# Where To Hit Your Prey?



## James Smith (Dec 13, 2012)

Hi all!

As some of you already know, I'm very new to this hobby and I have a few questions regarding hunting...

(Bear in mind I will be using theraband gold (FLATS) with a catapult I made myself... Here it is.....

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/20211-my-second-home-made-hunting-slingshot/

I'm most worried about hunting the Rabbits, because they seem much more 'tough' than some of my other quarry...

-Of course headshots are best but are there any other places I could hit a rabbit or a bird to stop it in it's tracks or preferabley drop it dead?

-Do you guys often find yourselves finishing off your prey, or do they normally die instantly?
If so what do you use to finish them off?

- I absolutley DONT want to be knocking down rabbit's only to have them run into their hole and die slowly, how can I prevent this happening? (Or can I?)

-With Birds such as pheasant and Pigeon I amagine them being easier targets, as surely once you hit them they become imobile (Cant fly away) and can't escape so you can finish them quickly (That's asuming I miss and don't get a clean headshot)... Is this the case or am I totally wrong?

- I heard that birds have bones like honey comb and break easily? Is this true or do their feather's act as a armor and protect their fragile bones?

I won't be hunting for a while untill I get a better shot but I want to learn wha I can before I go out in the future...


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

How can you prevent inhumane kills? Practice,Practice,Practice. Develope your shooting skill , knowledge and confidence. Use adequate bands and ammo. And PRACTICE some more.


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## flippinout (Jul 16, 2010)

Head shots, as close to the quarry as possible with heavy ammo and the heaviest bands you can ACCURATELY shoot. If you can't hit precisely with the rig you intend to hunt with, don't hunt with it. You owe it to the game to take an ethical shot or no shot at all.


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## the gafer (Apr 15, 2012)

i use flats and use marbles and i go for the head on squirrels on birds i have hit them head and neck shots but with marbles and a little wind they have a life of there own past 30 or so yard and have struck them on the shoulder (top of wing) but i all ways hunt with a dog and my dog finds them fast and i despatch them as soon as my dog re treves it to me but as in all hunting acidents will and do happen so practice to minimize this.

kev.


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## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

BOOM HEADSHOT. Thats the way to go man. Granted, I have never hunted with a SS but I have hunted for about 7 years with an air rifle. Even with enough power to pierce the rabbits skin and go into the heart I still go for the head. Reason being that 1) IF I miss, which I don't, it will either miss it completely or hit the neck which is also a good area, but generally harder to hit,and 2) to preserve as much meat as possible. Headshots all the way for a clean and humane kill.


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## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

i always try to get a head shot but this is not always doable so i then try to hit the heart and lungs. but the most important thing is to be a good shot to start with so practice practice practice.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Shooting for the head is best. If you hit the neck, you will still collect your game.

Shooting large birds, like pheasant, in the body just about always results in lost game. Those feathers are like armor. If you hit the breast, there is too much flesh for you to get a rapidly killing shot. If shooting from the side, those feathers are very protective. Even if you do break a wing, your chances of retrieving a running pheasant are pretty slim unless you have a dog.

In my experience, most game does not "die instantly", even when hunting with firearms. You must always be prepared to dispatch your game. For rabbits I use the "poachers stretch" to break the neck. For birds (ducks, pheasants, grouse, quail) I just twist the head to break the neck or pull the head off.

As others have said, practice, practice, practice ... practice with the slingshot you will use when hunting, and practice with your hunting ammo. Personally, I prefer something like .44 caliber lead, or my cylindrical hunting slugs, although I have used 9.5 mm lead to good effect. I know some use light ammo like marbles, but I prefer heavier stuff, as it conveys a lot more energy. But practice with what you will use to hunt. You may be a great shot with light ammo and light bands, but that does not always transfer to a hunting rig.

And try some field practice ... set up some targets out in the bush at intervals along a trail. Then go back and walk the trail, taking shots at your targets when you see them. This works better if you have a friend set the targets for you so you do not know where they are. Or you can set the targets as you walk the trail in one direction, and shoot at them when walking back in the other direction. Plinking is also good ... just stroll through the bush and take shots at sticks on the ground, weed seed heads, odd shaped leaves. This sort of practice will prepare you even better than always shooting at paper targets at a known distance.

