# hunting with confidence ?



## romansson (Aug 29, 2012)

hi there,

you guys have said to me that I should hunt when I'm confident enough 6 months ago.

so I started to practice shooting the slingshot (homemade and double theraband gold).

after a while I thought that i can shoot accurate enough to hunt.

yesterday evening I did go hunting for rabbits with marbles and hexnuts.

I started with the marbles, and then i found a rabbit it was really close 7 meters away.

so I had made a shot at him and i hit him but he started to run and i grabbed my airgun and killed him.

it seems that the marble didn't even passed trough the skin.

when he was dead i tried to shoot him with a hexnut and that even didn't passed through the skin.

so i'm really confused now i don't know how to get passed this problem.

can somebody help me out???

romansson

ps.

I did eat the rabbit. and i'm 15 years old and i don't have any type of other ammo then hexnuts or marbles.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

I don't know how large the hex nuts you were using but it sounds as if you need larger ones. I have never had good luck hunting with marbles imo they are just too light for anyhthing but head shots.


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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Also, is whether the bands and or the stretch ratio is strong enough to propel the ammo for a kill impact


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## romansson (Aug 29, 2012)

i think i do stretch them enough.

when should it be right then?


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

How about the ol tin can test. Shoot at a heavy tin can, like a tuna can, at the range you are hunting, if your rig shoot cleanly through at least one side it should be good for most small game.


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## Nicholson (Sep 25, 2012)

Also, only a headshot will do with marbles, I'd rather use a heavy rock than a marble but if you could get a close headshot it should work alright. Also with marbles single tbg works just as well as double tbg. the double would be good for rocks tho, free ammo


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## romansson (Aug 29, 2012)

I do that test tommorow 

but what if it doesn't goes through???


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Then it could be not large enough ammo or not enough velocity. So first get bigger ammo/hex nuts, if that doesn't work then try to increase your velocity by lengthening your draw, shorten your bands or increase your taper.


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## romansson (Aug 29, 2012)

maybe a stupid question what is TBG


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Nicholson is right as well, rocks have killed lots of rabbits. LOL

EDIT: Creeks and rivers are great places to gather nice and rounded stones for hunting.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

TBG = TheraBand Gold


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## romansson (Aug 29, 2012)

ooh i get it.

can you also take body shots with rocks?


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Absolutely, with a decent size stone and velocity body shots will take rabbits no problem. I still shoot for the head though, headshots are for sure meat in the pot.


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## SuperMonkeySlinger (Jan 28, 2013)

romansson said:


> ooh i get it.
> can you also take body shots with rocks?


 Rabbits have a nice sized head.. I always go for headshots on rabbits.

But yes a good 1 in. 1/2 rock can kill a rabbit with a body shot.. May need a finishing off shot though.

SMS


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## Nicholson (Sep 25, 2012)

I havn't gotten a kill with rocks yet but I'm practicing. The bigger rocks seem to fly straighter I collect 1 inch to an inch and a half sized rocks. There are not many around because of all the snow but I'm collecting.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I have moved this thread down to the hunting section, as that is a more appropriate place.

There are a great number of slingshot hunters (me included) who keep saying that slingshots kill best by blunt force trauma ... NOT by penetration. Part of what that means is that you need to use fairly heavy ammo. Personally, I would never use marbles nor 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) steel balls for hunting rabbits ... that ammo is too light in my opinion. You want to use something at least as heavy as .45 caliber lead (11.5 mm).

Shooting a rabbit in the body is also not advisable in my opinion. You are more likely to just wound it ... and watch it run off, perhaps to die needlessly. If you do not think you can hit it in the head, then just do not shoot it.

You have apparently demonstrated to yourself that penetration is not going to work with your set-up. I advise you to give up on penetration. Skin and muscle are not that easy to penetrate at slingshot velocities, with decent sized ammo. Use heavier ammo. Hone your accuracy. Do not take body shots ... go for the head.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

where did you hit him at also a rabbits skin is lose so what may look like a good shot mite not be i hunt marbels and take rabbits with head and neck shots i always look at where the eyes are and aim small miss small and you are in the kill zone


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## romansson (Aug 29, 2012)

I will try out all your good advice and will tell you guys if I had succes or not.

i'm going out tonight again so I'll try to get one ^_^


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## Viper010 (Apr 21, 2012)

personally i have taken a rabbit with a marble at about 7 meters but i sot it right under the eye which broke its neck, no penetration. had the shot landed anywhere else i dont believe the rabbit would have died.

hexnuts will work, but they need to have atleast a 10 mm / 7/16" hole, and work a lot better if you hammer or pour lead into the hole.

always aim for side-on headshots as near to the eye as you can. heavy ammo is best, as slingshots are more likely to kill by blunt force trauma rather than penetration and bleedout. lead balls 10mm and up and lead filled hexnuts 10mm and up are excellent.

even though i have used marbles in the past i no longer do so and would not recommend them for hunting.

shooting an unopened soupcan is a good test. if your ammo makes it inside the can, or better yet, clean through, you are sure to have enough power to kill rabbits or squirrels.

hope this helps. cheers,
remco


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