# Ethical Shots



## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

With most weapons there is a limit to the distance of a shot to be ethical.Of course the shooter's skill is factor. With my 60 lb 190+fps Hybrid Selfbuilt Recurve I would not take a shot at a deer size animal over twenty yards. 15 yards and less would be my choice. I can hit pretty well at to 35.

Since I have taken up Bean Flippin my practice distance is 15 yards. I do shoot at a target at 35 yards.

I'd like to get some opinions on what would be an average ethical distance shot taken with a slingshot at small game to make a humane kill

Bill


----------



## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Ethics are a lot like opinions and you know what people say about them. LOL

It is a very individual thing but I would say the range at which you can hit the vitals of the animal you are hunting everytime in practice. In other words, if the kill zone of a cottontail rabbit is 3" then your ethical range would be the range that you can hit a 3 inch circle everytime.

Every situation is different and there are situations where you might shoot further but this is how I try to practice and hunt. Chris


----------



## Scrambler84 (Dec 8, 2011)

As close as Possible distance I would say at least 10/15 yards 20 max. for me. Of course when I am just pinging as in to scare of those **** cats off my yard at home I try just to hit them in the butt no head shots. But now when they see me most of the time they run think they just know.
Also always make sure I am taking a safe shot.....


----------



## Jesus Freak (Dec 31, 2011)

Scrambler84 said:


> As close as Possible distance I would say at least 10/15 yards 20 max. for me.


----------



## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Some of the things that I see about long distance hunting with a slingshot, in my opinion are un-ethical. There are a couple of videos floating around shooting at game at long distance and taking a lot of shots and not making a hit. I also think that a hunter has the responsibility to be close enough for a clean kill with any weapon. -- Tex


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

August West said:


> It is a very individual thing but I would say the range at which you can hit the vitals of the animal you are hunting everytime in practice. In other words, if the kill zone of a cottontail rabbit is 3" then your ethical range would be the range that you can hit a 3 inch circle everytime.


I will add that there has to be enough kinetic energy to humanely harvest the critter, not just being able to "hit" the vitals. This is why I learned to shoot through a chrony at varied distances, and not just at the end of my arm. I like to be at 20yds.


----------



## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Very true, I don't have a chrony but use a poor man's chrony, a steel can, if I go through one side it is pretty good medicine for cottontails and smaller. Another factor you left off is weight of the projectile, it doesn't do any good to just "hit" the vitals with the proper velocity if the projectile is too light, kinetic energy is a combination of speed and weight. I shoot 45 cal lead balls and most rabbbits I have killed the ball is trapped by the skin on the off side. Chris


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

August West said:


> Another factor you left off is weight of the projectile, it doesn't do any good to just "hit" the vitals with the proper velocity if the projectile is too light, kinetic energy is a combination of speed and weight.


I didn't leave it out, that's why I referred to "Kinetic" energy, which is speed x mass.









I prefer more speed, so I like to use 3/8 steel or lead.


----------



## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Speed does help with range estimation but mass does the work. Chris


----------



## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Another thing that I/we didn't mention is the type of game being hunted. There is a whole lot of difference in a dove or a quail and a big ole tough fox squirrel. Both can conceivable be taken with a slingshot but the ethical shot distances and kill zones are completely different for each. Ethics are interesting to discuss but are often not black and white. Chris


----------



## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

August West said:


> Ethics are a lot like opinions and you know what people say about them. LOL
> 
> It is a very individual thing but I would say the range at which you can hit the vitals of the animal you are hunting everytime in practice. In other words, if the kill zone of a cottontail rabbit is 3" then your ethical range would be the range that you can hit a 3 inch circle everytime.
> 
> Every situation is different and there are situations where you might shoot further but this is how I try to practice and hunt. Chris


So far, all acceptable responses.

Chris, at what distance do you hit 3" spot 100 out of 100 times?

At what distance do most hunters practice to prepare for that perfect shot in the woods, both for shooting up in tree or on the ground using you all around hunting ammo (and what would that be?)


