Fire the heart bullet, use the CNS- bullet instead.
This page is supplemented by the page: The CNS- bullet.
There has been a tradition of using heart bullets on deer for many years.
Far from all heart bullets kill the animal in the shot, and it is most often seen that the animal can travel considerable distances, even with a shot through the heart – and during this period the animal can always feel fear, and in 40–60% of cases it probably also feels pain.
Heart bullets often result in waid bullets (stomach bullets), just as a full 12% of all registered shootings in deer are due to heart bullets placed too low.
And this is completely unnecessary and also unfair to the animal – when the animal can faint or die in the shot itself – when using bullet placement in the central nervous system.
It is also highly objectionable if, on shooting ranges, buck- targets are used that recommend clean lung shots – even in thinner lung parts.
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The optimal bullet placement in a pure horizontal side shot:
– whose main purpose is for the animal to die without suffering and without anxiety.
Photo A. – Bullet placement within the yellow line hits the central nervous system, where the animal dies almost immediately. The red arrow on this buck- target is a pure lung bullet (see also Figure B). – The aim is for the impact point to be the yellow dot.
Now some will probably argue that this shown bullet placement (the yellow dot) poses a risk of “pin shot” – which is completely unreasonable, since with this bullet placement there is over 6-7 cm. up to a serious “pin shot”, and even 4-6 cm. above the yellow dot, the animal dies. – I have probably shot more than 50 animals with the CNS bullet placement so far, and have never “pin shot” an animal.
On the other hand, if the heart bullet is used, and if you hit just 2 cm. below the heart, or 4 cm. to the left of the heart, or 8 cm to the right of the heart, you hit an even more unfortunate, and slowly killing, or non-lethal, place on the animal (see Photo C’s associated area calculation of the white circle of the buck- target further down).
In addition, a distal (extremely located) “spinal tap” (in the spinous process) can often heal and give the animal a fairly normal life – a splintered course, a perforated lung, liver, stomach, or a pierced sternum (bring) cannot.
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Why is a heart- bullet not good?
A heart bullet is a soft-tissue bullet that does not hit vital, massive bones, and that can hit several parts of the heart, the most effective places of which are in the heart chambers, or in the Aorta (the largest artery) – and only when hit in these places does the hydronomic shock and the pressure loss in the blood circulation become so great and instantaneous, that the animal falls in the shot.
Figure B. – Here you can see the location of the heart, and just above the heart you can see the recommended clean lung shot of the buck- target (see Photo A) – the red dot (by black arrow). – The dotted line is the animal’s diaphragm.
In many illustrations, large lung areas are marked – here in the photo you can see that the lungs of a roe deer are not much larger than a hand at all points. – From this, one can well assume that many lung bullets fired actually hit the thinner posterior lung lobes, and the thinner downward lung lobes.
So in reality, the effective lung impact area is not very large on a roe deer.
Regarding the heart bullet:
If hit just 2 cm. below the heart, you have a terrible shot in the sternum (breastbone) or (often) in one leg of the animal.
If hit just 5 cm. behind the heart, you have a liver, – and stomach bullet, with many sufferings as a result.
If hit just 2 cm. above the heart and in front of the heart, you have a pure lung bullet, where the animal can run up to 150 meter (I have seen) – causing completely unnecessary pain and anxiety for the animal, and perhaps losing the animal.
I have seen animals run from 0-60 meters with a heart bullet. I have also seen a roe doe run about 40 meters, with an extremely bullet-hidden heart (the lower third of the heart was almost gone), where the heart hung in the aorta (the main artery) out of the exit hole.
What happens in the bullet’s trajectory (track) through the animal, at the heart bullet?
The projectile will naturally perforate tissue and arteries – the larger the artery, the greater the loss of blood pressure and blood volume. In addition, the bullet, when it penetrates soft tissue at high speed, will cause a paralyzing shock wave/pressure wave in the tissue fluid, which is the blood and the interstitial tissue fluid (fluid in the cells).
This shock wave (the hydronomic pressure) reaches perhaps 40 mm in a circle around the bullet all the way through the animal and this shock wave will, with a well-placed bullet, affect vital soft tissue (organs) and nerve pathways, which may thereby be paralyzed and lose function. The more organs and nerve pathways exposed simultaneously, the greater the lethal shock effect. But next to the heart there is only thin lung tissue and small arteries.
