Myths in the hunting world

[7 REM MAG]

you cant kill geese over water
deer dont know that your watching them from the ladder stand
bears are never out before may
and im going to say that the best goose hunts ive ever had have been in pea fields

[TheClash]

not to start a post war...but my cousin was shot in the head with a .22 (pistol) it did not penetrate his skull at all....he was shot at an angle from behind during a home invasion. the bullet entered right above his right ear and rimmed around the front of his skull and exited just above his left eyebrow......it is weird to feel the little groove left behind.

so i am sure there are cases where a .22 could and could not penetrate a bear skull...

[Tredeb]

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

Greg100,

Although I've never tested the penetration of a .22 rimfire on a bear's skull, I very much believe it will penetrate from most any angle. Here's why; after closely examining the bleached skulls of the two black bears I have shot, and personally witnessing the complete pass through penetration of .22 rimfire hollowpoints on a bundle of standard three tab shingles, I cannot imagine why such a projectile would fail on the skull of a living black bear. It further defies my imagination as to how even the skull of a grzzly could prevent the penetration of the bullet from a legal hunting cartridge. In addition, on the farm we used a .22 rimfire for headshots on steers to kill them for slaughter and Edmonton Meat Cutters use a .243 to head shoot bison for slaughter. They use a .243 so as to prevent penetration into the meat of the bison. I look forward to learn of the results of your testing.

Bobby B.

Don't know about bears, but a .22lr will not kill a cow if you miss the sweet spot by and inch or two.

[aulrich]

It's not the size of the gun, it's shot placement that counts.

[Bobby B.]

Tredeb,

My example of killing steers with a .22 was not to address the killing power of a .22 on cattle but to illustrate that the.22 will penetrate the skull of a steer.


Clash,

I'm sorry but I don't quite follow your explaination. How did the .22 bullet stay in contact with the curvature of your brother's skull in order to carve a groove from his right ear to his left eye?

Bobby B.

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

Tredeb,

My example of killing steers with a .22 was not to address the killing power of a .22 on cattle but to illustrate that the.22 will penetrate the skull of a steer.


Clash,

I'm sorry but I don't quite follow your explaination. How did the .22 bullet stay in contact with the curvature of your brother's skull in order to carve a groove from his right ear to his left eye?

Bobby B.

dr's said the skin of his forehead kept the bullet from exiting before then....i am not claiming to be the expert...just sharing a story to illustrate that not all is black and white.....the bullet traveled around the curve of his skull and then popped out right through his eyebrow pretty much

[Bobby B.]

Clash,

Thanks for the clarification, now I understand.

Bobby B.

[Tredeb]

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

Tredeb,

My example of killing steers with a .22 was not to address the killing power of a .22 on cattle but to illustrate that the.22 will penetrate the skull of a steer.

...


Bobby B.

Sorry, I missed the "legal hunting cartridge" part of your previous post. I agree, that any legal cartridge would probably do the trick on a bear, with proper placement.

[Gunner22a]

A hunting dog has to be raised outside or it won't be a good hunter

A hunting dog has to be fed raw red meat to develope it's hunting urges for the same

[russ]

Originally Posted by Tredeb

Don't know about bears, but a .22lr will not kill a cow if you miss the sweet spot by and inch or two.

That's no different than with a .243 or a shotgun; I have 2 buddies that can tell you that from direct experience. It has more to do with which part of the brain you're hitting.

[jaybull]

i saw a hunting vid on youtube where a bowhunter shoots a blackbear from tree stand 20yards in the head.Well it wasnt very pretty but it looked like it was in forehead up to half way on the shaft.so i think any bullet would do the job after seeing that.

[7 REM MAG]

a circle/sphere is the strongest shape/figure that occur in our world naturally. this is because there are no flat parts which are weak, it takes a lot of force to push the skull into a flat section then break it, the force of the bullet will be deflected and the bullet will most likely defer from its original path due to the curvature of the skull as mentioned in an earlier post, i have personally shot a bear with a 243 and yes it works but u gotta hit em in the sweet spot, mine ran less than 50 yds before it folded but it was my first bear and was not more than 5 feet tall. so 7 foot blackie i would be more confortable with a magnum cartridge pushing 160-175 gr premium bullets

[Jamie]

well, I think this will answer all questions about how a 22 works on a skull.
BTE the comparison of a skull being a circle seems a bit wacky. Look at the pic. Lots of flat sides.

http://www.albertaoutdoorsmen.ca/rec...in-grizzly.htm

Jamie

"The 243 is insufficient for big game"

[Bobby B.]