----------



## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

I don't, it was just an example I pulled 3" out of my hat. I use cans for targets a whole lot and I would say they are very realistic rabbit kill zone size with the proper projectile, which we have already beat up, I am pretty much 100% out to 10 yards and on a good day pushing 15 yards. No one is perfect and misses and cripples are going to happen but we should do our best to minimize them and always trying for 100% accuracy works for me. There are exceptions to everything and using the rabbit example again if he is in the right spot I will shoot at him further. For example, if the only thing that is sticking out from behind a tree is his head and shoulder I'm probably gonna try a shot even out to 20 yrds or so. Chris


----------



## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

The same parameters hold true for archery, in my opinion. The closer the better. There is nothing like sitting on the cold ground at the base of a 60 foot hemlock, (the first time since two back surgeries, one total hip R&R and two total knee R&Rs)( several years of no hunting), [email protected], 6am (daylight at 7) all in camo, deer scent all over me, my 330fps recurve crossbow nocked with a, 20" 408gr, custom built, CF bolt, with 2", left helical, blazers, 150gr, Carbide tipped, 2 1/2" razor sharp, expandable BH at the business end locked and loaded. I did this for six more mornings, but this was the first and the best. At 7:13 I see movement at 40 yd straight ahead.Now mind ya, I live in Western NC and forty yards away is a thicket. She was walking straight towards me. Every couple of steps she'd pop her head up and look right at me, but she couldn't SEE me.

Now, I would have unleashed the beast at 40yds had she turned broadside but she just kept walking towards me, right down a 20 foot wide shooting lane. I had spent several hours working on this ground blind and cutting shooting lanes, four days before. I had walked off the different ranges of clear shots and marked those spots in my mind, on various trees/shrubs, stumps, logs, and horned trees. She new I was there but, could not smell me nor see me. At 12 yards she stopped and looked right into my eyes. I had not been able to shoulder the stock, I couldn't move. I was in fire mode and had my finger at ready. The butt, was on my chest and I could just get my eye to the scope. She hestitated for a momment and slighty turned, I put the crosshairs on her sternum and WHAMM!!! She disappeared. I waited a few minutes and jumped the creek, hiked the 12 yards and found my bolt, with very little blood on the fletch so I questioned a good hit. I found a tiny blood drop where she stood, and that was it. I jumped back across the creek and reloaded and got back on stand and waited another hour before tracking. I am very confident with my weapon, ammo and my skill with it. I can hit 100 out of 100 shots 3" or less, mostly less at 40yards if I wanted to, and yet I sat for and hour in total disgust and sadness that I might have just wounded her.

I jumped back across the creek and hit my knees. I also had done much praying during that long hour. I looked and looked and no blood. I crawled through a thicket about 7 yards and it looked like a bear attack. I walked along a heavy blood trail for about 25 yards and found my gift.

Had I not known just how effective my setup was, I would never had shot a deer in the chest with and arrow ( just not ethical). But I did know, and still questioned my shot at first. I would never have attemped that shot with my selfbuilt hybrid recuve, shooting 368gr, full lenght,Gold Tips, 2" straigght Blazers, with the same BH. This bow will shoot in the High 190sfps

Three weeks ago when I first started building and testing HOSS ( antler SS), I shot alot and was quite confident at 15 yards. I was using 38 cal steel and Daisy Powerline tubes. I was busting a bean can pretty good. I looked up my receipe for Bushytail dumplings and gravey hit the trail. Five minutes into the hunt and I took no less than six shots at one animal. All, less than 15 yards.I walked another 20 minutes and ambushed two in the trail. One ran half way up a tree and back down on the back side of a huge white Oak. I stood still and it popped around the tree 4 feet from me, two foot off the ground. I only got one shot at it. Needless to say it got away also. I walked back to the truck and drove home.

Since that day, I have spent several hours working on the weapon, testing bands, testing ammo and shooting 1000s of rounds, Tearing every thing up I had as a target, including my two wheeled, heavy gauge plastic wheel barrow. I had stood it up in the yard and placed a double layer heavy cardboard infront with 1" orange target dots( I believe, when training, one shood aim small to hit
small). After many, many rounds of 3/8,5/16 steel, 1/2 white glass marble and 50cal lead, I was tried. I removed the cardboard and dang! I had busted a hole in the bottom ( I do love black Gorilla Tape). I still use the wheel barrow as a target stand (it's portable) only now I drape a double folded heavy duty queen size comforter (easy to collect you ammo)with a bean can tied to a string from the handle. The only thing I have to do now is eat more beans.

