Animal impact sound - bullets

[RaggedHunter]

I've heard it quite a bit, I'd say the majority of my shots especially since going suppressed with my rifles. But I have never shot an animal with a mono, most rifle shots are bergers or eld type bullets, not sure if that plays a part or not. . I shot a buck last year with my muzzleloader at 125 yards, my muzzleloader has a brake and is pretty stinking loud. Still heard a hell of a loud WHOP when that bullet impacted. That was with a 320 gr fury bullet.

 

[flyfisher117]

I’ve heard it since I was little. It’s a hollow sound; almost like someone slapping a watermelon/pumpkin.
I’ve heard it in thick cover, no cover, across the canyon, etc. since going supressed I hear it even better.

 

[MNGrouser]

I have heard it on a handful of deer but certainly not every single time.

My most memorable *THWACK* was on a coyote hunt in northern MN. A buddy had seen a coyote enter a medium sized woodlot and called some friends, including me, for backup. We quickly developed a plan. Me and another guy would set up in 2 deer stands on likely escape routes while friend number 1 got on the track. Everything went according to plan and the coyote came right out to the field I was watching at about 200 yards. I shot. Everyone heard the thwack. Tracker gives up on the slow, methodical, approach and confidently walks in my direction. I had to explain the sound we all heard was my .223 round slamming into the mud just in front of the coyote.

Not all thwacks are meat slaps.

 

[LoH]

My experience is, of course mono bullets make the sound (on impact). I have noticed no perceptible difference in that impact sound frequency-of-occurence from differently constructed bullets.

from diminutive roe deer to bull kudu—and cumulatively dozens of cow elk, red deer, wild boar, pronghorn, mule deer and other species—personally shot with Bergers, ELDs, Accubond, TTSX, LRX, Hammer, Sako Powerblade from 6mm 75 gr to .30 cal 180 gr. and .50 cal 250 gr.—I often hear that impact sound. I believe the main source of variability in whether or not it is heard comes from what other commenters have pointed out: environmental factors, time of flight, what body part it impacts, suppressed/no, personal/shooter/observer factors, etc. But not from mono vs lead/cup&core/whatever.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

 

[longrangelead]

bullet construction doesn't seem to matter.

After hearing it enough, you can pretty much tell where the animal is hit by the sound.

muscle is a slap

chest kinda hollow like a pumpkin slap

guts kind of a deep hollow womp

 

[Pharmseller]

If you’ve ever beaten a rug to clean it, that’s what it sounds like to me.

 

[Caseknife]

Yep, heard it many times, but is much easier suppressed. Shooting ground squirrels with a 17 HMR, even that sounds like knocking the dust out of a rug, hanging on the close line, with a baseball bat, WHOP.

 

[roosiebull]

I hear impact always. The only one I don’t think i heard in recent history was a big bear in the brush charging me and I shot off the hip at about 5yds with a braked rifle and no ear pro, if I heard that one, I must have been distracted by something else, haha.

I didn’t expect to be shooting that day, I thought we were tracking a dead bear

 

[jorswift]

I just started hearing shooting suppressed. 6.5cm 140g on deer. Drop in their tracks with a distinct thud.

 

[Rich M]

I hear em on longer shots and other people’s shots. When you hear a shot can usually tell if it connected.

Can hear arrow impacts just fine.

 

[Chris in TN]

bullet construction doesn't seem to matter.

After hearing it enough, you can pretty much tell where the animal is hit by the sound.

muscle is a slap

chest kinda hollow like a pumpkin slap

guts kind of a deep hollow womp

That's been my experience. I've never attempted to really 'spot shots' but I both look for animal reaction and listen for the sound of the hit.

Oddly, it may be *most* notable on game, when you're shooting slower suppressed .22lr (like CCI Suppressor at maybe 975' mv) at squirrels. The impact is usually much louder than the shot itself.

 

[207North]

bullet construction doesn't seem to matter.

After hearing it enough, you can pretty much tell where the animal is hit by the sound.

muscle is a slap

chest kinda hollow like a pumpkin slap

guts kind of a deep hollow womp

The chest hits are a very obvious hollow thwack.

I have noticed neck hits are much harder to pick up on and not hollow sounding.

 

[RockAndSage]

Never heard it on my own shots until shooting suppressed, but heard it commonly on other people's shots. It was a pretty good proxy for telling a hit from a miss, and an indicator to get ready for a bounding buck to come toward you over a hill or something, if you didn't hear the thwap at nearly the same time as the shot, right at the very end of the bang. Definitely sounds different from hitting dirt, rocks, etc.