Huw Kennedy, of Acton Round Hall, Shropshire, is revered beyond Britain for the "huge beast" of a medieval siege engine he has built on his land to hurl derelict cars and pianos impressive distances.
But yesterday the renown of his trebuchet spread outside the world of military reconstruction societies. Mr Kennedy earned a place in the records of the RSPCA.
This was because it emerged that he has also used his counterpoised, 60ft-high sling made from pine trunks to hurl dead cows, dead pigs and at least one dead horse.
In doing this - his wife Susan said last night - he is following the example of his historical forbears. "They always used dead animals in the Middle Ages," she said. "It was one of the ways of spreading the plague.
"He has thrown one dead horse, some cows and quite a lot of pigs. We always have a lot of people coming to watch".
Mr Kennedy, a retired Royal Lancers officer in his sixties, was away from his home near Bridgnorth last night. But he discussed his wider choice of missiles in an interview with this month's entertainment magazine Maxim.
"Normally we fling cars - they go about 100 yards - but dead cows and horses can be just as much fun. Not all of them burst on impact - but when they do, the local kids love paddling in the guts.
"It's a different hobby, but it's a personal thing. A dead horse is a traditional medieval missile - but it's quite difficult getting hold of dead horses."
An RSPCA spokesman said: "Mr Kennedy may say no suffering is being caused. But flinging dead cows and horses through the air hardly promotes a responsible attitude to animals. This kind of thing implies they are disposable for entertainment."