Thus, the animal dies, in the case of a heart bullet, mainly from the loss of blood pressure, blood loss and perhaps partly (at best) also from the shock effect and damage from explosive fluid displacement (the hydronomic shock) caused by the projectile’s trajectory through the animal’s body.
A shot in vital soft tissue that misses slightly can cause unnecessary suffering for the animal. An animal that is conscious and frightened will survive a shot for a longer time because the animal’s muscles, arteries and veins are tense (are in contraction), and this will counteract the loss of pressure and prolong the bleeding time, because the muscle tissue will immediately try to minimize the hole left by the bullet.
If the animal faints, on the other hand, all muscle tissue relaxes, after which the hole in, for example, the aorta or another large artery will open completely, draining a large amount of blood more quickly and causing a loss of pressure, whereby the animal dies – and of course in an unconscious and painless state.
A bullet piercing a rib outside the lung-heart area does not produce a significant “bone splinter effect” – usually the rib simply splits, and possibly a protruding part is pushed slightly inwards on the entry side, without effect. On the exit side, the relationship is more pronounced, which, however, has no significance in relation to organ damage in the shot through.
How far can the animal run after a heart bullet?
The fastest speed ever measured in a roe deer in a sprint of 100 meters was 98 km/h. – Over 700 meters, an average speed of 72 km/h has been measured.
This means that the animal shot in the heart (which does not fall on the spot) in just 1 minute, at a speed of just 40 km/h, will be able to travel 666 meters – usually far outside the shooter’s field of vision and control – and perhaps outside the hunting area.
The heart ball can cause anxiety and pain.
Bullet placement in soft tissue such as the heart region is not a safe humane death for deer.
When an animal leaves the shooting site, the nerve pathways (including the sympathetic system) are intact enough for this – and if the nerve pathways are fully or partially functional, the somatic and autonomic parts of the peripheral nervous system also function – whereby anxiety is probably 100% present, and pain is felt in probably approx. 40-60% of cases (- this is according to studies in people who survive violent, sudden bodily injuries).
– It is certain that the animal runs after the shot – this is an expression of registered anxiety, and often also pain. – Therefore: Fire the heart bullet.
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Throw out this bucking disc:
Which organs are located within the white circle of this curved disc in Photo C below?
Photo C. – The white ring of this bucking target may make many (especially new deer hunters) believe that if you hit within this – everything is OK. – But all experienced deer hunters know that this is definitely not the case. – The bullet hole seen does not hit the heart and does not hit the large arteries at the top of the heart – but only in the lower, thinner lung lobes. – If the shooter is standing higher than the animal, the bullet will only cut the animal’s left lung, in the very lowest part (in the edge of the downward lung lobe).
You simply cannot be familiar with having a bucking target whose marked center is a pure lung bullet, and where 48% of the circle area (the target’s white circle) are slow-killing hits (see area calculation of the white circle below).
A paltry and miserable excuse in my opinion for using this aiming point on the animal would be: “that most of the animal is “outside” the center of the circle – and that the animal will probably die from the bullet”.
I have often seen this bucking target (Photo C) above on shooting ranges – and in my opinion it should be discarded immediately. The center of the shooting circle is definitely not a heart bullet, but rather a pure lung bullet (and even in the thin lower lung part with smaller arteries).
The area of the white circle itself can be divided into the following organ regions – to demonstrate that the circle is unacceptably too large and misplaced:
23% Central Nervous System (CNS).
29% Heart region (incl. aorta).
38% Lung region (14% in thick lung parts and 24% in thin lung parts).
10% Liver/stomach region.
The above are definitely not good odds for the animal, because:
* Only 23% of the area is instantly lethal – a CNS bullet.
* 29% of the area is heart region and lethal – but not always instantly.
* 14% of the area is not instantly lethal – thick lung part, where I have seen an animal run 150 m. after hitting here.
* 24% of the area is slowly lethal – thin lung part.
* 10% of the area is very slowly lethal – stomach region (barrel and reticulum) and liver.
– therefore this buck- target should be discarded immediately.
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USE THE CNS BULLET – The optimal bullet placement:
– in addition to the animal dying without suffering and without anxiety, the CNS bullet has many advantages.
Photo A. – The optimal bullet placement – in a purely horizontal side shot: the yellow dot.
The yellow dot in Photo A above is where the cervical vertebrae meet the vertebrae in the spine (Columna vertebralis). The bullet hits hard bone mass, which protects the CNS – central nervous system located inside (see illustrations E and F).
