Slingshot Hunting As an Outdoor Challenge

Slingshot hunting is a sport enjoyed by men and boysEnglish sparrows that stole chicken feed. He paid me a
around the world. There is the challenge of stalkingpenny apiece for each one I bagged. I had become a
game with only a primitive weapon in hand, and no thrillbounty hunter!
like that of scoring when all the odds are against theBut my brother and I set our sights on bigger game
sportsman.too. The fields and woods outside of town had fox
Most guys get their start shooting slingshots when assquirrels and cottontail rabbits. Not only was hunting
boys, there was the need to find something fun andthem even more of a challenge, but they were edible
time consuming. The thrill of the chase enters in, andgame, fit for the supper table. As it turned out, the
they get hooked on BB guns and slingshots.squirrels were too hard, but rabbits we could get. In
Growing up in the southern Midwest of the US, I gotaddition, we also got lots of turtle doves during the fall
involved with slingshots as a young age, before TVseason.
and other sedentary activities got hold of me. I lovedThey were small, but tasty treats.
being out of doors, and I saw a lot of saucy "badDad had rules to guide our slingshot hunting. Leave the
birds" like starlings, sparrows and grackles all over thesongbirds alone, and anything edible we shot, we
place in the towns we live in. Slingshot hunting becamecleaned and gave to Mom, who was happy to cook
my hobby.them up for the family.
I bought my first slingshot, a WhamO, from a magazineMost guys today who like to hunt with slingshots got
ad. It worked pretty well. I practiced using the gravel intheir start as kids. And some still prefer to make their
the alleyway, but soon decided to build my ownown slingshots. Some fellows like flat bands for
homemade slingshot. A tree branch fork, some rubberpropulsion, while others are satisfied with slingshots
bands and a leather shoe tongue, put together in thewith the tubular bands. Many excellent commercial
right way, and I had my superduper weapon. It worked.slingshots and ammo are available. Slingshots are
I went after the pest birds with a vengeance.relatively cheap and offer many hours of inexpensive
One neighbor had a chicken yard, and he hated thefun.