Moo-cow headshot - caliber?

[ImBillT]

I think personally that I would be considering a 30-30 or .357mag rather than a .22 just for the xtra assurance. That said, my grandpa slaughtered and butchered hogs as a teenager at the children’s home that he grew up in(late 1930’s) and he says a 22lr is all they ever used and it would kill anything. Coincidentally, my wife’s parents work at a children’s home, and they received some donated hogs while we were visiting. One of the employees took all the boys and any girls who wanted to watch to see him dispatch the hogs. He used a .22lr, and shot them either between the eyes or behind the ear. All dropped instantly.

I would prefer more just in case I missed the perfect spot. I also would not know if it would be enough for a cow.

 

[Moserkr]

Their normal professional butcher uses a .22lr. We used a .357 and the first shot wasnt perfect leading to a little rodeo. Considering that first shot was in the forehead at basically point blank, cant believe it missed. 2nd shot was behind the ear and it did the trick from 15' away. Unless the round misses the mark or bounces off an extraordinarily thick skull plate of a big bull, a .22lr should do the trick.

I also know a 9mm and hog story where it missed the mark, creating a huge rodeo.

 

[treydfoster]

.22 lr is what we use at the butcher shop. Avoid handguns.

 

[Moserkr]

.22 lr is what we use at the butcher shop. Avoid handguns.

Why avoid handguns?

 

[Addicting]

Why avoid handguns?

In my experience, people miss more and you end up with rodeos more frequently. At least that is what happens to me.

 

[JEL]

We just butchered a couple hogs. 9 mm handgun did fine but we can walk right up to our hogs.

This is how my grandpa used to do it. No gun necessary.

 

[2rocky]

I've been toying with the idea of writing a guide for the Homesteader on raising and harvesting beef. This thread just kicked that into gear....

Some thoughts:

The idea is to destroy the Central Nervous System for an instantaneous death and immobilization. Too light of a caliber or poor bullet penetration can result in animals being merely stunned and getting up before they can be exsanguinated (bled out). Avoid bullets designed to fragment (varmint bullets), although hollow point bullets that stay together work extremely well. Full metal jacket bullets should penetrate adequately provided shot placement is correct. For best result soft point jacketed bullets are optimal.​

​

Caliber​

From my experience while .22lr can work at close range, .22 mag is my personal minimum for mature cow skull thickness at point blank range. If someone was using their personal protection handgun, then 9mm or .38 would be more than adequate. Centerfire cartridges from .223 to .30 caliber will be more than adequate with properly constructed bullets. The 30-30 lever action is well suited because of the soft point, jacketed bullets design for the tubular magazine. The short barrel length and open sights make it a good choice as well. .30 Carbine is also a well suited round and rifle design for cattle euthanasia. Magnum centerfire rifles are not needed for this task and could result in bullet passthru into edible carcass or area behind the animal. Be sure the area behind the animal when shot is clear with an adequate backstop incase of a bullet passthru. Ideally the line of sight will be at a downward angle.​

Rifle or Handgun? Rifles are inherently more accurate and hold steadier especially when the shooter is more than an arms length from the animal being euthanized. It comes down to what you have available. Practice shot placement at close range before hand to understand point of impact in relation to the line of sight. Many rifles with scopes will have a 2 inch difference in line of sight and bullet path at barrels end This could be the difference between a clean kill and a rodeo.​

​

The kill site should be in a quiet location with a minimum of activity and public exposure. It needs to be close to the animal housing area and accessible to the kill truck, or tractor with front end loader. A firm, dry ground surface such as gravel or grooved or roughened concrete ensures the animal stays clean when euthanized. You don't want your years worth of meat to fall into a bunch of mud or dust. Having access to clean water in a pressurized hose will allow you to wash away blood and offal contents remaining. Be sure there is an adequate backstop and clear area behind the animal as a precaution against wayward bullets. Ideally the line of sight will be at a downward angle.​

​

Prepare your killsite by feeding the freezer steer in that location for the week or two before harvest day with portable panels around the area. 12x12 or 10x10 is optimum. This allows the shooter to stand outside the panels to deliver the fatal shot. Placing the feed in the corner ensures the animal will be more or less facing the shooter. Avoid having the freezer steer eating out of a bunk or feeder panel as upon the fatal shot the animals head may get hung up in the panel. Animal should be calm and standing within 4-6 feet of the shooter. Panels can then be moved out of the way once animal is shot and bled out.​

​

For freezer beef on feed, a bucket of grain, of small flake of hay on the ground should be deployed and animal should not be moving. You need to ensure a head-on shot using the criss cross shot placement shown earlier. In the days leading up to harvest, familiarize the animal with eating at the killsite. This ensures that the animal remains calm as it maintains its normal routine. When possible, schedule the harvest time to be as close to regular feeding time as possible. This ensures the animal is thinking about food and not the strange person who is there.​

​

Upon delivering the shot and the animal falling to the ground, the next step is to sever the Jugular vein and Carotid artery immediately behind the jawbone. Be careful to avoid flailing hooves as the animal may kick out of reflex even though it is dead. Stand on the Dorsal side (side away from the hooves, ) there will be a large gush of gallons of blood when these vessels are properly cut. Allow 5 minutes for the reflex kicks of the animal to stop before stepping in to eviscerate and begin skinning.​

​

 

[JV842]

I've been toying with the idea of writing a guide for the Homesteader on raising and harvesting beef. This thread just kicked that into gear....

