Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 5: Step three: Do it - Lethal techniques

Shooting

Guidelines for shooting mammals

If you need to do a rabies test, don't shoot the animal in the head. You might destroy so much brain tissue that the lab wouldn't be able to do the test, and you could spray potentially contaminated brain tissue into the air, which might expose you to the virus if the tissue came into contact with your eyes, mouth, or nose. (Rabies virus by itself is not airborne.) Instead, aim for the heart and lungs. The heart/lung target may also be a better option if dealing with a free-roaming animal, such as a deer.

Target areas for the brain or heart/lung shots shown on a fox (illustration not to scale). The target areas are the same for most mammals, with the exception of the opossum.

What if you shot an animal in the head, and later learned that a rabies test is needed? Don't panic. Submit the specimen. In many cases, the specimen will be adequate. What about that worst-case scenario, when it's not possible to do an accurate rabies test? Then, as a precaution, the exposed person or animal would receive the post-exposure rabies vaccinations. That's not fun, and there's a limited supply of one of the drugs that's given as part of this series, so don't be cavalier about the quality of the specimens you submit for rabies tests.

Although the head shot (aiming for the brain) is often considered faster and more humane than the heart/lung shot, this isn't necessarily true. Please note that few people would be able to ensure a proper head shot at anything except close range.

To properly target either the brain or the heart/lungs, you must think in three dimensions. Without proper aim, the bullet could deflect off the skull. For the brain shot, the barrel of the firearm should be a few inches from the head. Ideally, aim so the bullet will travel through the brain and spine and lodge in the animal's body. If the animal's head is turned so you don't have the right target, you may be able to distract it and get it to move its head by tossing a rock.

Target areas for the brain or heart/lungs shots shown on a opossum (illustration not to scale). Opossums have very small brains housed in a reasonably large skull. This means the target area- the brain - is actually much smaller than you'd imagine, just from looking at the size of the animal's head. Their brain is about the size of a pea. Opossums also have a very big crest that runs down the center of their skulls, called the "sagittal crest". It's very strong to deflect bullets. Unfortunately,, if you try to aim slightly off to the left or right to avoid hitting the crest, you miss the brain entirely. A side target might be a little easier. Imagine a line drawn between the eye and the ear, and aim closer to the base of the ear.

Next Section (Guidelines for shooting birds)