The Chest!!!

[pest hunter 151 15]

Hi lads just watched a vid on youtube of Jhon darling shooting collered dove's. He shot them through the chest! They died VERY cleanly! I always thought you should never shoot any thing any were but the head or spine no matter the cal. Or is it just dove's with a .22?

 

 

 

 

Thanks PH1

[Phantom 631]

The late John Darling is a hunting legend as well as accomplished Author, fisherman and Sports Photographer.

 

I admire the man greatly. He did shoot Collerd doves in the chest, but you have to remember he was an expert marksman and knew exactly where to aim to put the pellet through either the heart and lungs or to just decimate the heart.

 

Phantom

[garfield 23]

i successfully shot alot birds in the heart with my old hw100t it was so accurate

[stealthy1 3,964]

i successfully shot alot birds in the heart with my old hw100t it was so accurate

 

 

Its the darkside

[matt_hooks 188]

At sensible ranges, a chest shot can and will deal with most of the airgun prey species cleanly and efficiently.

 

When deer hunting, the preferred shot is chest. Some people take head shots, but at longer ranges the chest shot is the recognised "best practice" as even if death isn't instantaneous, it will come shortly due to blood loss from damaged blood vessles, which the chest/longs/heart are particularly rich in.

 

Head shots can be very effective, however, the head is the part of the animal that moves first, and moves fastest. So between you being on aim and squeezing the trigger, and the round leaving the barrel, the head can have changed position quite markedly, possibly resulting in a miss or, worst of all, an injured animal.

 

I take squirrels, pigeons and rats with chest shots quite happily. Head shots, yes, when the conditions are right, but one in the boiler house is the quickest way to bring down most prey.

 

The only exception is rabbits and hares (yes I know lots of people don't agree with shooting hares, it happens, live with it!) where the heavier bone structure can mean a chest shot with a legal limit air rifle is not enough to cleanly dispatch them. They also have larger heads, so the brain kill zone is larger and better defined.

 

The only point to note with pigeons and doves is that if you take the chest shot, you need to be sure to miss the crop, as the stones and grit in it can stop a pellet, resulting in a bird, wounded in such a way that it will die an extremely slow death from starvation. Never take a frontal chest shot on a pigeon. under the fold of the wing is where I place most shots, quite often you're not sure if you completely missed, as the bird doesn't even move, just goes to sleep where it's perched and doesn't wake up. I've often had to poke one off the nest with a stick!

Edited August 15, 2010 by matt_hooks

[pest hunter 151 15]

Thanks for info lads but im sorry i still fail to see how he managed it! And how did he hit hart from front on with brest bone in the way?

 

 

 

Thanks PH1

[pest hunter 151 15]

At sensible ranges, a chest shot can and will deal with most of the airgun prey species cleanly and efficiently.

 

When deer hunting, the preferred shot is chest. Some people take head shots, but at longer ranges the chest shot is the recognised "best practice" as even if death isn't instantaneous, it will come shortly due to blood loss from damaged blood vessles, which the chest/longs/heart are particularly rich in.

 

Head shots can be very effective, however, the head is the part of the animal that moves first, and moves fastest. So between you being on aim and squeezing the trigger, and the round leaving the barrel, the head can have changed position quite markedly, possibly resulting in a miss or, worst of all, an injured animal.

 

I take squirrels, pigeons and rats with chest shots quite happily. Head shots, yes, when the conditions are right, but one in the boiler house is the quickest way to bring down most prey.

 

The only exception is rabbits and hares (yes I know lots of people don't agree with shooting hares, it happens, live with it!) where the heavier bone structure can mean a chest shot with a legal limit air rifle is not enough to cleanly dispatch them. They also have larger heads, so the brain kill zone is larger and better defined.

 

The only point to note with pigeons and doves is that if you take the chest shot, you need to be sure to miss the crop, as the stones and grit in it can stop a pellet, resulting in a bird, wounded in such a way that it will die an extremely slow death from starvation. Never take a frontal chest shot on a pigeon. under the fold of the wing is where I place most shots, quite often you're not sure if you completely missed, as the bird doesn't even move, just goes to sleep where it's perched and doesn't wake up. I've often had to poke one off the nest with a stick!

Hi matt sorry to ask but what part of the bird is the perch of the wing?

[Phantom 631]

Thanks for info lads but im sorry i still fail to see how he managed it! And how did he hit hart from front on with brest bone in the way?

 

 

 

Thanks PH1

 

A Doves chest is not as strongly boned or muscled as a Woody's chest.

At normal ranges a pellet will punch through a Doves chest but a Woody's chest is like armour plate! A pellet probably wont even get to the bone on a full grown Woody.

The two woody breasts I did for my tea this evening were over an inch thick at the deepest part

I've seen full grown chickens(and women) with thinner breast meat

 

Phantom

Edited August 15, 2010 by Phantom

[pest hunter 151 15]

Dam that explanes it SPA PHANTOM AND HOOKS

Edited August 15, 2010 by pest hunter 151

[matt_hooks 188]

Fold of the wing pest hunter. If you take a dead bird and open out it's wing, you'll see where abouts the fold is.