since
1997. The ban applies to all ducks, geese, coots and snipe. It
does not apply to upland gamebirds (grouse, ptarmigan, quail,
partridge, pheasants and turkey), migratory upland gamebirds (pigeons, doves), ravens (where seasons exist), or target
shooting, although a local restriction may be implemented if
there is a conflict with an important wetland.
Federal regulations currently identify steel shot, bismuth shot,
tungsten-iron shot, tungsten-bronze-iron shot, tin shot, tungsten
- matrixshot, and tungsten-polymer shot as the only non-toxic
shot permitted for use on waterfowl, coot and snipe.

I just do not want to have to contend with some over-zealous enforcement officer who decides that my use of lead shot to shoot frogs somehow violates the ban on the use of lead shot around water.

Cheers .... Charles

[Henry in Panama]

Agreed, Charles. Shooting lead on water could get you in legal trouble. The problem with lead shot bans is that lead shot is a threat only to bottom feeding ducks/birds/animals in water shallow enough to allow them to reach the bottom. That simple fact did not stop the do-gooders in the US and Canada, though. It was, of course, only the tip of the iceberg. The true goal of the hard-core lead banners is to make ammunition a lot more expensive, and reduce the rounds the average gunner can afford to shoot. It's just another back-door approach to reducing hunting and gun ownership. </rant>

I participated in steel shot tests in 1973 in South Louisana, and was very unhappy with its performance.