Cheers ... Charles


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## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

This is all good information, I can't add much to it.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

First of all make sure you are a good enough shot, with hard enough hitting ammo to make it happen.
Then if in side profile, aim for the earhole... if from the front aim for the inside side of the eye that is nearest to you. After that... you can aim for the heart, but ONLY if your ammo can penetrate the body. Refer to an anatomy chart and get familiar with it.. imagine it in different angles... so you know where the heart is when the rabbit is in different poses to your eye.

At one time I used to insist on anyone who hunts with me being able to hit a marble at least 50% of the time from the distance they are hunting/shooting from.... but have ammended that to hitting the face of a standard size playing card (2.5" X 3.5") 5 times in a row... the distance they can no longer do it is the maximum range they should shoot from when hunting rabbits.


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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Bill Hays said:


> First of all make sure you are a good enough shot, with hard enough hitting ammo to make it happen.
> Then if in side profile, aim for the earhole... if from the front aim for the inside side of the eye that is nearest to you. After that... you can aim for the heart, but ONLY if your ammo can penetrate the body. Refer to an anatomy chart and get familiar with it.. imagine it in different angles... so you know where the heart is when the rabbit is in different poses to your eye.
> 
> At one time I used to insist on anyone who hunts with me being able to hit a marble at least 50% of the time from the distance they are hunting/shooting from.... but have ammended that to hitting the face of a standard size playing card (2.5" X 3.5") 5 times in a row... the distance they can no longer do it is the maximum range they should shoot from when hunting rabbits.


I like the principle of a set quantity of hits from a specific max distance as a standard. It will make practicing also hunting specific, Giving one's self clear parameters for practice to and hunt by


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## halbart (Jan 23, 2013)

With respect, Reuben, it sounds to me like you are 'copping out' and taking the view " if I can't shoot well enough to hit it in the head, then maybe I can make things easy for myself by hitting it somewhere else " . Please see my suggestion in the post 'Hunters should spin the bottle '. this is good fun and is the kind of accuracy you must have if you if you care about your quarry. I would suggest that if you can't spin the bottle whichever way you choose { I like to try to spin it one way and then the other } at your hunting range, then you should leave hunting until you can. Be patient, and you'll feel better for it. Good luck.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

I hunt and do very well and I couldn't cut a card or light a match if my life depended on it. If you can hit a tin can more than you miss with a sufficiently powerful slingshot at the range your going to shoot at game, go hunt. Every hunter should try for instant kills but fact of the matter is it doesn't always happen that way with any weapon and especially not with slingshots.


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

i do pretty good hunting with a slingshot my self but i carry a ball head war to help out with bad shots they happen i also have my dog max with me and i like to team hunt you dont know how you will do until you try.


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Unless you're hunting with a slingbow & can land a shot through the vitals, anywhere other than the head would seem cruel, in my opinion.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Still won't be chasing ***** or coyotes with my slingshot  but what do you think ghost?


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Tentacle Toast said:


> Unless you're hunting with a slingbow & can land a shot through the vitals, anywhere other than the head would seem cruel, in my opinion.


You have obviously never heard the labored breathing of an animal lung shot with a broadhead.  killing ain't pretty.....period.

EDIT: any shot that anchors an animal so that me or my dog can get to it is a good shot, we all hope for an instant kill but tbh rarely happens.


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Oh, I'm very familiar with the weezy death rattles of skewered lungs, with many an implement, unfortunately. Death is assured in short order under those circumstances, though...my point is that with a non-penetrating body shot, suffering is almost guaranteed. Headshots with "traditional" slingshot ammo (read marbles, ball-bearings, etc.) are best.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

True that, that is why when I make a solid hit I try to get to the animal as soon as possible to put it down as quickly as possible I also hunt animals that I know my gear is strong enough to reliably take. I want any solid body hit to stop the animal so that either me or Jackson can get to it to put it down, I don't want to let something get away to suffer.

