When shooting an animal, a shot that makes the animal bleed profusely is preferred over one that does not. If a head or neck shot drops the animal dead on its feet, it won't bleed, therefore meat will tend to be tougher unless it's hung for a long time to allow blood to drain, but this doesn't work all the time.
Why is spine shot so effective?
- Thread starter vpsalin
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OP, where exactly are you seeing these "spine shots" that drop the animal on the spot? I presume you're talking about the neck, right?
On my first deer hunt I hit a deer full on in the chest (30-06, maybe 30 yards) and he went down like a sack of potatoes. I figured it was due to the shock of the physical impact.
Maybe that's the mechanism responsible.
I know my human anatomy and there's certainly nothing in the neck that "instantly" kills when damaged, although damage in the upper to middle spinal cord will certainly stop breathing (C3,4,5 keeps the diaphragm alive) and any damage to the spinal cord of the neck will instantly paralyze.
I'm speculating here, but maybe it's the hydrostatic shock to the spinal cord that causes the deer to drop (similar to knocking out someone if you hit them in the chin at just the right angle)
On my first deer hunt I hit a deer full on in the chest (30-06, maybe 30 yards) and he went down like a sack of potatoes. I figured it was due to the shock of the physical impact.
Maybe that's the mechanism responsible.
I know my human anatomy and there's certainly nothing in the neck that "instantly" kills when damaged, although damage in the upper to middle spinal cord will certainly stop breathing (C3,4,5 keeps the diaphragm alive) and any damage to the spinal cord of the neck will instantly paralyze.
I'm speculating here, but maybe it's the hydrostatic shock to the spinal cord that causes the deer to drop (similar to knocking out someone if you hit them in the chin at just the right angle)
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- SW Ontario
This was my thinking exactly but wasn’t sure if deer are wired the same way as humans. No need for a “controlled study” as Suther suggested, just a knowledge of anatomy.
I'm with you on this opinion. I'm on the creek...folks are hunting in season. But I get to see where their 'Head / spine shots' failed come spring. Hmmm, another bunch of bones...Nimrods again most likely.
So many people who can with 100% certainty make head and spine shots............ They're all either non-hunters (Range Warriors) or Liars.
I made one spine shot 13 years ago (I have the video to remind me) when I hit higher than intended, and the follow-up killing shot was not pleasant. I shot a wounded deer once that had its jaw shot off - much less pleasant (and a half-starved deer to tag to boot).
Go for the Boiler Room.
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canadaman30
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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I have shot the last few animals with a high shoulder shot, everyone dropped stone dead in its tracks.
I shot a moose a few years ago with a high shoulder shot. It was done on purpose to anchor the animal, due to the location of the moose and proximity to swamps and inaccessible water. It dropped in its tracks, but when I got there about an hour later, it was still breathing and very much conscious.
But where is the proof that what is causing such dramatic deaths is a loss of motor function to the diaphragm?
Besides, wouldn't that cause the deer to suffocate, something that takes minutes to actually kill them, not almost instantly kill it like the OP is suggesting?
Knowledge of anatomy allows you to make some reasonable assumptions, but it does not provide enough information to make a definitive call on whats causing the lightning fast kills the OP talks about.
I've read several reports of animals not only running off after taking a bullet through that tiny gap, but even surviving and healing up afterwards. So, if you are intentionally aiming for the spine, a miss by only a couple of inches can result in not only a grievous wound that is not immediately lethal or incapacitating, but even a potentially survivable wound that causes pain and suffering for an extended period of time.
I also wonder about the shock transmitted to the spine if a bullet strikes the bone adjacent without actually damaging or severing the spinal cord itself. There are plenty of instances of bullets glancing off of skulls, striking a blow that stuns the animal temporarily but allows it to regain its senses and escape a minute or two later. Why couldn't the same be true of the spinal cord?
I honestly don't understand how a hunter could look at the size of target presented by the spine as opposed to the heart/lung/shoulder area and still make the conscious decision to ever choose the spine shot...let alone make the bloated pronouncement that they always utilize that shot...
"Look at me...I'm just soooooo good..."
I guess my answer to why the spine shot is so effective is simply this: it's not.
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And there are guys who have claimed doing that on a quartered animal only ending up with a shoulder graze or gut shot.
Fair to say, know your firearm and what you can and can't do with it as not every scenario is played out the same way. You are taking from the animal, so it deserves your respect with a quick and human kill. Take that extra second to ensure this, since once you pull the trigger the shot placement is 100% on you.
That shot didn't result in a bad hit; it was attempting a shot that they were not capable of making that caused the problem.
Too many guys take running shots, or extreme-long-range shots, or poor presentation shots, or any other kind of low-probability shot...because that was "the only shot I had!"
News flash: if the only shot you have is one that you are not completely confident of being able to make...then you don't have a shot at all.
Well said.
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
I suspect these “dramatic deaths” and “lightening fast kills” may be more accurately described as some sort of instantaneous shock. Death generally takes a bit of time and lack of motion doesn’t necessarily mean instant death.
I guess I'm referring to the high shoulder shot. Since no vital organs are there, why does the animal expire so quick? Someone here has suggested that the animal looses motor function, so I assume that means the animal dies a slow death but doesn't go very far. People have been suggesting that for a quick spinal kill the shot must be nearer to the base of the skull to 'shock brain' into death and stop diaphragm as well.
That's about the only useful information I've gathered in 6 pages of threads
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
The two neck/spine shots I’ve seen in person were less than quick deaths, both were unintentional hits. One was due to stripped ring screws and the other was new shooter error, both dropped the deer on the spot but both were still alive when we got up to them. The one was about 80-100yds from where the shot was taken and it died seconds after we walked up to it, the other required a second kill shot to finish it off.
If I don’t have a lung/heart shot I won’t take the shot, but that’s me. I’m less concerned with anchoring an animal in the areas I hunt and have no problem following a blood trail to find a downed animal, one of my deer last year went 30-40 yards after a 75yrd double lung shot. The blood trail was enormous, once I opened her up the lungs were pulped and there was zero blood in the chest cavity. It sprayed blood all over the ground as it ran off, I’ve had others jump straight up and crumple on the spot from lung/heart shots.
If I don’t have a lung/heart shot I won’t take the shot, but that’s me. I’m less concerned with anchoring an animal in the areas I hunt and have no problem following a blood trail to find a downed animal, one of my deer last year went 30-40 yards after a 75yrd double lung shot. The blood trail was enormous, once I opened her up the lungs were pulped and there was zero blood in the chest cavity. It sprayed blood all over the ground as it ran off, I’ve had others jump straight up and crumple on the spot from lung/heart shots.
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