Thwoop after impact

[baldhunter]

When I first hunted with my 7STW I went on a whitetail hunt.The landowner wanted us to shoot for the shoulders because the place had thick brush and waist high grass.I ended up shooting three deer and everytime I could hear a loud crack sound of breaking bones when the rifle was in recoil mode.

 

[Allen Kitts]

I believe the loud whack is just the bullet hitting something with a hollow core i.e. body cavity. It does not IMO mean a good killing shot necessarily. When guiding many years ago I had a client hit a mule deer with a 338 Win Mag at about 100 yards, herd the whack, the deer went down, we also did the high five only to look back and see the deer getting up and running off. Walked over to the site where the deer dropped and found nothing but a little hair. We never found that buck after two days with myself and two other guides looking from daylight until dark.
Unfortunately, sometimes things happen that are beyond our control and make no sense. Sounds like that is what happened here. Its very unfortunate that it happened to a young hunter but it is a good learning lesson that you should always chamber another round, keep your eyes on the prize and be ready for a follow up shot until you are 100% sure the animal is dead.

 

[hoffbill]

What were your results on those less than optimal hits? Had a kid out on a youth hunt, running a suppressed rifle. Watched the animal drop in its tracks with a distinct "Thwoop" and thought game over and were high-5'ing. Turn around and it's totally gone along with its two buddies which we can still see and are just lingering 50 yards away from where it was shot. At this point I figure hey he got up and ran off and dropped again in the direction of his buds and has probably laid down dying. We wait till they meander off continually looking back to allow it to die and then go see what's what where it was shot. Zero blood. Head to where his buds were lingering and can't find squat. Now it's been nearly 24 hours, been all over the place and can't find a thing but there is a lot of tall vegetation around that unless you step on it you might not see it. Is it still worth looking for? The meat is no good now which erks me but finding the animal for the kid would be awesome to get a picture and the antlers. Thoughts?

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

The whoop can an indicator of a solid hit but not necessarily a good hit. The whoop usually come from a body hit, can be heart/lung or guts makes the same sound. Depending on topography and how sound travels it doesn't always make the same return sound. I have also heard the whoop on a miss, just depends on what bullet strikes on the back ground. A higher pitched crack can indicate bone or a rock, sound is very similar.

All copper don't seem to make as big or any whoop in my small sample size that I've witnessed.

I would say it is not an indicator of a good hit, just mainly a indicator of a hit. The type of sound plus animals reaction is usually a good indicator.

This strike sound will also depend on this size and density of the animal. The strike sound on a deer with be very different than that of a Moose or a Bear. Also to be considered is the bullet weight & size vs size & density on the animal.

 

[Gater]

I have heard it and both times they where good hits can't say that is the case all the time

 

[amadjuster]

When I first hunted with my 7STW I went on a whitetail hunt.The landowner wanted us to shoot for the shoulders because the place had thick brush and waist high grass.I ended up shooting three deer and everytime I could hear a loud crack sound of breaking bones when the rifle was in recoil mode.

It has been my experience that when the animal drops like a rock and never moves again, it was a good hit, no matter what the sound.

 

[saw]

I associate the hollow thunk with a chest cavity hit. A smack I'm not nearly as confident.

 

[stljc2]

More like the sound a soaking wet washrag makes when thrown against a wall.

 

[del2les]

There the hollow drum sound that's usually in the body cavity then there is the real sharp crack of a shoulder shot, if they drop like a bag of potatoes I hate it, I'll sit a long time with a round ready and if I see so much as an ear twitch there a second round in the air. I hate it when they drop, especially elk, I want to see the oil pressure drop before they roll over so I know their dead!

I had this happen a couple of times, one elk one dear. Sharp shoulder impact and DRT reaction, UNTIL. The elk went down in its tracks and did not twitch an ear, so I immediately got up and started my ascent. After a few minutes, I found a bloody spot where he had laid but no elk. I climbed a short knoll to look around, and about 200 yards away I saw him staggering through a thicket. With him walking straight away and below me, I placed another round into his spine between his shoulders. What should have been an easy retrieval became a far more complex.

The deer took a 220yd angled impact from a 130BT 270 into the right shoulder with a resounding crack/whop of breaking bone and instant drop, but upon leaving my hill overlook to transverse the tall grass, I lost sight of the animal. Once to the location, I could find no deer nor trace of blood. Only flattened grass where he had laid minutes before. After several minutes of searching/tracking, I found the buck lying in the grass and fully alert, so another shot was required.

Fortunately, I recovered both of those animals, but it goes to show even a resounding impact and witnessed "good hit" area does not mean a dead animal.

 

[mnoland30]

Keep looking. When the others in the group hang around, it almost always means your animal is down. I once hit a deer and watched it do a full flip in the air and land in a heap, than jump up a minute later and go back behind the tree. When I approached, it ran away. I was so startled, I rushed my shot and missed. I searched and searched, and finally found the tip of his horn that I had shot off.

 

[Ckgworks]

This reminds me of a auto mechanic vent to me......his biggest frustration was the lady that would call in and say "My cars making a ying-ying-grrr noise when I drive it, What's wrong with it?"

I grin because for me describing a sound noise is one of the hardest things......especially though typing text! I mean how do you spell that??
Most of my experience has been through bow hunting, and there are definitely distinct noises that can tell you where you hit an animal, but it's really hard to describe them! With archery, you can watch the arrow hit, and make a direct comparison to the noise you hear so it makes it a little easier. I think of it this way: guts are a pretty solid mass, and the noise is more muffled.....ribs are more of a light thwack, where a shoulder is more of a Wack......I'm not even going to try spell out my interpretation of the actual sounds.

 

[rogerstv]

Not a chance you can determine impact location from the sound.

 

[Huntz]

When i hunt any game animal and shoot it.I always chamber another round and watch the spot where it fell.Time for high fives after the animal is gutted.I have never had a gutted animal get up and run away.

 

[Canhunter35]

Air conditions would make such a difference on the sound of the bullet impact, I would only conclude that you made impact, not where on the animal