Kilted hunting?

**MacLowlife** · 17th February 12, 09:29 AM

My barrel is as big as a whisky cask and nobody has ever thought it a bore, or been rude enough to say so...

If THAT doesn't get us shut down, I will just warn all of you slingers that aiming at a flock of birds will get you an air sandwich for supper. You have to aim at just one within the flock or be very lucky indeed. Aiming at all of them means hitting none of them.

**Ryan Ross** · 17th February 12, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by MacLowlife

You have to aim at just one within the flock or be very lucky indeed. Aiming at all of them means hitting none of them.

Generalities can be a dangerous thing- That's why we all get accused of being bagpipers, so frequently.

The historical record, with examples from far-reaching cultures and time periods, refrences the sling being used to hunt "flocking birds", specifically (bare in mind that you can load several stones at a time, creating a scatter effect). I tend to trust in thousands of years of experience.

That said, I'm certain that wearing a kilt while hunting said birds would increase the chances of success.

**Heath** · 17th February 12, 09:59 AM

I LOVE this thread! Haha! Okay, you all have me convinced to try/practice slinging now. I'll need to get back on my physical therapy for my shoulder though, before i really get into it. Any other kilted hunting stories or pics? You all afe cracking me hp, by the way.

**Ryan Ross** · 17th February 12, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Heath

I LOVE this thread! Haha! Okay, you all have me convinced to try/practice slinging now. I'll need to get back on my physical therapy for my shoulder though, before i really get into it. Any other kilted hunting stories or pics? You all afe cracking me hp, by the way.

If I have time, you may just get a kilted beer bottle hunting picture, tomorrow.

Hahaha- I'm loving this thread, too... even though I'm now questioning how easy it would be to bag a bird with a sling, kilt or no.

**MacLowlife** · 17th February 12, 10:11 AM

Granted, generalities are as dangerous as throwing an atl-atl in a piper's convention, but I will still caution you to aim at a single bird within the flock. I believe Professor Babcock will back me up on this, and I suspect David L Pope can, too.

The thinking is that a few hundred s-h-o-t-g-u-n pellets can make up for a lack of accuracy on the part of a novice hunter, but they never did for me. I have frequently missed a target by roughly the span of space that separates one bird in a flock from another, but I have never managed to miss by just enough to hit the next one in line...

There is another kind of throwing thing- I have heard it called a throwing stick- that consists of a short stick with a weight. I gather that it is deadly against rabbits and squirrels at the right range. I have no idea how you throw it.

http://books.google.com/books?id=eUv...0stick&f=false

Are any of the throwing games in Highland Games connected to taking wild game?

**Ryan Ross** · 17th February 12, 10:26 AM

Oh, I'm certain your traditional wisdom is spot-on, when it comes to chemically assisted projectile devices!

And even with a sling, I would certainly TRY to aim at a specific bird... but I'd select a bird that had as many of his friends very close by as possible. I get the idea that 'flocking birds' probably refers more to things like duck and goose than birds proper, and that the object would be to take them from as close a range as possible, preferably when they were congregating close together, but not yet on the wing (which, I believe, is a big no-no in modern sport hunting).

I know we have a bunch of stuff to go by from the Egyptians, concerning hunting fowl with a sling... and those guys tended to wear a loin cloth not unlike a backwards facing proto-kilt, after all!

And that's a very interesting question, concerning Highland Athletics. I somehow doubt there's a connection, but I do know that the Scts used slings in warfare, back in the day, just like everyone else did.

**Mark E.** · 17th February 12, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Ryan Ross

Oh, I'm certain your traditional wisdom is spot-on, when it comes to chemically assisted projectile devices!

And even with a sling, I would certainly TRY to aim at a specific bird... but I'd select a bird that had as many of his friends very close by as possible. I get the idea that 'flocking birds' probably refers more to things like duck and goose than birds proper, and that the object would be to take them from as close a range as possible, preferably when they were congregating close together, but not yet on the wing (which, I believe, is a big no-no in modern sport hunting).

I know we have a bunch of stuff to go by from the Egyptians, concerning hunting fowl with a sling... and those guys tended to wear a loin cloth not unlike a backwards facing proto-kilt, after all!

And that's a very interesting question, concerning Highland Athletics. I somehow doubt there's a connection, but I do know that the Scts used slings in warfare, back in the day, just like everyone else did.

Well, current manner of "sporting behavior" was written by folk who were not hungry. I am a shotgunner, and if I can scare a turkey off roost and convince it to break neck on way down, no pellet damage to the thing...I am going to stop there.

How about the "clover" heads for arrows, for bird hunting? I have seen the effects, and, well, gets the job done. I have attempted drawing bow in kilt (66" longbow), and the lower limb would hang up a bit if I had any movement in the apron at front left.

Those loincloth bits went betwix the legs, too! A good thing...What I know of hot desert climates is that heat radiates upwards, and well, roasting certain parts is not my cup of tea...

**Heath** · 17th February 12, 11:06 AM

I've heard them called "rabbit sticks" as well. I have an issue of "Backwoodsman" magazine with an article on how to make them. The one they make in the magazine closely resembles a hawaiian war club.

Originally Posted by MacLowlife

Granted, generalities are as dangerous as throwing an atl-atl in a piper's convention, but I will still caution you to aim at a single bird within the flock. I believe Professor Babcock will back me up on this, and I suspect David L Pope can, too.

The thinking is that a few hundred s-h-o-t-g-u-n pellets can make up for a lack of accuracy on the part of a novice hunter, but they never did for me. I have frequently missed a target by roughly the span of space that separates one bird in a flock from another, but I have never managed to miss by just enough to hit the next one in line...

There is another kind of throwing thing- I have heard it called a throwing stick- that consists of a short stick with a weight. I gather that it is deadly against rabbits and squirrels at the right range. I have no idea how you throw it.

http://books.google.com/books?id=eUv...0stick&f=false

Are any of the throwing games in Highland Games connected to taking wild game?

**Heath** · 17th February 12, 12:45 PM

Found this site while searching for info on slings. Www.slinging.org

**Singlemalt** · 17th February 12, 02:16 PM

I remember as a boy in the early sixties in Canada there was a TV show about some medieval type character who used a sling. It was I think originally made in French but I watched in English translation. I can't remember what it was called but it had a very rousing theme song which I can still conjurer up in my mind.

In any case all the boys around where I lived made slings and copied the hero of the show. With an endless summer and an endless supply of rocks it was surprising how good you could get with it. Also surprising I don't remember anyone getting hurt!