In last two days, I have spent about 13 hours on sanding, cutting and refitting the handle on HOSS. I had been shooting at 15 and was maybe 2 out 10 on the can. Some rounds I would do better. My shots were never far off except for a couple of fly aways. Today I moved the target to 12 yards and went through several cans. Had I hit the woods today, I do believe I would have eaten well tonight.

Within the next few days I will be recieving some Tex Bands and bulk material, 400 rounds of 11 mm steel and a new FireAnt Recurve Hunter. In the last several weeks I have built, bought or otherwise procurred six SS ( I hope to obtain a locally made beauty one of these days, real soon, Nathan, you reading?) and I shoot all of them every day.HOSS is becoming a real shooter. The antler is a bit hard on my hand ( need to add some closed cell foam in two spots).

I will settle on the best shooter of the bunch to hunt no mater which one it is. I do hope it is one that I build but only if it is the setup that I am 100% confident in it's service.The next time I go out, will I make a good, clean, kill shot on a critter? Maybe not, but I'll know that I have put in the effort to train and strive to never to just wound and lose an animal.

I have, and I know others, that have gone to the range, driven nails with a rifle and go out, sit a stand and clean miss a deer. (deer fever) Nothing wrong with the prep and training., all were confident.

When I started this thread, I was interested in what others thought. I am pleased at the comments. I also wanted to know how others trained for the hunt with a SS to become a skilled SS hunter.

Thanks to All!

Bill


----------



## whipcrackdeadbunny (May 22, 2010)

I can shoot a 1" target at 50ft, 3 out of 5 usually. I averagely hunt at 20-50 ft. Shooting at a small target area means I'm happy to take head shots, and this means there is little variation in the results, I either hit and the animal is wounded fatally, or I miss and the thing buggers off (I would if something went zooming past my head) But it's only on small animals, I wouldn't shoot anything with a head bigger than the palm of my hand.


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

WTBJR, just gotta say, I love your ethic's, would hunt with you any time. bottom line.


----------



## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

My Grandfather was the High Sheriff of this county 1926-1928 and 1930-1962 (34yr). He taught me to shoot my first rim fire at six, one year before he died. He said the most important thing about practicing your shooting no matter what weapon, is to "Aim Small to Hit Small".My Dad said the same thing through out my life, and I have taught my Son the same.

My Dad and I would sit at an old picnic table and shoot at wooden matches (the heads) propped in the seam between the hood and body on a 1956 Ford tractor with my Daisy. When my Son and I get the chance to shoot our bows together we shoot at 1" spot targets stuck on my bag.

I am pretty passionate about becoming very proficient and efficient with which ever SS I choose to go hunting with. Up until last week I was, as many do using a "bean" (steel) can for a target. After tearing up every can an everything I had for a target. I had to come up with a much better set up. After some thought and much error I now have the ultimate slingshot training target. I will start another post,with pictures to show my new target set up.

Again, preparation, is a key to being an ethical hunter.

Practice long and practice hard. Practice, may not always produce, perfect, but "Perfect" practice might!


----------



## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

Good read, Bill. Thanks for taking the time to compose!


----------



## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

August West said:


> Ethics are a lot like opinions and you know what people say about them. LOL
> 
> It is a very individual thing but I would say the range at which you can hit the vitals of the animal you are hunting everytime in practice. In other words, if the kill zone of a cottontail rabbit is 3" then your ethical range would be the range that you can hit a 3 inch circle everytime.
> 
> Every situation is different and there are situations where you might shoot further but this is how I try to practice and hunt. Chris


well said


----------



## wiking (Feb 12, 2012)

I would say, like people have said before me, that the ethical distance is the distance you feel comfortable knowing that you will kill what you shoot at. That's why ethics and morals are so linked, it is about having a feel for what is wrong and right.

EDIT: I came to think of airgun hunting and while I do some targetshooting at up to 100 yards when theres no wind out, just for the fun of it, I would never, ever dream of trying to shoot a rabbit at that distance. There wouldn't be enough energy left in the pellet to make a clean kill. The same would go for slingshot hunting.


----------

