squirrel heart shots

[darren watson 14]

I was just remembering a time when i didn't give enough holdover and hit a squirrel in the heart. I realised from the hollow sound that it wasn't a headshot but it still went down very quickly and im now wondering that as i get more confident in longer range shots, are these kind of shots acceptable to take on. its amazing the amount of squirrels i've seen up trees with their head safely out of view behind a branch, as if they know what im trying to do

[boroboyoli 0]

I was just remembering a time when i didn't give enough holdover and hit a squirrel in the heart. I realised from the hollow sound that it wasn't a headshot but it still went down very quickly and im now wondering that as i get more confident in longer range shots, are these kind of shots acceptable to take on. its amazing the amount of squirrels i've seen up trees with their head safely out of view behind a branch, as if they know what im trying to do

To be honest mate better be safe than sorry, however heart shot's are as fatal as head shot's so if your sure you've got your pellet going in the right place, take the shot!

Atb Oli

[darren watson 14]

yeah, it was an accident i wont be repeating. it'd just be a nice if these critters had more than one kill zone i wasn't sure if the clean kill was a fluke or not and i've not been able to find a kill zone diagram or owt on google.

[ratattack 111]

Rat kill zone pic would be the same

Any shot into the area immediately around the front legs will be lethal, every animal has the same kill zones. Head/heart/lung area. Head is immediately fatal as is a shot to the heart/lung area, difference is the squizzer may run on a bit if hit in heart/lung area due to an adrenaline rush. Same as any animal.

Edited March 29, 2011 by ratattack

[darren watson 14]

cheers guys. the squizzer i got kinda dangled off its branch for about two seconds and by the time it hit the ground it was a goner. funny thing is, i bet i'd not pull that shot off again if i tried

[matt_hooks 188]

Heart shots are fine on small rodents. In fact, they can be a quicker kill than a headshot if you destroy the heart/lungs. The ribs of a small rodent (rat, squirrel, even small rabbits) are thinner than the skull, and a pellet will easily penetrate them and do severe internal damage, resulting in rapid blood loss and rapid death.

 

Of course, the kill zone is quite small, as a shot that passes through the chest without hitting any major bones (shoulder/leg is often hit, which instantly disables the animal) and blood vessels, will lead to a slow death due to blood loss for the animal. The kill zone on the chest is the same size, or smaller, than the head KZ. It does offer another option, but it's not an easy option.

 

Also, although you can kill rabbits with a chest shot, it's not recommended as it does too much meat damage, so if you intend to eat your squirrels (surprisingly tasty, if a little bit of a pain to peel) then headshots it is.

 

I use chest shots a lot for squirrel, as they tend to move their bonces around a fair bit. If Mr Squirrel hears the gun fire, and turns to look, it's the head that moves. This can lead to at best to a total miss, at worst to a mishit injuring the animal without killing it outright. The body tends to stay where it is, so this can mean that a body shot is a better option.

[andyfr1968 772]

Not a problem with body shots on squirrel, Darren. Hit them around the shoulder and it's lights out

[darren watson 14]

nice one. quality info as per usual "(surprisingly tasty, if a little bit of a pain to peel)" iIknow, I tried cutting one's belly open once to try and draw down some crows and ended up giving in before I started hacking at it like a crazed psycho!

[darren watson 14]

"This can lead to at best to a total miss, at worst to a mis-hit injuring the animal without killing it outright. The body tends to stay where it is, so this can mean that a body shot is a better option." Iv'e also had this happen before on a nice easy shot, only a little bit out of zero range but nice and low and straight. it was still a head shot but tons of blood and kicking. i couldn't really see where i hit it but i can only assume it had heard the shot fire and twitched a bit. Iv'e since bought a better silencer!