While
stationed at Biggs Air Force Base (now defunct) in El
Paso, Texas in 1963, I had the rare opportunity to be
shown how to construct and use a "proper sling"
by a 75 year old master whose heritage was Mescalero
Apache. I never could properly pronounce this gentleman's
given name, but he preferred to be called Grandfather
anyway as it was a term of respect.
The
sling he removed from his pocket was somewhat worn and
unimpressive to see which belied what he and it were
truly capable of. Mentally I was comparing him with
other slingers I'd seen. I'd become accustomed to observing
wasted motion and inaccuracy as the norm. His calm demeanor
and unhurried movements added to my misconceptions.
After his first two casts, it began to register what
I was actually seeing. This old dark-skinned gentleman
transformed before my eyes to the embodiment of a trained
hunter and a fearsome warrior. His strength and speed
left me speechless.
At approximately 35 yards or less his accuracy was more
than equal to the fictional Ayla*. He explained that
after that distance the stone lost velocity rapidly
which would make kills more difficult, but his accuracy
seemed barely affected. His demonstration target was
the bottom metal climbing rung on an old style telephone
pole which he easily hit more than 80% of the time with
such extreme speed and force that the stone would fracture
into small pieces while the rung itself rang like a
loud, dull sounding bell. He matter-of-factly claimed
similar accuracy on moving targets. To the best of his
knowledge, his Mescalaro tribe had been using slings
for centuries for hunting or combat and could kill a
deer or warrior with equal ease.
While he was growing up, before the turn of the 20th
century, his tribe was restricted to a small area of
reservation land so hunting was difficult at best. They
were not permitted to legally possess firearms until
the second decade of the 20th century, after having
been forcibly disarmed in 1880 by an order from Col.
Hatch of the U.S. Army. If they missed a throw, then
they usually went hungry because the food the U.S. government
dispensed was always too small in quantity and was frequently
contaminated. He firmly maintained that his methods
were the best and I could find no fault. The following
text summarizes his instructions through actions and
verbal communication.
The
Construction
All slingers should construct their own sling to match
their personal height and arm length. (A properly designed
sling develops expertise, a poorly designed sling develops
frustration - L.W.F.). The woven cordage should be made
of a type of material that has little or no stretching
properties because cord-stretch somewhat inhibits the
stone and pouch velocity increase. As you'll soon learn,
the loaded-pouch speed must be able to increase very,
very quickly. This requirement eliminates most leather
and nylon type materials for the cords. Grandfather
preferred modern string but you can just as effectively
use your own plant fibers. Several types of braiding
can be used but keep it tight, light, and simple to
start with. This sling design will be small and light
enough to carry at all times. Just wrap up the cord
around two fingers and store it in the pouch to retain
the pouch shape.
Start with three strong small diameter strings (strands)
each 10 ft (3m) or more in length -- at least twice
as large and much stronger than kite string. Begin braiding
from the center of the string with the ends hanging
down from both sides of the braid equally. Make this
starting braid (a single 3 strand braid) about 2"
(51 mm) long or just long enough to fit easily around
your small finger at its base near the knuckle. then
hang the braided portion over an anchored peg or the
like and combine the six strings so you have three pairs
and braid together to form the loop. From this point
on, keep the cord taut. You now should have a braided
loop with a single braided cord of 6 strings (3 pairs)
attached. Continue to braid the single cord, frequently
check its length by slipping the loop over your small
finger. Lay the single braided cord across your palm,
so as to grip the cord with your whole hand and thumb.
Clamp the loose strings near the braid (to keep your
braid from unraveling), let your sling arm hang straight
down beside your body to measure the braid to the ground.
Continue to braid until the single cord reaches 2"(51mm)
or more from the ground. Longer is not better! It's
worse if the completed pouch ends up too close to the
ground. When finished, the loaded sling's pouch should
just clear the ground 1" to 2" with your arm
held straight down. Allow more clearance if you frequently
contend with grasses, etc.
