Wilkinson, in his "Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians," vol. iii, p. 39, says:—

They do not seem to have used the bow very generally to shoot birds, nor was the sling adopted, except by gardeners and peasants, to frighten them from the vineyards and fields. The use of the throw-stick was very general, every amateur chasseur priding himself on the dexterity he displayed with this missile, and being made of heavy wood, flat, and offering little surface to the air in the direction of the flight, the distance to which an expert could throw it was considerable; though they always endeavoured to approach the birds as near as possible under cover of bushes or reeds. It was from one foot and a quarter to two feet in length, and about an inch and a half in breadth, slightly curved at the upper end, and its general form may be inferred from one found at Thebes by Mr. Burton, from those of the Berlin Museum, and from the sculptures.