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mod90 · Veteran Member

Anyone have a list of animal kill zone diagrams/targets? For example, exactly where on a possum could one place a shot for a humane kill? The head? where on the head exactly,side? full frontal? behind the eyes?
If no clear head shot is presented, then where on the body? Behind the shoulder higher up towards the back? Or maybe lower down towards the chest?

A compilation like this may actually be helpful to some hunting beginners, and maybe even some older ones too Wink

ZanderPommo · Member

what I do is typa anatomy of _______ into google images, find a suitable pic (check against others for accuracy) print it up landscape style and trace the edge of the animal, and also the brain and heart/lungs. then scan your drawing and print a ton of them.

mod90 · Veteran Member

I know that could be done. It's just that it would have been handy to have an extensive list of animal kill zones in one place without having to search through possibly hundreds of images on Google.

rsterne · Moderator

IMO, head shots are always the best.... I look at images of the skull and try and think about where to place the shot depending on the angle so that the pellet is centered in the brain case.... Every angle is different, and every animal as well.... Some animals have sloping foreheads or big jawbones in the way at certain angles.... It's best to do this for your particular quarry....

Bob

Jr. Squirreler · Veteran Member

It depends on your Quarry, but as rsterne said Headshots are most preferred. I mainly hunt Squirrel, so I can help you there. Basically if you can hit a solid 1/2" group on paper, you can easily get a Headshot on a Squirrel. However at longer ranges, you may want to go for a Heart/Lung Shot for a little extra "room" for your shot to possibly scoot over. With the Heart/ Lungs shot, you have basically the Shoulder and a 1/8" behind it. So that usually gives you about an Inch(Give or Take) to hit.

mod90 · Veteran Member

I'm aware that ideally head shots are the best POI for a humane kill. It's just that there are times that critters don't present a clear/optimal head shot. In such a case, a heart/lung shot may be available. So in the case of squirrel, its the entire shoulder 1/8" behind. I observed that in the case of opossum, shoulders are out of the question unless you're using a .22 at close range. But their spot is about 1 inch behind the top of the shoulder. Heart and lungs are right there, with just a few thin ribs in the way. And depending your position in relation to target, you might even sever the spine.

Slavia · Moderator

For what it's worth, here is a discussion of this topic:
http://www.beemans.net/field%20use.htm