Leaf shot – a must in terms of hunting ethics

Every hunter knows it all too well. You are in a promising position and you look at the animal you have targeted, which now appears in perfect position in front of you. You grab your rifle, pause for a moment and just a few seconds later the shot is fired. All the tension of the moment, or perhaps even the whole day, is released in that very moment. You see the animal thrashing and you know that the effort was worth it at the end of the day. That is more or less how it should be - but unfortunately the reality is often very different. What actually looked like a perfect shot to the neck turns out to be just an illusion. The game strides away and escapes in no time to the nearest thicket. When hunting, hitting the target should be an absolute must in terms of hunting ethics . WOLFGANGS has summarized for you how you can live up to this guiding principle during the hunt and also provides useful information.

The leaf shot - the high art of hunting ethics

Shooting at game is not just a simple act of firing a shot, but is more of an act that determines whether a good and ethical hunt is successful or not. Only those who constantly follow this guiding principle and ensure it with constant practice measures can do justice to it in the long term and land a shot to the bullseye. This type of hunt is therefore not just about killing game, but rather an art that must be internalized again and again.

During the hunt, a shooter must be extremely sure that his shot hits the vital center of the game. If there is even a moment of uncertainty, the attempt should be aborted immediately, as a shot to the chest can then no longer be guaranteed. Vital center means that the chamber and the carrier of the respective animal must be hit. How else can one guarantee the animal a quick and, above all, painless death? The game meat would also suffer under certain circumstances if a different approach were taken. The hygiene aspects in this area should not be underestimated either.

The perfect leaf shot - a mix of experience and local conditions

The conditions on site play a major role if you want to land a clean shot to the chest. This doesn't just mean the weather conditions, but also the points that unfortunately cannot be foreseen in advance. For example, the movement of the game. If you are suddenly confronted with an abrupt or hectic movement of the animal when firing the shot, this can mean that the bullet will end up finding a different target than planned. What initially looked like a shot to the chest can turn out to be a false assumption on closer inspection.

With this in mind, it is all the more important to concentrate well in such moments and to keep refreshing the skills you have acquired. Although such occurrences can never be completely ruled out, you can do a lot to ensure that you take the right direction with your actions beforehand. A lot of experience is extremely important in this area if you want to always achieve a decent result.

Blattschuss - only one definition is valid

It is important that the definition of the term " leaf shot " is not reinvented, misinterpreted or reinterpreted by half-truths. With regard to animal welfare, it is essential that there is only one definition of this word. When the word " leaf " is used, every hunter must know that only the region towards the head in front of the diaphragm is meant. From an anatomical point of view, this region is best described as the " chest cavity ".

However, many hunters stretch the actual location of the chest cavity too much in their definition, which often results in painful misses for the animal. Every single bullet that hits the area behind the diaphragm and then enters the animal's abdominal cavity is a catastrophe in terms of animal welfare. The previously discussed game meat hygiene also suffers enormously as a result. As a rule, the animal is not able to flee far, but one fact remains irrevocable - a wound to the venison is an extremely painful matter that the game must be spared at all costs. It is extremely dangerous if the bowel shot gradually becomes a different definition. The same understanding must remain here in the long term.

Leaf shot when hunting - taking into account differences between animal species

It is also important to interpret and assess the different animal species during the hunt. The position of the diaphragm and the state of breathing can vary from species to species, so this must be kept in mind before firing the shot.

For example, when hunting hoofed game , you can use an imaginary line to determine roughly where the shot to the rump should be fired. In this case, the rear boundary of the animal is a vertical line that is drawn at the rear contours of the front legs . Rules like these, coupled with the points already mentioned about good preparation, practice and experience, can, as a whole, ensure that the shot to the rump is fired correctly when hunting.