Arrow wound vs. Rifle wound
10-25-2010, 11:51 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 78
Arrow wound vs. Rifle wound
My last post was about the poachers in my area spotlighting bucks at night and shooting them with rifles and leaving them there to die. My buddy found one of these dead bucks on his property and told me it looked like it was shot with a bow and arrow. When the game warden showed up he said it was definitely with a high powered rifle. So this got me thinking....what is the difference between a rifle wound and an arrow wound? I don't know how to tell the difference. I have shot 3 deer with my bow and 1 with my rifle so I guess I don't have enough experience to know the difference. I didn't think you could tell a difference but apparently so. How about difference between muzzleloader wound and rifle wound?
10-25-2010, 11:59 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 143
well the overall lethality of each weapon is completely different.. broadheads cause death by hemoraging and guns by hydrostatic shock.. minus the destruction of vital organs.. i personally only notice a difference in the overall cleanlyness of the wounds.. a broadhead whether its 2 bladed or 3 leaves a very distinct and clean mark where as a bullet is gonna enter small and leave a big exit depending on the size of gun used and bullets...im my experience its very hard to mistake a gun shot for a bow shot...a muzzle loader wound will be similar to a rifles but with much more damage at P.O.I due to the shear size and weight of the projectile.. i used a 300 win mag on deer and the hole was no different than that of an 06 unless you connect with bone then its a different story. .but my .50 cal inline puts the same size hole in deer that my 270 does..
10-25-2010, 12:26 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,084
That is what I thought, but Im sure they have to take the bb's out of the shell. Either way I hope it back fire's or blow's the shot gun. We have found .22 cal bullets, bird shot, broadheads and a antler tine before while skinning deer. They are crazy strong animals.
10-25-2010, 12:26 PM
#6
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 78
well the overall lethality of each weapon is completely different.. broadheads cause death by hemoraging and guns by hydrostatic shock.. minus the destruction of vital organs.. i personally only notice a difference in the overall cleanlyness of the wounds.. a broadhead whether its 2 bladed or 3 leaves a very distinct and clean mark where as a bullet is gonna enter small and leave a big exit depending on the size of gun used and bullets...im my experience its very hard to mistake a gun shot for a bow shot...a muzzle loader wound will be similar to a rifles but with much more damage at P.O.I due to the shear size and weight of the projectile.. i used a 300 win mag on deer and the hole was no different than that of an 06 unless you connect with bone then its a different story. .but my .50 cal inline puts the same size hole in deer that my 270 does..
10-25-2010, 01:35 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 2,435
My last post was about the poachers in my area spotlighting bucks at night and shooting them with rifles and leaving them there to die. My buddy found one of these dead bucks on his property and told me it looked like it was shot with a bow and arrow. When the game warden showed up he said it was definitely with a high powered rifle. So this got me thinking....what is the difference between a rifle wound and an arrow wound? I don't know how to tell the difference. I have shot 3 deer with my bow and 1 with my rifle so I guess I don't have enough experience to know the difference. I didn't think you could tell a difference but apparently so. How about difference between muzzleloader wound and rifle wound?
Muzzleloaders are typically higher caliber than rifle rounds so pretty much anything close to 1/2 inch in diameter wouldn't likely come from a modern rifle. Over 1/2 inch and it's likely a shot gun slug. A 12 guage slug (non saboted) is nearly 3/4 inch in diameter when it leaves the gun. Saboted are typically close to 1/2 inch so telling the difference between a 50 cal muzzle loader entry wound and a saboted shotgun slug wouldn't be easy.
Last edited by Sylvan; 10-25-2010 at 01:45 PM.
10-26-2010, 06:08 AM
#8
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 78
Don't just look at the opening in the hide. When an arrow cuts the hide the tension around the wound pulls and distorts what would preserve the shape of the penetrating object. Peel the hide away so you can clearly see the thin muscle over the rib cage. This tissue preserves the shape of the projectile much better. Any firearm on entry will leave a roundish hole there. An arrow won't leave a hole at all. What you will see are the result of the blade edges as they pass through. It will look like a cross on a 4 plade a simple slit on a 2 blade but it won't be a hole like a firearm. The hole that results from the firearm, again on entry, will be related to the caliber. The large the caliber the larger the hole. There will also be a more noticeable "bruise" around the point of entry than with an arrow where there is very little bruising. Generally you would expect higher velocity rounds to bruise more given the same caliber.
Muzzleloaders are typically higher caliber than rifle rounds so pretty much anything close to 1/2 inch in diameter wouldn't likely come from a modern rifle. Over 1/2 inch and it's likely a shot gun slug. A 12 guage slug (non saboted) is nearly 3/4 inch in diameter when it leaves the gun. Saboted are typically close to 1/2 inch so telling the difference between a 50 cal muzzle loader entry wound and a saboted shotgun slug wouldn't be easy.
Muzzleloaders are typically higher caliber than rifle rounds so pretty much anything close to 1/2 inch in diameter wouldn't likely come from a modern rifle. Over 1/2 inch and it's likely a shot gun slug. A 12 guage slug (non saboted) is nearly 3/4 inch in diameter when it leaves the gun. Saboted are typically close to 1/2 inch so telling the difference between a 50 cal muzzle loader entry wound and a saboted shotgun slug wouldn't be easy.
