Thread: Finishing an animal off

Hi guys, This will be extremely obvious to most of you but I'm new to this.
If I'm out rabbitting or possumming and I make a non lethal shot, what's the best thing to do with the animal? i.e. Finishing it off as painlessly/quickly/easily as possible.
Thanks in advance.

shoot it again

Pop one in its swede

As above, shoot it again with a little more precision.

Or reach for your knife.

Cheers
Pete

P38 do you cut the throat I guess?

Originally Posted by samusugiru

P38 do you cut the throat I guess?

No, the back left foot. Not the right foot.

Originally Posted by samusugiru

Hi guys, This will be extremely obvious to most of you but I'm new to this.
If I'm out rabbitting or possumming and I make a non lethal shot, what's the best thing to do with the animal? i.e. Finishing it off as painlessly/quickly/easily as possible.
Thanks in advance.

I just hate it when that happens! Stamp on or clobber its head if you are right by it, if you can't readily get to it shoot again. Worth carrying a short club to be able to dispatch it with a sharp heavy blow, e.g. an old medium size axe handle.

Also, worth considering changing to .22mag or something stronger to make more shots immediate killshots. We are all human and we never make perfect shots all the time, do we? The extra cost is nothing for that bit of extra self respect.

Some old book I read talked of dispatching deer using a stilletto knife inserted at the neck/spine junction, but that reminds me of ISIL beheadings. Headshot for for me, please.

yeah, follow-up headshot for me to. to the best of my knowledge, i've never wounded a rabbit, either a clean kill or a miss. possums on the other hand can be a bit harder to kill. every animal, even a possum deserves a quick/humane death as far as possible in my opinion.

Originally Posted by samusugiru

P38 do you cut the throat I guess?

Yes

Cheers
Pete

if you shot it with a rimfire it wont bust the bank to humanely send it off, obviously if you hit it with a 12 gu etc then do what you can, a knife, a club. just be humane about it. although some animals are pests none of them need to suffer.

If you are able to retrieve it, I would break its neck, far more PC (and humane) than stomping its head into the ground.

Easily done, hold back legs. Grip neck, put thumb at base of neck behind ears but to one side ( one ear ) give a gentle stretch, shudder shiver dead.

if it's a possum shoot it again because they are nasty if they get hold of you,have a look at the claw's on them and they will bite you to

Just shoot it again man, 22lr costs fark all.

We used to whack rabbits round the bullbars of the truck if they were still kicking after a shotgun shot, quick and clean.

I wouldn't touch a wounded possum though they can be nasty and carry TB. Also not gunna eat them so just blast it again whatever the gun. Last one I shot was with a 308. Funnily enough it didn't need a second

Originally Posted by Nick-D

Just shoot it again man, 22lr costs fark all.

We used to whack rabbits round the bullbars of the truck if they were still kicking after a shotgun shot, quick and clean.

I wouldn't touch a wounded possum though they can be nasty and carry TB. Also not gunna eat them so just blast it again whatever the gun. Last one I shot was with a 308. Funnily enough it didn't need a second

I shot a hare at 90y the other month with my .260

It did not survive


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Originally Posted by mcdeee

No, the back left foot. Not the right foot.

Don't worry about this stupid comment, Everyone was a learner at one stage.
I know what your asking, it wasn't a stupid question, ( if your unsure no question is, it's always better to ask first) there are obviously other life ending places you could put your knife.
Don't be put off asking other questions in the future it's the only way to learn.