The yellow frame shows the area where a bullet will immediately paralyze the animal and cause a very quick death, but in most places here, there is a significantly smaller margin of error (greater risk of being shot), and should therefore be avoided. – Aim for the yellow dot in the black circle.
Within the black circle in Photo A. you should be able to place your bullet. If you can’t do this, you shouldn’t shoot in my opinion. Red arrow is the buck’s recommended clean lung bullet.
The CNS bullet placement doesn’t damage that much meat – the heart is intact, the animal’s spine is intact, the forelegs are intact and only the blow (rib blow) on the exit side is missing a piece at the top.
Figure D. – The optimal bullet placement – in a purely horizontal side shot.
The CNS bullet hits – or its pressure wave damages or displaces the spinal column (columna vertebralis) at the transition to the cervical vertebrae (cervicalis), thereby short-circuiting the animal’s nerve pathway, whose “main road” is (medulla spinalis, see Figures E and F).
When hit in the CNS, the animal immediately faints in shock, feels no pain or anxiety, falls unconscious on the spot and is clinically dead in most cases in a maximum of 10-35 seconds.
The area around the red spot in Figure D has a significantly larger margin of error than the heart bullet. The bullet can fall about 14 cm., sit 10 cm. to the right, sit 18 cm. to the left – and about 5-6 cm. higher than the red spot – and you still deliver a fatal shot (although not always instantly).
Some call this bullet placement a “high blade bullet”, but this is not entirely correct, as the blade (scapula) is not hit, but only the bone shaft of the scapula.
What is the Central Nervous System?
The CNS (central nervous system) is: the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata and the brainstem, as well as the peripheral nervous system, which includes nerves that extend from the brain and spinal cord to the other parts of the body and the vital organs (including lung/heart function).
In practice, what happens when the CNS is damaged is that a “power failure” occurs, as the millivolts that keep all organs running are short-circuited and stop immediately.
When the functions of the organs, especially the heart, lungs, nerve pathways and hormone-controlling parts, cease at once – the animal immediately faints and ends in the fastest possible way.
Figure E. – Ror deer anatomy with the blue CNS system.
Illustration F. – Central nervous system – cross-section and longitudinal section of the spine.
When the spinal cord (marked in blue in illustrations E and F above where all vital nerve pathways are located) is hit or damaged, all vital organs stop simultaneously because the cerebellum’s millivolts to it stop – the pain messages from the organs to the cerebellum also disappear, just as the sending of fight hormones is stopped.
Additional advantages of the CNS- bullet, compared to the heart bullet:
By using the CNS bullet, there will often be more free shooting, because the animal is more free from bottom vegetation.
The CNS bullet is not so sensitive regarding the lateral angle at which the animal stands, in relation to the shooter. This is because the bone structure up at the shoulder blade (scapula) is deeper (thicker), almost 18 cm. – in relation to the heart which is only approx. 7 cm – and that the CNS hit area is horizontal.
And the same applies to how far out the animal stands, in relation to how high the shooter is positioned (in a tower or ladder).
It is also a huge advantage that the animal stays at the shooting site – in all contexts. The animal cannot run, also because the “suspension” for the upper arm bone is damaged, often on both sides of the animal, which is why the trajectory function is put out of operation.
The CNS bullet hits strong bones, whereby bone splinters form a small “internal shot”.
Bone fragments can perforate tissue, arteries, arterioles and nerve pathways at a distance of 5-10 cm. from the bullet trajectory.
– this is a multiple of the effect of the heart bullet with its only hydronomic shock.
Photo G. – Bone fragments from the bullet form a “small internal gunshot”.
The yellow arrows show just some of the bone splinters that the bullet has sent through thick lung tissue, arteries, arterioles and nerve pathways – and here have been sent all the way to the ribs.
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What does the CNS- bullet look like in reality? :
Photo H. – Probably 2-3 year old buck. (Straight thick neck, deep chest, 21 kg. broken, rose canes (under rosaries) 16 mm.).
Perfect CNS bullet placement (Danish buck). This buck fell lifelessly into the ravine 20 meters out, and then did not move its head, ears (hearing) or legs.
This bullet placement in the CNS system is deliberately raised a few cm. and pulled slightly forward on the animal, as the animal stood somewhat lower than the shooter (in a hunting ladder) and slightly obliquely towards him (me).
