A direct shot to the heart/lungs or a head shot… Which is more humane and for what reasons?
The other night I shot a opossum in the chest area with a .22 cal Predator Polymag air rifle pellet… It dropped like a rock(fell over on it’s side). It seemed to have died instantly… I know head shots are quick but I think the pellet struck his heart or something because it just stopped moving,as compared to when I shot 3 pellets into the head of a opossum I got before this one… The head shot opossum before this last one I just got in the chest,fliped around like a gator doing a death role once I made contact with it’s brain… A real violent head shot death… Crazier than any other head shot experience ever… Dirt was flying everywhere… What are factors involved when figuring out which type of shot is best for that certain animal…. Heart shot or head shot???? P.S. I can make difficult shots from far out,using most guns. AR’s to pellet guns… My accuracy is on point to hit um wherever seems best…. Oh yeah just for your information: Buy a pellet gun and practice shooting inside/outside at home. It truly is great practice for when you go shooting or hunting for reals. The Daisy Powerline is an excellent air rifle with great accuracy for only .95 at Walmart. It comes with a cheesy scope but it still works great and will keep you on point just like me… Thanks for the advice and extra details in your answer…. Tim
Tagged with: accuracy • air rifle pellet • animal heart • brain • chest area • daisy • dirt • excellent air • guns • head shots • opossum • pellet gun • pellets • powerline • predator • scope • walmart
Filed under: Predator Hunting Rifles
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Because the head is a much smaller target than the vitals (heart/lungs) of an animal there’s a greater chance of just wounding the animal. By going for the vitals you’re more likely to make a killing shot. Head shots are also more likely to result in the behavior you observed with the opossum you shot in the head. When the brain is destroyed neurons start to fire off rapidly and randomly. With a shot to the heart, the brain instantly goes into sympathetic shock and shuts down, resulting in the animal dropping where it stood.
Well a shot to the head can be cleaner.
If you graze the lung or heart you can cause more pain to the animal. A shot to the head almost always assures a clean kill. If you puncture a lung, the animal will drown in it’s own blood, and you can cause painful internal bleeding if you strike the heart.
A head shot through the brain is cleaner, and while you said the possum went flying, it was dead by the time it hit the ground. With a body shot you are taking the risk that the animal will suffer unnecissarily. Even though the body shot is easier your concscience will be better off knowing that you are not causing pain to the animal.
as said in another answer every animal will react differently so go for body shot the brains to small
The matter of shot selection is one of judment, and that comes with experience. I can tell you’re young by the way you describe your shooting. Those who can always hit what they’re aiming at do so only for one reason: they haven’t shot at that much yet. There is no other group and no better shot, anywhere in the world.
Bran shots are an iffy proposition. If you’re half good at neuroanatomy and can put the muzzle on the scalp, it’s a better choice. Even with elephants at ten yards, it’s quite common for people to miss the parts of the brain that shut down the animal instantly, and that’s not a small target. Heart/lung shots may not be quite as quick, but they’re a lot more certain.
G’day mate, a humane kill is a head shot because when the head shot is done the brain stops working straight away where the lung shot or heart the brain still working for about 20 to 25 seconds.It’s still a humane kill but not as good as ahead shot.The possum you shot in the head is probably because of the pellet didn’t penetrate the skull to get to the brain or deep enough into the brain.it could be because of poor bullet performance or the caliber is not strong enough for a head shot.When yr using a .22lr /.22 magnum,etc a lot of shooter use the hollow point which it scrambles the brain to a pulp,even with a solid bullet because of it energy.I’d say the air rifle pallet didn’t fly well or unbalanced in fly t,or distance you shot the possum at the pallet didn’t have enough energy.cheers mate
A True Hunter Never Ever Aims for the Head or Neck because there is a much greater chance and risk of only wounding, crippling, injuring, or missing the Animal altogether and not recovering it.* Always Aim and Hit the Heart & Lungs.* Head & Neck Shots are Best Performed on Video Games Only.*
i don’t know anything about opossums,but all ways go for the shoulder. a head shot will ruin the trophy,a lung or heart shot and a animal can run off. but if you break both shoulder the animal wont go any where.this will all make sense to you if you ever have to pay the trophy fees on big game.
Most of the answerers seem to have missed the fact that this is an air gun you’re talking about. When you hit the possum in the brain it was dead instantly. The reason it reacted so violently is that all control of the muscles was instantly cut off. The one you shot in the chest most likely didn’t move because of the possum’s natural instinct to "play dead" if it is threatened or hurt. The animal most likely went into "play dead" mode when it was hit and then bled to death within a few seconds. The bottom line: with an air rifle, the only humane and quick kill on any small animal is an extremely accurate brain shot at close range.
Use a .22LR instead of an air rifle if you really want to be humane other wise the point is mute because striking bone will decrease the effect of the pellet.
The shot placement important, but it’s not the only important thing that you need to think about when shooting an animal.
The bullet caliber you use, how experienced you are, distance, the weather, grain of the bullet, and many other factors come into play.
For someone who’s an experienced shot, a head shot could be something to consider.
Also, hunting/shooting opossums, do NOT use a air rifle. It doesn’t have enough FPS for a good, clean kill.
For your question- What would be more humane- I’d say a heart/lung shot. But it all depends on what the situation/conditions are. For some animals, a heart/lung shot would be more ideal, but others, it wouldn’t be.
Different animals need different shots. What you’d do for a raccoon or a opossum, you wouldn’t do the same for a larger animal, but that comes with experience and knowing your and your gun’s capabilities.
brddg1974 is deff. right about how an animal moves like that with a head shot. Think of a snake and when you cut it’s head off, the rest of the body is twitching or moving in some way- that’s because of muscle spasms which is caused by the nerves which are in like a ‘rapid fire’ mode since the main part of the nervous system was just removed. That will happen for a few mins, then the animal will become limp, and a little bit after that, rigor-mortis will set in (when the animal becomes stiff)
Ash<3Zoe
you said that your 15 and never hunted, but yet you say you know what the best shot placement is? Good one! Since you have NO experience, then you have NO idea on what your "talking" about.
I go for the vitals. you give the animal much more respect this way. it allows it to die with some dignity. and the skull is to thick and the brain is to small. if you want the possum dead and don’t care about it’s pelt get a .22 WMR he won’t suffer a bit.
never shoot at the neck or head area because of the increased chance of just wounding the animal and letting it get away cripiling it or making it suffer a slow and painful death