With that said, to say that you should not hunt unless you can only hit head size targets is a bit unreasonable.


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

i like it what kind if wood


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Crape myrtle and it is hard as a rock but I don't know how it would hold up.


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

the one i have is made of hawg hall the ball is the root ball its self hard as a rock noting gets up from it


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## FWV2 (Mar 10, 2013)

Hey Reuben! you have gotten a lot of information from a lot of people, some of good some maybe not so good but when it comes down to it! its all about you! and you sound like you have a good start on hunting ethics by just knowing your not ready yet!

best bet that worked for me is to find someone in your family that hunts or someone you know and express your interest in hunting with them and when you think your ready to hunt I'm sure that person will assure you to!

If you commit to and do everything you can to make it feel right to you!! You will know when your ready to to hunt for a good clean kill with it being a slingshot or anyother hunting tool!

Good luck and be safe!!

Fwv2


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

I like that FWV2, very Jedi like.

"Young Padawan, do not listen to others, they may or may not give good advice, you and only you will know when you are ready to hunt" Or something like that. LOL


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## Jeff Lazerface (May 7, 2013)

Often when i hunt, i will have the prey in my sights and my heart starts thumping, and i chose not to fire. Knowing i could have killed is often enough, and i dont have to dig a hole for the guts. Its all in the hunt for me, not the kill.


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## Hunter (May 9, 2013)

Headshot - Rabbits, Squrrils, Hares Etc 
Chest -Birds 
Practice shooting bottle tops and small gets as such & when you come to hitting your game just imagine its head or chest is that bottle top


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Like most others said, i go for head shots most of the time.

However enough blunt force trauma with heavy ammo (I use 15, 20, and 25 gram lead), stops em in their tracks on the spot, for a fairly quick crushed skull via a hammer.

Although for rabbit I hate ruining too much meat ( I read 3 times the protein, and 1 third the fat of beef); so ahead,or neck shot the best.

And this takes hours of practice at various ranges, then judging the distance accurately in the field. Which is a whole other skill, depending upon size.

Cheers Allan


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## AJhunt (Jun 3, 2012)

head and neck shots only


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

AJhunt said:


> head and neck shots only


Really?


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## mrpaint (May 16, 2012)

dude this is beyond time perfect.... ive been having rabbit problems in my yard, in the past few days i've taken two with a powermaster 760, variable power pump air rifle. The first one I took.... I shot and actually hesitated, thinking I didn't hit it. About three seconds after the shot it fell over on the ground and started the death kicks, upon which point I walked up and put the ending round in its head. Today though, I took a shot on a pretty good sized one from about twenty yards (aiming for a head shot)... I must have hit low and left because it crippled it, it attempted to scamper off through my yard using only its two front paws. Honestly it was almost horrifrying to see this. I immediately reloaded and ran out to finish it off... one more shot to the head at near point blank range ended the story.... needless to say I think I am either going to make a new slingshot that is geared for double TBG, or I need a new air rifle with more power. It hurts my soul a little to have to shoot something more than once.

-Paint


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Humorous sarcasm only, no offence intended; and from my Army days.

Dry your eyes princess, and toughen up.

Nearly all hunting there are the occasional not clean kills, due to many factors, wind, non consistent power of the shot, even rifle ammunition is seldom perfectly the same power, unless you very carefully hand load.


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## mrpaint (May 16, 2012)

Aussie Allan In Thailand said:


> Humorous sarcasm only, no offence intended; and from my Army days.
> 
> Dry your eyes princess, and toughen up.
> 
> Nearly all hunting there are the occasional not clean kills, due to many factors, wind, non consistent power of the shot, even rifle ammunition is seldom perfectly the same power, unless you very carefully hand load.


I know man, I didn't hesitate reloading and walking across the yard to put it out of its misery.... just not ideal.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

mrpaint,

Absolute fact of hunting, sometimes it breaks your heart but there is no way to hunt that I am aware of that you are ensured an absolute pain free, quick death every time, it is just not possible. But also watch a lion make a kill or a hawk or any other predator and it is almost always less humane than hunting not saying that we should not do everything possible just saying it is natures way.


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