# Kentucky Slingshot Hunting



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

Saturday, while the ECST was I full swing, I was in Lexington, KY attending the League of KY Sportsmen annual convention. Here, the Resolution for Slingshots to be accepted as an ethical means to dispatch small game, was brought to the floor to be voted on.

I was introduced by the president of the local club, and I addressed the 60 +, voting delegates from all over the state. A motion was made to pass it, then it was seconded. At that time, a vote was taken, and it passed.

What follows, is the president of the LKS will now go to the department of fish and wildlife, with the resolution. The F&W will have to make this a priority discussion, and vote to make it law.

A big thanks goes out to Jaximus for his design of the brochure I passed out to the delegates, and thanks again to the vendors who contributed to the ad in KY Outdoors magazine.

I'm very optimistic we will be able to hunt small game with slingshots in the near future.


----------



## quarterinmynose (Jan 21, 2012)

Right on.

Nice work Jim. I know it's not quite over, but you brought to the table and made things happen.


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Congratulations to all of you on a job well done!!!! Your presentation seemed to be very professional, which is what was needed. Now I wish you the best of luck on getting that final law passed.

Cheers ..... Charles


----------



## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

Looks like all your hard work is paying off, Jim. Hopefully this will act as a springboard to help get slingshots officially recognized as legitimate hunting tools in other states across the country.

When this passes I'll drive down and we can bust some squirrels together.


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

Jaximus said:


> Looks like all your hard work is paying off, Jim. Hopefully this will act as a springboard to help get slingshots officially recognized as legitimate hunting tools in other states across the country.
> 
> When this passes I'll drive down and we can bust some squirrels together.


You got it!


----------



## lead__belly (Jun 11, 2014)

Thanks for getting the ball rolling, hopefully we can squirrel hunt with slingshots this fall.


----------



## Quash (Aug 8, 2014)

I just decided I wanted to get into slingshot hunting a few days ago, only to discover it was not legal in Kentucky. I found this post through searching and was very releaved that progress is being made on the legality. I'm awaiting my first kit so I can start practicing, but I will eagerly be checking up on the legalization process. Is there a better place to follow the progress or check on it? I'd also be glad to help if needed. I'm not sure what I could do, or if any help is needed at this point but please message me if I can. Thank you for all of your hard work.


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

This coming Nov.6th, 2015, I will be addressing the KY Dept of Wildlife Commission for the third time. Since the last meeting, I've been able to gather a lot more information that benefits slingshot hunting.

1 - Thanks to members here on the forum, we now know what states allow slingshot hunting in some capacity, as well as states that allow protected game hunting.

2 - Articles, advertisements and promotional information dating from as far back as the 1930's to the early 80's has been found, promoting the slingshot's hunting capabilities.

3 - The most valuable info is the current pellet gun law, which only list caliber sizes .177, .20, .22 and .25 with no minimum velocity. This means that you can buy a .177 cal daisy pellet gun at walmart, that shoots somewhere between 600-800fps, and be legal to hunt small game. If you're using an 8gr lead pellet, the velocity is going to be significantly lower than the advertised velocity. Do the math, and you'll discover that slingshots can easily match and exceed the energy and momentum, even the daisy slingshot you can buy in the same isle. In fact, the difference in momentum between the 8gr lead pellet vs recommended slingshot ammo is night and day.

I have spoke on the phone for more than two hours, to most of the commission with all of this info, and their attitudes have changed dramatically. One commissioner told me that "youth numbers are down", and we all know why that is. The commission would like to have some potential slingshot hunters address them at this meeting, but if no one else besides myself attends, I don't think it's going to break the camel's back. However, if there is anyone in the state that would like to help seal the deal, send me a PM, and I'll give more info.

- Jim


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I wish you continued good luck on this endeavor. And my congratulations on all your hard work.

Cheers ..... Charles


----------



## Jrricha2 (Aug 11, 2015)

Very nice to hear, me and another form member have been looking at getting slingshots legalised here in NC too.


----------



## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

I much admire activists who promote fishing and hunting especially to change laws to allow slingshots to hunt appropriate game and/or arrow fishing using "sling bows". With the law passing as anticipated, no one will have to sneak around any more. Next door to KY is my birth place, southern OH..some pretty strange hunting laws there.


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

Chuck Daehler said:


> I much admire activists who promote fishing and hunting especially to change laws to allow slingshots to hunt appropriate game and/or arrow fishing using "sling bows". With the law passing as anticipated, no one will have to sneak around any more. Next door to KY is my birth place, southern OH..some pretty strange hunting laws there.


What part of southern OH?


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

The Kentucky Wildlife Committee passed slingshot hunting today, to a Full Commission vote for next month. This is the furthest the issue has gone in over two years. Now it comes down to a good presentation on the 4th.


----------



## Gunnar (Dec 30, 2013)

Nice congratulations


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Congratulations! Hope it passes the final hurdle.

Cheers ... Charles


----------



## Toolshed (Aug 4, 2015)

Jim, I will assist however you need bro!! You are a true believer, and I know I've been busy lately, but let me know how I can help!!!


----------



## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

southern Ohio, Portsmouth, not far from Greenup KY...which Jesse Steurt wrote about calling it Greenwood I think.