This is how I try to shoot my animals (if possible), and not a single “tap shot”, no lost animals (and only one shot) have I delivered – on 16.05.2021, a horror.
Photo I. – 1-year-old buck. (Thin neck, “long course”, 14 kg. broken, rose canes 11 mm).
Here is a nice CNS bullet placement (Danish buck) – this rare time in a clean, horizontal side shot 75 meters out. The buck fell lifelessly into the crash, and then neither moved its head, ears nor legs.
So: no fear and no pain – which always gives me a better peace of mind and conscience.
Photo J. – 6-year-old red deer, 12 antlers (had 3 hinds and a calf).
This pure CNS bullet placement, in a pure side shot, caused the animal to fall on the spot, almost dead on impact. 75 meters out, shot from terrain slightly higher than the animal – impact point 12-14 cm. below the back line, and in vertical flight with the middle of the trajectory.
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The CNS bullet in different situations:
It should be said right away that a clean side shot is always best – especially at distances of over 70-100 meters, and the animal should always be standing still. – Before releasing the bullet, consider whether the animal is calm and relaxed, or on guard. – Does the animal seem to be able to take a step forward?
Assess the angle of the animal in relation to the shooter:
Before the impact point is finally placed on the animal’s outer surface, one must always be very careful to assess whether the animal is standing in a clean side shot (sideways), or whether it is standing crooked/oblique. Now, roe deer is one of the animals that has the smallest body thickness in relation to its body height, which means that this problem is not as big as it would be with, for example, a broad Cape buffalo – but the ratio is very likely the cause of most misses and shots.
In the next Illustration K. Corrected line of sight, it can be seen that this is actually of greater importance.
One must therefore remember to laterally correct the aiming point on the animal, in relation to how obliquely the animal is positioned in front of the shooter, in order to hit the desired point in the middle of the animal’s body. A completely clean side shot is actually quite rare, and the probability of a completely clean side shot is 2:180. – The following illustration can show the “problem” and can be used as a “rule of thumb”:
Illustration K. – Correcting your line of sight.
The black dot is the place (organ) you want to hit in the middle of the animal – e.g. the CNS point or the heart.
If you think that this animal is standing in a pure side shot, and the animal is actually standing 30 cm. askew from the shooter – the bullet will hit 40 mm. to the right of the aiming point (the red aiming line) – and this may be enough for a heart bullet to hit, which would not be the case with a CNS bullet placement (where the cervical vertebrae or the carotid artery would instead be hit, see Figure D).
You must therefore pay particular attention to the angle of the animal:
The animal’s longitudinal axis (back length) has the following deviation in f.t. to perpendicular to the aiming line:
in cm.: 15 25 30 35 cm.
, move the horizontal aiming point approx. mm: 25 35 40 45 mm.
You also need to pay attention to the slope of the bullet trajectory:
Often you are positioned higher than the animal, which must be compensated for a little (especially important at shorter distances), so that the bullet trajectory through the animal’s body hits the intended point (in the middle of the body). As a rule of thumb, you can count on the following:
You are standing 3 meters above the animal, at a distance of: 15 25 50 100 meters
, then raise the aiming point respectively approx.: 25 15 8 4 mm.
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Different shooting situations:
In the examples of bullet placements shown below, the animal will faint at the moment of the shot and collapse on the spot – the animal will not feel pain or anxiety, as the central nervous system is disabled, causing all organs to fail simultaneously and suddenly.
Photo L. – About 1-year-old buck (in very good feeding condition).
The aiming point is pulled a few cm. forward on the animal, as it is standing slightly obliquely towards the shooter. In high bottom vegetation, the CNS bullet is also suitable, as you can see where you are aiming. This buck stands still and looks calm and relaxed, but he is still checking the sound area obliquely behind.
Photo M. – Probably 4-6 year old sika deer (exceptionally well-nourished).
The aiming point is pulled back a few cm on the animal, as it is standing slightly diagonally away from the shooter. This deer stood still and looked calm and meditative.
Photo N. – Probably a 3-year-old red deer.
The only thing you can see from this red deer’s leg positions is that the animal is not standing completely perpendicular to the shooter. You can see a bit of the right leg, which is positioned the same as the left leg (perpendicular to the ground) – you can’t always count on the positions of the hind legs, as these are most often offset.
He is a bit aware of something, as both ears are not facing forward in the direction of view.ser kun på denne kronhjorts benstillinger, at dyret ikke står helt vinkelret på skytten.