Now, begin the pouch-split "Y" by dividing
the braid into two separate cords of 3 single strands
each. The two cords should be about 4-1/2" (11.5
cm) long and precisely equal in length. Maybe 5-1/2"
(15.3cm) or more longer and 1/4" (5.5 mm) wider
on your next sling depending, of course, on the size
of the rock you decide to use. The 4-1/2" to 5-1/2"
pouch length will hold a 1-1/2" (38mm) to 2"
(51mm) stone which, with skill, can kill up to a medium
sized deer.
Now blend the two cords together again and return to
the single larger diameter cord with the 3 paired-line
braiding. Hook the "Y" split over your peg
and continue until this cord is 6" longer from
the pouch-split than the looped end is. Knot the very
end of this non-loop braid.
There doesn't seem to be any better material for the
pouch than tanned leather if for no other reason than
its ability to be readily shaped. The leather thickness
should not be too heavy but not as thin as rabbit skin,
for the needed strength. The leather pouch should be
the shape of an elongated "oval" with each
end gradually tapering to a point. A good usable pouch
width is 2-1/4" (58 mm)wide. The leather should
be long enough to fill the oval space between the two
braided cords. If you use a larger piece of leather,
you can sew it to the sling and trim it off later. Be
sure to maintain a good pouch shape for the stone as
you attach the leather to the cord by sewing with sinew
or heavy shoe thread. Don't pre-punch holes in the leather;
simply pierce the leather with a large needle as you
sew all the way around the pouch. Holes should be located
in a line about 1/8" from the edge of the leather
and about 1/8" apart. Before sewing, you may want
to mark a stitching line to follow that is about 1/8"
from the edge of the pre-shaped pouch leather to use
as a guide. This should keep the pouch leather from
puckering. After gaining experience, you may alter any
of the previous dimensions to suit your personal preferences
and to match your physical capabilities.
The leather should end up slightly larger than the split
opening. The 3-braid cords should lay on the outside
of the pouch -- opposite where the stone will sit. Fasten
the pouch to the cord by passing the thread around the
cord and then poking a new hole. Once you're satisfied
with the results of wet-shaping the leather to obtain
a shallow cup, let it dry over a period of days with
a stone slightly larger than what you plan to use loosely
wrapped inside. Later finish by coating with leather
sealant (anything from rendered fat to silicones) for
moisture proofing and to make it pliable.
Put the loop over your small finger and lay both ends
of the finished braided cord side by side across your
palm with the knotted (non-loop) end hanging over the
base of your hand and the pouch end of both cords passing
through the thumb and forefinger. Grip both cords firmly
with all four fingers and thumb. Holding the cords taut,
slide-adjust the knotted end in your grip so the points
on the pouch line up exactly when it is folded in half
lengthwise.
Make a mark on the knotted (non-loop) cord just inside
your grip where the thumb clamps it tight on the forefinger.
Mark this location permanently by wrapping and interweaving
a single string tightly around the cord. Wrap it many
times to form a thumb-knot so you'll grip this cord
in the same place each time it's used. This aids both
consistent grip placement and accurate release timing.
When finished, cut off the knot on the non-loop end
and tie a new knot just 1" (25.4mm) or so past
your closed hand and trim off the excess.
One key to accuracy: do not try to make the pouch fit
around the stone too tightly or it may not release reliably.
If you find your accuracy mysteriously drops after considerable
use -- try changing and then reshape a new pouch leather.
The more slings you make, the better the quality will
get. Keep your first sling as a "good medicine"
piece and/or reference to see how much you improve.
Ammunition
All stones of equal size are not necessarily the same
density (weight). A smaller stone of greater density
is faster for a longer distance than a larger stone
of less density. large and very small stones, by their
very nature, are usually less accurate, but use what
you prefer as long as they work. Be selective and gain
skill in locating the stones most equal to your favorites,
it should help improve your accuracy.
Find a not too large, very hard and dense keeper stone
(small hammer stone) to use in striking potential ammo
stones (rocks talk). With time the resulting sound and
vibration can tell you much about other stones, things
such as density and imperfections, etc. Keep track visually
of your more successful stones for retrieval purposes.
