At first I met a slingshot craftsman who was also a regional competitor. I inquired about the possibility of just pinching together a rubberband/leather pouch set between my thumb and forefinger. He said that it could be done but you would need to rotate your hand downward at launch as you released your projectile. I bought the set from him and then decided on what ammunition to use.

 
 
 
 
Steel bearings (or shot) was expensive as were clay pellets, so I went to Walmart and found “Cherry Sours” candy that was cheap, biodegradable, environmentally safe, and coincidentally just the right size.
 
 
 

 
 
 
I was careful at first, trying to apply the rotation technique and actually hit a 3 inch can lid on my DIY Simple Spinner Targets from 7 meters away, but shortly afterwards I got careless and smacked my thumb multiple times really hard, with the result of creating a blood blister under my thumbnail. If you choose to try this method I would recommend wearing a leather glove on your hand at first.

 
 
 
Deterred by the difficulty and pain, I considered trying an alternative safer method of tying the ends of the rubber bands into loops that I could slip over my thumb and forefinger to use as a frame. Voila! It was smooth shooting and I hit my target a number of times… it’s quite intuitive for aiming. However, unless you have very strong fingers your draw back will be somewhat limited, but, it would have knock down potential for small game.

For purists… using your fingers to hold the bands would in essence be a frame, but you wouldn’t need a mechanical frame that would have to be constructed, and be potentially awkward to carry. Eliminating a frame would make for ultra light weight and convenient when backpacking or for easy storage.

In my youth my grandfather made for me a simple slingshot using a “Y” shaped cutting from a tree branch along with thick rubber band straps with a leather pouch. I had a lot of fun using it but never achieved critical skill for hunting.

Awhile back I found a shed antler and kept it for any future projects and it dawned on me that it could be made into a slingshot. I began by taping off the places where it needed to be cut and proceeded to use a hacksaw for that task. I also had some spare leather pieces that I used to make the pouch. What remained was the need for the straps.

In days gone by large wide rubber bands were easy to come by but these days the only ones that I could find were half the lengths that I remember. In order to get the length needed I had to “daisy chain” or loop the two rubber bands together, then using the same technique of looping I attached the ends to the pouch and antler frame.

I was eager to try it out. Without the wrist support of the modern slingshot I had to readjust my grip on the unsupported handle. My initial shots proved to be better than when I used my modern slingshot! By my third shot I was able to hit a two and a half inch can lid at seven yards! I think that a contributing factor is that I lean the frame forward as I shoot and it seems to make a notable difference. For now, this antler frame is my go-to slingshot and I am delighted at the results.

For shooting tips and inspiration you can watch “Carolina Camera: The Sling Shot Man” to witness some remarkable marksmanship.

 
 
 
 I bought a spool of mason’s line at the big box hardware store for $6. It was 250 ft. I had figured that the project would require 320 ft. but I wondered what I could do with less. I started by stretching a line across an 8 ft. board that I placed between 2 trees. I marked the line with a sharpie pen every 4 inches. Then I cut 12 ft. lengths of line and folded each one in half and began to fasten them onto the top line at each mark using larks head knots (also known as cows hitch knots).

 The original plan was to make an 8 ft. wide by 6 ft. tall net. I began to run out of line at the 6 ft. mark and so began to tie the hanging lines at alternate pairs to create the diamond shaped pattern of netting. I would grab the left line and roll the first loop up and hold it while I rolled a second loop beneath the first knot in the opposite direction. I would join the loops together that formed a lark’s head knot after I pulled the right line through the double loop. The lark’s head knot when spread open revealed 2 overhead knots appearing like a square knot that could be adjusted to the right length to create the diamond net cell.

Once I finished the net I had to figure out a way to suspend it. It was obviously too short to hang it like a conventional hammock so I used it like a sling. I used some polypropylene rope to thread through the net’s outer edge loops before attaching them to opposing sides of each tree. Proper practice is to use slings to attach to each tree but for the quick test I just tied the ropes directly.

I gingerly entered the gill net hammock and it held!. A longer net would have been more comfortable but the experiment was a success. The more I wiggled to settle in the hammock the net began to slide from the outsides inward so fastening the head end would be needed. It seems that the foot end could remain loose as it can be slid to the middle in order to step out of the net to exit.

This hammock is certainly not convenient or perhaps for some even safe but it might be better than laying on the ground in certain conditions and uses simple materials to construct. As usual, it was a fun project of discovery and learning.