The analogy of the sphere is erroneous, for a number of reasons. You do not see many round tube building beams, 'I' beams for one are not round not are roof trussses, etc., etc.. What really counts is the strict application of controlled variables to constant end use, in this case, a rifle bullet and a bear skull. Hopefully, some bears will be shot this spring and someone will attempt to fire a bullet into that dead bear's skull and report the result.

Bobby B.

[Jamie]

Bobby, look at the link i posted.
it show Albertas bggest grizzy, shot with a 22 in the head

Jamie

[Bobby B.]

Jamie,

Thank you for the link. From the view presented, it appears as though the .22 bullets entered from the side at more or less a right angle to the bone face. Obvious penetration. For the sake of science (mythbusting) it would be interesting to determine if a bullet can penetrate a bear's skull from other than a right angle direction. Obviously, the more shallow the angle of impact, the greater the possibility of deflection.

Bobby B.

[Greg_100]

Bella Twin shot down three myths in one shot!

Can't shot a grizzly in the head.

Can't big game hunt with a 22.

Can't hunt dangerous game with a 22.

The above is said in jest!

[7 REM MAG]

there have been reported incidents of people shooting bears in the head with magnum pistol calibres and the bullets doing no damage and just deflecting off the skull. But i can see that this is goning to go nowhere so whatever. Moral of the story don't shoot a bear in the head. ive heard horror stories of people shooting jaws off bears and the bear getting away.

[Albertabowhunter]

Originally Posted by ABDUKNUT

here's a few


You can't shoot steel shot through a Full choke

Oh yeah? Ask to see my brothers old full choke barrel....

[Vindalbakken]

I have only seen one bear skull shot in the head with a 22. Fortunately for the fellow shooting the bullet penetrated the brain and instantly killed the bear. Unfortunately the bear died right immediately - he would have rather that it moved another 5 feet before expiring so it wouldn't be lying on top of his bed.

A 22 will not always penetrate the skull of all animals. I shot a badger one time at about 20 ft range between the eyes. It dropped and showed no reflex. I picked it up and started walking back to the vehicle when it regained consciousness. Luckily for me it woke up slowly. The bullet was flattened out between the skull plate and the skin with no mark in the bone of the skull.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Vindalbakken

I have only seen one bear skull shot in the head with a 22. Fortunately for the fellow shooting the bullet penetrated the brain and instantly killed the bear. Unfortunately the bear died right immediately - he would have rather that it moved another 5 feet before expiring so it wouldn't be lying on top of his bed.

A 22 will not always penetrate the skull of all animals. I shot a badger one time at about 20 ft range between the eyes. It dropped and showed no reflex. I picked it up and started walking back to the vehicle when it regained consciousness. Luckily for me it woke up slowly. The bullet was flattened out between the skull plate and the skin with no mark in the bone of the skull.

I've seen them shot with a .22 at close range, it can be done, but is in no way advisable.
Cat

[nekred]

It is pure physics whether or not a 22 will penetrate a skull.

It depends mostly on angle of skull surface to line of travel. If the akgle of skull is perpendicular to line of travel it maximises probability of bullet penetrating as there is no other option of travel.

If it is almost parallel it will deflect.

A bear facing you most of the skull above the nose is angled back providing a surface that may cause bullet to deflect vs. penetrate.

Bullet is lke water it takes path of least resistance.

That being said, for those with a 22 and a bear what other option do you have for a quick kill other than the skull?.... You certainly will not break a shoulder with a 22......

[duffy4]

Hey Dick hope you don't think this is high-jackin your thread. It has got off on the tracks a fair bit already. Many of the posts above I think are not so much "popular misconceptions" as individuals personnel pet peeves.

But as for the bare bones of bear bones.




This is a black bear skull. The sharp ridge along the back top is called the sagital crest. On a Grizz this is longer and taller. It is the thickest bone area on the skull and if a bullet hit right on the crest it may be deflected to the left or right but I don't know if it would deflect enough to not go through the skull.

As you can see the front part of the skull is quite flat and if the bear was face to you with its head a bit down the bullet could hit at right angle. If the bear had its head at a more "upward angle" (nose toward you) the angle of that flat area would lend itself more to deflection.

If a bear was nose to you, a bullet up the nose would get into the brain pretty easily.

Robin in Rocky

[Chuck_Wagon]

My Mule deer buck is a hybrid, look at its antlers