Sling shots anybody?

I was contemplating carrying a sling shot with me on my treks. I was thinking a sling shot may be a good time around camp, maybe some friendly competition. Of course safety/common sense is #1. Anybody carry one?

Back in the paleolithic (mid-1970s) I brought a wrist-rocket style slingshot on a couple of hikes, looking to pass the time and have a bit of fun. It wasn't as much fun as I'd imagined. The ammo I could pick up off the ground wasn't aerodynamic enough to fly straight and darned if I was going to bring ball bearings with me as ammo. Too heavy, not to mention the dilemma of either leaving them littered around or else painstakingly tracking them down and picking them back up. So I stopped taking the slingshot with me.

I certainly wouldn't want that extra weight of a few hundred bearings in my pack, the litter is a bigger concern. Maybe those curve ball rocks will add a twist to the fun? Im not a reader, so Im searching out other light weight, easy options when fishing isn't available. Im a bowyer and have spent the time to make a simple sapling bow and some simple arrows, that was fun. But I do that all year when Im not trekking!

I can think of two reasons to carry one.

-Shooting a bear bag line over the desired limb.
-Shooting a bear going after the hung food.

That's about it. IIRC ham operators use them to string antenna wire.

Cheers,

I have carried one on several trips just for fun at camp. A little target practice and competition. I never carry any kind of "ammo" but just use rocks and the like.

I don't think one would do much good against any kind of wildlife predator but I do find some comfort knowing it would make a potential human attacker think twice.

I have carried one, with a fishing reel attached, to hang antenna wire over high tree limbs. Fairly useless for much else.