From my column in The News Journal May 2, 2013.
While discussing Delaware wild turkey hunting on a sports talk show last week, I was asked if wild turkeys are hard to kill. I explained that turkeys – like many game animals – are absolutely difficult to hunt, but not necessarily hard to kill.
There’s no sense in sugarcoating the truth that the ultimate goal of hunting is to harvest the hunted animal. But ethical, practical hunters strive for efficient kills that produce as little suffering as possible for the animal. Hunters who respect the circle of life and who value the life-giving sustenance provided by game animals spend hours honing their crafts so the final second of a hunt – the shot – is the least difficult part.
Effective and efficient hunters study animal anatomy, practice shooting their guns and bows, and learn how different distances, ammunition and situations affect shots. They then use the data to help them make educated decisions before firing at an animal.
Although some game animals are similar in size and appearance, the internal anatomies and vital organ locations differ between species. For most birds (including wild turkeys), preferred shot placement is in the head and neck area. And for most mammals, preferred shot placement is in the area of the heart and lungs. However, due to anatomical differences, the heart and lungs may be higher, lower, more forward or more rearward in the chest cavities of different animals. Therefore, shot placement on a whitetail deer, for example, is somewhat different than on a black bear.
Proper, ethical and efficient shot placement for game animals is taught in books, on websites and in hunter safety classes around the world. Hunters also learn that shot placement on any animal can differ for reasons such as whether the shot is from a gun or bow, the direction in which the animal is facing or the elevation of the hunter relative to the animal.
In addition to proper shot placement, hunters must be familiar with all aspects of how their guns or bows shoot. Rifles and shotguns of different calibers, gauges and configurations have different effective ranges, produce varying degrees of power and may produce different shot groups or shot patterns, so hunters should practice with whatever gun they plan to use on a hunt. Likewise, the same rifle may shoot differently based upon the type or brand of ammunition used, so hunters may have to adjust their scopes or sights when changing ammo. Practicing at the shooting range is crucial for hunters, and they should be sure to read the ballistic information on the ammunition box to learn how bullets behave after the round is fired. A difference of inches in shot placement can be the difference between clean kill shots, clean misses and nonlethal shots.
After considering anatomy, ballistics and other physical factors that affect a shot, hunters must rely on common sense and hunting ethics before choosing to shoot at an animal. An animal may be within the effective range of a hunter’s gun, the hunter may know the perfect shot placement and he may know the supposed trajectory of the bullet. However, if light or weather conditions are not right, if brush or other objects could affect the shot, or if another animal could possibly be hit with the shot, then the hunter should exercise sound judgment and not shoot.
As with all hunting, knowledge is key. When hunters spend the time to learn about the game they are hunting and about the gun or bow they are using, chances of harvest success increase by making every shot count.