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

very glad to hear - anyway where a person as yourself could lay out a format showing the proper steps in presenting this to our own States? Basically showing start to finish, it appears your process has done well and I hope continues for you.....thanks


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

nutthrower said:


> very glad to hear - anyway where a person as yourself could lay out a format showing the proper steps in presenting this to our own States? Basically showing start to finish, it appears your process has done well and I hope continues for you.....thanks


Truth is, it could easily be voted against on Dec 4th. I'm optimistic it won't be though. The best advice I received was from a local game warden. He said "the squeakiest wheel receives the most grease".

It helps if your state has a "hunting voice". Kentucky has the League of Kentucky Sportsmen. The League donates to the Fish and Wildlife on different levels and influences the laws and regs for hunting and fishing. They have an annual convention every year where resolutions are drawn up in a parliamentary style format, then brought to the floor . 60 voting delegates from different clubs all over the state vote to pass or decline these resolutions. The League passed a resolution to have slingshots legalized for small game hunting. The passed resolutions are presented to the Kentucky Dept Wildlife Commission, at either the Spring, or Fall meetings, and the political exchanges begin.

You have to show the "hunting voice" that the slingshot has always been capable enough to dispatch small game, humanely. Field & Stream were publishing in depth, slingshot hunting articles and stories in the early 70's, 80's and 90's. Popular Mechanics published slingshot articles in the late 40's and early 50's.

I've referred to this a few times - http://www.airguns.net/general_field_use.php, which is Robert Beeman's study. This study is referred to a lot on the web. Beeman says it only takes 3 ft lbs of POI energy to humanely dispatch a squirrel, with a headshot. That means that a .177cal, 7.9 grain lead pellet needs to only be traveling at 415FPS at point of impact. Kentucky allows the hunting of small game with a .177 cal pellet gun, with no minimum velocity. So, I can go to wally world, and spend $38.00 on a daisy 880, which shoots the lead pellet at 658FPS, and be legal. The kinetic energy is 7.6 ft lbs/.02 momentum. The daisy powerline slingshot located in the same aisle, shoots a .36cal lead buckshot at 225FPS, which is over 8ft lbs of kinetic energy/.08 momentum. See where this is going, right?

The daisy slingshot has been brought up a couple of times by the Wildlife Committee, because of where it's sold and how easy it is to get. It's where most hunting and fishing licenses are sold. But the fact is, generating the widely accepted, minimum kinetic energy with the daisy slingshot isn't that difficult. Yeah, it's not what I would recommend, but it does the job fine. The argument that the game has a better chance of being wounded doesn't sit well with the hunting community here in KY. The number of deer and elk that are being wounded would amaze a lot of people. I've heard the numbers from attending the meetings. It doesn't matter if it's a slingshot or a 7mm, animals get wounded.

Youth numbers are low in KY, and we all know why that is. The slingshot is a great platform to introduce archery. I've had several deer hunters tell me they would like to legally hunt with a slingshot while scouting for deer, so they won't make any noise, and be able to take a squirrel while deer hunting. Then there's the "urban hunter", that lives close to a patch of woods big enough for a slingshot, but not for a gun. Slingshot hunting demands and teaches the core hunting and stalking skills. These are all arguments in my repertoire, because of individual concerns from different commissioners.

The entire commission would like to see organizational backing, and unfortunately, there is none. They've suggested standards so the writing of the law could be simple, and it's been a challenge convincing them that there are no limits on the style and cut/length of the bands used. So I'm leaning heavily on the facts, the current pellet gun law, written articles and the passed resolution.

I've been volunteering for an outdoor kid's event for a few years now, which the Fish and Wildlife attend every year. It's quite obvious the F&W hold the youth in high regard to the future of Kentucky Hunting, and the kids love shooting slingshots at these events. So if you can volunteer your time to an outdoor kid's event in your area, that goes a LONG way.

If you don't have a hunting voice in your state, then you need to find out how your state's hunting program operates. Can you hunt protected small game with a shotgun or small rifle? If you can, that's a foot in the door. Would they like to sell more hunting licenses, or give hunters another option? The facts regarding the slingshot's capabilities are already there.

Let's see if it passes next month, then we'll know if it works


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

Performance Catapults said:


> nutthrower said:
> 
> 
> > very glad to hear - anyway where a person as yourself could lay out a format showing the proper steps in presenting this to our own States? Basically showing start to finish, it appears your process has done well and I hope continues for you.....thanks
> ...


Thank-you...... will be keeping and eye on this for sure - good luck


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

Just back from Frankfort, KY where the Dept of Fish & Wildlife passed with a majority vote, to legalize the use of slingshots for taking small game. The new law will go into effect next year (2016), possibly for Spring, but definitely for Fall. Protected small game will be permitted, and I believe pests as well. I will update this thread with specifics as they become available. The law still needs to be written along with any regulations.

Over a two year period I've made five trips to Frankfort pushing for this, and most of the time a half day was spent there. It was worth every minute, and mile.


----------



## Wingshooter (Dec 24, 2009)

Congratulations Jim!!


----------



## Njones (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm glad to here things worked out. That's dedication right there. That's the only way to succeed. Keep trying and never give up.

Njones


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

Ausome.. MS needs to do the same.. as soon as they do.. look out Mr flppy ear..


----------



## DRiley (Jun 3, 2012)

Nice job Jim ! That was a lot of hard work. THANK YOU !


----------



## LBH2 (Jul 20, 2013)

Congratulations&#8230;&#8230;and Good Luck in closure!!!! LBH2


----------



## fred45 (May 15, 2014)

That is Awesome!!! I live in MO, and just got into slingshots a little over a year ago, found out that I can hunt anything but turkey and deer with a sling!! good work over there


----------