Mark them with a small paint marker or crayon for both
visual and sound comparison to others you find.
Once you have become a "stone connoisseur"
it will be obvious that almost no stone is round. However,
there are almost always similarities within stone shapes
that can be utilized to improve accuracy. The similarities
that are difficult to see, can often be felt in the
hand. From the very beginning you should use the non-throwing
hand to feel the stone shape and weight since that is
the hand you will use to correctly place the stone in
the pouch. By placing those similar landmarks (such
as a small end or flat spot) in the pouch the same direction
each time, the trajectories can be calculated to make
very fine compensations in direction for precise aiming.
Once you've passed that magical unseen threshold of
precision you should have already discovered not to
switch back and forth between manufactured ammo and
nature's gifts (stones). Pre-made ammunition eliminates
one of the great advantages of the sling, free ammo.
(With pre-made ammo, unless you are very, very good,
you may have to carry a lot of heavy weight when hunting
or you'll need to recover most everything you throw.
L.W.F.)
The Logic
1. When in throwing range of wild game or an enemy,
it is unlikely they will stay still while a two-legged
predator stands and twirls a weapon in circles. The
prey will likely be long-gone or the enemy may shoot
long before any projectile can be slung.
2.
When you wound a predator with a bullet or arrow, it
doesn't usually carry a personal risk factor, but missing
a fatal spot with a rock can merely anger some predators
(personal experience), so keep at least a good size
knife and first-aid kit handy.
3.
When asked about the David & Goliath technique,
Grandfather would smile and say that "the more
times you spin the sling, the more you increase your
chances of missing, even on a non-moving target."
4.
A taller person can use a longer sling for greater speed
but they are a bigger target for game to spot or for
an enemy to hit (Grandfather stood about 5'7").
5.
The necessity for speed when using a sling is absolute
but it only comes with practice.
The Technique
Target practice should be approached with an attitude
of the hunter. You never know when it might be needed
for that purpose and it makes practice more interesting.
(To those of you who have practiced by twirling the
sling, this Apache method may seem like a very short
anti-climax but please give it an honest try. L.W.F.).
For the purpose of hunting, practice while standing
on uneven ground and from behind partial cover. While
hunting, after you've stalked within range (or placed
yourself in front of a target while practicing), stand
very still while facing your prey with your body at
an angle of about 45 or more degrees. Pick an open spot
to throw from. You should have previously removed any
backpack, gloves, wide-brim hat or heavy coat that is
restrictive. Keep the throwing arm side of your body
to the rear, hidden from the target's line of sight.
Hold your visible arm close to you, across your body.
The animal is not necessarily sure you are a human predator
until you show your arms. Don't stare directly at the
animal until you are ready to aim and throw.
If you have not already loaded the stone, do it now
by keeping the sling behind you (out of sight from your
prey) with the cords gripped about 2" from the
pouch. Insert the stone in the pouch (behind you) and
slowly let both cords slide through your hand (behind
you) until the pouch stops just above the ground. Quickly
concentrate visually on the smallest kill spot possible.
Without hesitation and without moving a step, very quickly
swing your arm and sling up from behind you and over
the top in an overhand throw while attempting to keep
your arm as straight and long as you can for airspeed.
Put your body fully behind it in a fast turning motion
similar to a baseball pitcher but without the step.
Be aggressive and make all motions as large as you can.
It's usually harder to correct a bad habit than to learn
it right the first time. You may try a forward step
as you throw but I believe you'll find that it slows
you down. The body motion requires more twisting than
an Atlatl or Tomahawk throw.
The whole action is over from start to stop in less
than a second and the arm has swung less than 360 degrees.
If your muscles are not used to this motion, start slow
and work up to speed over a period of time. Speed and
accuracy will only come with daily practice and everyone,
male and female is a potential master.
I hope these condensed instructions are of help. Good
luck and pleasant throwing.
- L.W. Forsyth
* Ayla is a character from Jean Auel's Earth Children
books
|