"hump" shot - urban legend... anyone have knowledge?
- Thread starter popcan
- Start date
I've been told (by the old time meat hunters up in our camp) a spine shot will kill a moose where it stands by way of totally destroying the moose's nervous system. A neck shot (from what I've been told) will not only destroy the nervous system, but also destroy the moose' brain. That's if you hit it in the spine of the neck. It's interesting the term meat hunter came up in a previous post, because after I did drop the moose - which was totally dead, the old timer went up to my moose and shot him in the ear. The 'coupe de gras' as it were. He told me it was to preserve as much meat as possible. And in my most humble of opinion, if you haven't gone up to your gun club every Saturday for a year and practiced shooting your hunting rilfe, I would suggest you do not take a spine shot. And again, I was only 11yds from my moose.
mmm... You hunt with idiots. It's "coup de grace" BTW and with all due respect, you should find some new hunting partners, your friends are full of ####. Save yourself, run from these guys before your brain is toootally destroyed from a hit in the spine of the neck. lol
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I am not a hunter, but I was interested in this thread because of the whole CNS thing. There is a theory that light, fast bullets create a shockwave that can damage tissue beyond even the temporary wound cavity's boundaries. This is called Hydrostatic Shock. Up till now, I kind of thought it was possibly true, but couldnt really visualize it. They measured it in pigs in a laboratory. The shockwave was measurably transmitted through the CNS and reached all the way to the brain. It just lacks the kind of clarity a video gives.
The moose video Lionhill linked to shows it clearly. It was an exceptionaly clean kill. Granted, the shot was made under fairly idea conditions. (From a quality firearm shot off of a bipod at close range)
Admittedly, its a small target. But that situation in the video, seemed like the perfect shot to me. And it has me a believer in hydrostatic shock. From what some of the hunters here are saying, it seems like common knowledge to them.
Up till now all I ever bothered to commit to memory was to aim for the bowling pin shaped "centre of mass" on the target. Now I see WHY.
Thanks for the perspective!
The moose video Lionhill linked to shows it clearly. It was an exceptionaly clean kill. Granted, the shot was made under fairly idea conditions. (From a quality firearm shot off of a bipod at close range)
Admittedly, its a small target. But that situation in the video, seemed like the perfect shot to me. And it has me a believer in hydrostatic shock. From what some of the hunters here are saying, it seems like common knowledge to them.
Up till now all I ever bothered to commit to memory was to aim for the bowling pin shaped "centre of mass" on the target. Now I see WHY.
Thanks for the perspective!
last moose I shot, dropped from a high lung shot @ 250 yards (30-06 168 gr tsx). Im sure the bullet's hydrostatic shock wave knocked the moose down and before it even got a chance to get up, the loss of blood and oxygen from the destroyed lungs did it in
Vertibrae in the hump are elongated, giving a larger area to aim for... I am still in favour of a boiler room heart lung shot. Might try it at closer range if the moose was where I wanted him to end up. My dad shot everything in the neck, moose, deer, bear, have to admit they stayed right where he shot them.
God I laugh at the term "hydrostatic shock". There is absolutely nothing static about a bullet penetration event. Hydrodynamic might be a better term but the fact remains there is far too little fluid and the vascular system too elastic for a shockwave to undulate through a body. Hump shots are spine shots, there is no close is good enough, you sever or damage the spine to put the animal down.
The spinous process on the vertebrae is very pronounced on moose, sticking up quite aways and actually creating the hump. Striking one of these with a bullet severely affects the spinal cord and can drop the animal on the spot. Often not a killing shot, hitting the spinous process effects can be temporary and paralysis will leave and the animal can survive the whole ordeal.
ok well call it what you want, but that bullet did not come within 4 inches of hitting the spine, yet the moose dropped stone dead on impact with a shot into the lungs. Either way, I ate moose all winter
ok well call it what you want, but that bullet did not come within 4 inches of hitting the spine, yet the moose dropped stone dead on impact with a shot into the lungs. Either way, I ate moose all winter
I'd call it a shot in the lungs. Good job!
Republic of Alberta
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If I NEEDED to drop a moose right F'n now and the hump was convenient I would shoot it in the spine.
I will always take the shot that particular situation dictates.
I will always take the shot that particular situation dictates.
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- Back in the Peace Country
HYDROSTATIC SHOCK !!!
Been awhile since that ones been attacked, but I'll just leave it at, as it pertains to animals and hunting and shooting them with bullets. Hydrostatic shock does not exist. (But who cares)
I was raised with the term hump shot meaning something completely different than you guys.
A hunp shot was a shot when you couldn't judge the distances well or the animal was walking out. You'd take a hump shot if you were within range but did not know exactly the range. A hump shot would usually fall in.
Been awhile since that ones been attacked, but I'll just leave it at, as it pertains to animals and hunting and shooting them with bullets. Hydrostatic shock does not exist. (But who cares)
I was raised with the term hump shot meaning something completely different than you guys.
A hunp shot was a shot when you couldn't judge the distances well or the animal was walking out. You'd take a hump shot if you were within range but did not know exactly the range. A hump shot would usually fall in.
Hump Shot
I have done it (not by choice) on a few moose it works both fell and one got buck up but didn't even try to walk away. Don't try it in Africa as the antelope all have a hump but it is above the spine and lungs and it leaves a poor blood trail to follow.
I have done it (not by choice) on a few moose it works both fell and one got buck up but didn't even try to walk away. Don't try it in Africa as the antelope all have a hump but it is above the spine and lungs and it leaves a poor blood trail to follow.
No, that's not the question,
but thank you for the brilliant and informative contribution from your vast fund of knowledge anyhow.
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ok well call it what you want, but that bullet did not come within 4 inches of hitting the spine, yet the moose dropped stone dead on impact with a shot into the lungs. Either way, I ate moose all winter
thats exactly the same experience I had with the calf I shot a few years back. Dropped in its track, and a good thing too the old cow was some angry, had to use the shotgun with No7 shot several times to discourage her from stomping my guts out
but the calf was good eating
Ok, so back to Popcan's original question as we all seem to stray away. Yes the hump shot will anchor them, and yes you can finish them off with a follow up shot. But, my contention is WHY? Moose won't come after you such as a grizz will, so why in God's green earth would you choose to do that. Place your kill shot and get it done and over with. Having said that, I did shoot a huge bull in what I figured was a "kill" shot zone, he moved uphill and I placed one in the hump, he did go down and expired. Whas it the first shot or second shot that did the job, I don't know. But still, I'd go for lungs or heart first, then the hump. I don't see the point in anchoring a moose, but that's just me.
