What is considered a humane kill shot ?

[Fox]

Well no there was a hole in the side of the deer 3.5 inches wide. Looked like hide was blasted out.

Tremendous damage.

That is just nuts, still hard to believe but I have seen some interesting stuff while hunting.

[PalmSauce]

I think everyone's taking this a bit far… Any shot that is going to kill an animal in a reasonable amount of time, is humane. There is no way of knowing that one specific shot is going to kill the animal instantly. Different things have happened to different people, with different animals, and different calibers. Just make the best shot possible, and at the end of the day, you've done your part. Cheers.

[Blackwolf]

I think everyone's taking this a bit far… Any shot that is going to kill an animal in a reasonable amount of time, is humane. There is no way of knowing that one specific shot is going to kill the animal instantly. Different things have happened to different people, with different animals, and different calibers. Just make the best shot possible, and at the end of the day, you've done your part. Cheers.

I keep hearing this, If you do your best that is good enough, and therefore humane. Kind of like situation ethics and yes this is an ethical debate. If I only bring my rifle out once a year to hunt and take a shot at a deer, it may be the best shot, for me. But is the shot a humane kill? Only if by some stroke of luck, I hit where I am aiming for. And what is a reasonable amount of time for the animal to die? 30 minutes? How about if I were to cut your leg off and let you bleed out? Or how about a gut shot? It may take you hours to die, and very painfully. But its a reasonable amount of time to die, so that's humane?

As I said it all about ethics. If you get to make you own ethics... well???

[Fox]

I keep hearing this, If you do your best that is good enough, and therefore humane. Kind of like situation ethics and yes this is an ethical debate. If I only bring my rifle out once a year to hunt and take a shot at a deer, it may be the best shot, for me. But is the shot a humane kill? Only if by some stroke of luck, I hit where I am aiming for. And what is a reasonable amount of time for the animal to die? 30 minutes? How about if I were to cut your leg off and let you bleed out? Or how about a gut shot? It may take you hours to die, and very painfully. But its a reasonable amount of time to die, so that's humane?

As I said it all about ethics. If you get to make you own ethics... well???

What PalmSauce said was 100% reasonable and accurate, taking the leg off is not taught as a humane kill shot, PalmSauce is expressing placing a bullet into the vital zone of an animal.

PalmSauce, a very good way or explaining your view and a very accurate one for 95% of hunters out there, no spray and pray from you .

[Roe+]

The only time I hit a leg is on the way the boiler room and then the deer dies!

Roe+

[Swamp donk]

Once that bullet or arrow is in travel, you have no control of the distance or time it takes for that animal to die (based on a quality shot) Lets line up 10 deer at 100 yards and all shot with the same gun, same load, all in a mechanical shooting vise and all shot in the boiler room. I'll guarantee you'll have deer that drop on the spot and dont move again, others drop and get up and run, run for a short distance, and others that run a greater diatance. All deer are different, no different than us. Can some of us take a punch and stand there and laugh, while others are out cold on the ground.....your damned right.........how can i drink double what my buddy can?.....because we all react and deal with stuff differently, no different than an animal.

[Blackwolf]

In any debate you need to explore the fringes, I believe one of the worse shots you can make it to shoot the legs then chase it. One of the guys who used to come to camp did this. It went about 300 yards and hid in some pretty dense evergreen bush. We did find it about 2 hours later. The other more common is a gut shot. I would not consider that humane in any way shape or form.

With the original post, It comes down to a question of ethics. If you spend the time to ensure your shot, make sure you shoot the right bullet at the right distance and know your shot. If your deer travels more than 75 meters, you missed. In discussing this with a number of well known hunters and gunsmiths, this really is the case.

[Fox]

If your deer travels more than 75 meters you missed a humane kill shot, hmm.

Heart shot deer, runs 150 yards, not a humane shot? I think not.

[sawbill]

I think everyone's taking this a bit far… Any shot that is going to kill an animal in a reasonable amount of time, is humane. There is no way of knowing that one specific shot is going to kill the animal instantly. Different things have happened to different people, with different animals, and different calibers. Just make the best shot possible, and at the end of the day, you've done your part. Cheers.

While I can agree with some of this I don't agree with the last statement.
A guy/gal who never goes to the range or sights his rifle in makes his best shot possible. Compare that to the guy who sights his rifle in, practices often, hunts often will most certainly take or make a better shot than the first example.
The first guy hasn't done his part and there are way too many hunters in this group.

[Fox]

While I can agree with some of this I don't agree with the last statement.
A guy/gal who never goes to the range or sights his rifle in makes his best shot possible. Compare that to the guy who sights his rifle in, practices often, hunts often will most certainly take or make a better shot than the first example.
The first guy hasn't done his part and there are way too many hunters in this group.

You do not have to go to the range and shoot for hours either to make sure you know the gun and where it is hitting. Lots of guys only sight in then go hunting and most of them are ethical hunters who hit the vitals and make humane shots.