Some thoughts:

The idea is to destroy the Central Nervous System for an instantaneous death and immobilization. Too light of a caliber or poor bullet penetration can result in animals being merely stunned and getting up before they can be exsanguinated (bled out). Avoid bullets designed to fragment (varmint bullets), although hollow point bullets that stay together work extremely well. Full metal jacket bullets should penetrate adequately provided shot placement is correct. For best result soft point jacketed bullets are optimal.​

​

Caliber​

From my experience while .22lr can work at close range, .22 mag is my personal minimum for mature cow skull thickness at point blank range. If someone was using their personal protection handgun, then 9mm or .38 would be more than adequate. Centerfire cartridges from .223 to .30 caliber will be more than adequate with properly constructed bullets. The 30-30 lever action is well suited because of the soft point, jacketed bullets design for the tubular magazine. The short barrel length and open sights make it a good choice as well. .30 Carbine is also a well suited round and rifle design for cattle euthanasia. Magnum centerfire rifles are not needed for this task and could result in bullet passthru into edible carcass or area behind the animal. Be sure the area behind the animal when shot is clear with an adequate backstop incase of a bullet passthru. Ideally the line of sight will be at a downward angle.​

Rifle or Handgun? Rifles are inherently more accurate and hold steadier especially when the shooter is more than an arms length from the animal being euthanized. It comes down to what you have available. Practice shot placement at close range before hand to understand point of impact in relation to the line of sight. Many rifles with scopes will have a 2 inch difference in line of sight and bullet path at barrels end This could be the difference between a clean kill and a rodeo.​

​

The kill site should be in a quiet location with a minimum of activity and public exposure. It needs to be close to the animal housing area and accessible to the kill truck, or tractor with front end loader. A firm, dry ground surface such as gravel or grooved or roughened concrete ensures the animal stays clean when euthanized. You don't want your years worth of meat to fall into a bunch of mud or dust. Having access to clean water in a pressurized hose will allow you to wash away blood and offal contents remaining. Be sure there is an adequate backstop and clear area behind the animal as a precaution against wayward bullets. Ideally the line of sight will be at a downward angle.​

​

Prepare your killsite by feeding the freezer steer in that location for the week or two before harvest day with portable panels around the area. 12x12 or 10x10 is optimum. This allows the shooter to stand outside the panels to deliver the fatal shot. Placing the feed in the corner ensures the animal will be more or less facing the shooter. Avoid having the freezer steer eating out of a bunk or feeder panel as upon the fatal shot the animals head may get hung up in the panel. Animal should be calm and standing within 4-6 feet of the shooter. Panels can then be moved out of the way once animal is shot and bled out.​

​

For freezer beef on feed, a bucket of grain, of small flake of hay on the ground should be deployed and animal should not be moving. You need to ensure a head-on shot using the criss cross shot placement shown earlier. In the days leading up to harvest, familiarize the animal with eating at the killsite. This ensures that the animal remains calm as it maintains its normal routine. When possible, schedule the harvest time to be as close to regular feeding time as possible. This ensures the animal is thinking about food and not the strange person who is there.​

​

Upon delivering the shot and the animal falling to the ground, the next step is to sever the Jugular vein and Carotid artery immediately behind the jawbone. Be careful to avoid flailing hooves as the animal may kick out of reflex even though it is dead. Stand on the Dorsal side (side away from the hooves, ) there will be a large gush of gallons of blood when these vessels are properly cut. Allow 5 minutes for the reflex kicks of the animal to stop before stepping in to eviscerate and begin skinning.​

​

We had an electric hoist and I would use mule tape to lash a hind leg, hoist the animal up immediately after the shot, then puncture the external jugular, and bleed out into a bucket; some of the customers wanted the blood.
Yes it did get a bit western while they were kicking but by using the mule tape I didn’t have to cut and insert a hook to hoist/hang. It was quick, easy, and they bled out better hanging.
Did the same with front end loaders

 

[Elkmagnet]

22 mag and up. Make an imaginary X from each eye to the opposite ear.
Make sure the bullet strikes the skull at a 90°angle to avoid glancing off.

 

[Moserkr]

Well said @2rocky Id say thats sums it up perfectly.

I was wondering about my choice of a jacketed soft point bullet. It was all I had besides big bear loads or self defense hollow points. A 158 grain JSP out of a .357 mag definitely did the trick when applied to the right location.