Question on this topic...
Wouldn't a near miss to the brain be enough to kill the animal anyhow with a high power weapon like a 30 cal? I would think the shock wave traveling through the tissue would be enough to cause such severe brain trauma that it would take the animal down pretty much instantly.
While I wouldn't think this to be the case with something small like a 22cal or an arrow, I would think a shotgun slug or high power rifle bullet would do the trick.
If you're under water and someone drops a grenade near you, the fragments don't need to actually hit you for the grenade to kill.. the shock wave will do it alone.
Since an animals brain is basically in a fluid, isn't it the same thing?