[creativetownsman]

I have a friend who lives on a ranch in the sticks.

Putting legalities aside, if any, how does one humanely slaughter a Hereford beef cow ~1000 lbs. in weight with a handgun? Please give specifics on minimum caliber, and where to place shot(s).

Thanks in advance.

[Claude Clay]

........perhaps ask your friend who lives on a ranch

[rcmodel]

Right between the eyes, or in the ear, with at least a .357, using a hard-cast SWC bullet.
Any big-bore .44 - .45 revolver will do the trick with the right bullet.

It needs to be something besides a JHP self-defense load however, to get adequate penetration through the skull plate & into the brain.

My dad slaughtered hogs every year and he would shoot them between the eyes with a .22 rifle.
That knocks them out cold, then you hang them up, cut their throat, and bleed them out.

rcmodel

[nathan]

9mm FMJ should do it at 1100 ft/sec.

[Ridgerunner665]

I have killed a few beef steers....with a 22magnum (no hollowpoints)....that skull ain't that thick.

[CoRoMo]

IIRC, the way we've always done it is to draw an X between eyes and ears (see picture), and aim for that with anything from a .22lr to a hammer. In the stock yards in Texas, we'd use a sledge hammer and they'd fold right over swiftly. My dad used a .22 rifle on several of his cattle, .22 revolver on our pigs. Make sure you don't shoot too low, or else you'll just have a mad steer with a bloody nose on the rampage. They are harder to hit after that because they won't stand as still and look at you like before.:o

Of coarse larger calibers will definitely do the job, but this was my experience FWIW.

[pbearperry]

Put on the channel that broadcasts Congress and bore the steer to death.

[rcmodel]

Now that right there is just about the cutest cow I ever saw!

How could you even consider shooting the poor thing? :D

rcmodel

[nutter]

Found this in another thread:

The magic spot is as follows:

Draw an imaginary crosshairs - the x and y axes - between the center of the eyes and the center of the top of the skull fore and aft. The z axis - the actual path of the bullet - should run from that point to the foramen magnum (the junction of the spine and the skull).

Even in the slaughtering business, it all about placement, placement, placement.

Link: http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=5219490#post5219490

[3pairs12]

We used to use 22lr right between the eyes on our steeres. Knocks them out and then slit the throat. We only had one ricochet and that led to us switching to a .38spl with fmj. Still being used at the parents ranch to this day.

[rondog]

See my reply on the .us forum.

[ArmedBear]

Put on the channel that broadcasts Congress and bore the steer to death.

LOL

~

(vBulletin requires 4 characters)

[John828]

Cows may be bigger but goats are tougher. We used the humble .22 on Angus, but had to slice the throats for our goats.

Stubborn as a mule should be translated as stuborn as a goat.

[wild willy]

Like CoRoMo said make an X 22lr. Between the eyes is too low. I've killed around a hundred steers couple hundred hogs. Hogs are harder to kill.

[CoRoMo]

Now that right there is just about the cutest cow I ever saw!

I thought you'd get a kick out of that.
It's those beautiful eyes!;)
Still tasty though.:)

[CSA 357]

Well i shot one between the eyes with a 44 mag one time, knocked both eyes out of there sockets, never moved , would the 357work? i cant say, im glad i was packin a 44 that day!:what:

[innerpiece]

When I worked at a local meat locker a few years back, the owner killed all the cows with a .22mag rifle. exactly in the fashion CoRoMo described.. none of them took more than 1 shot.

anything 9mm or up I would bet as safe.
but if yer buddy live on a "ranch in the sticks", he should most likely have a decent powerd handgun, and allready know how to do this...

ip.

[Rembrandt]

......Taking out a beef steer.......slaughter a Hereford beef cow ~1000 lbs. in weight..............

I keep forgetting how many city folks are on these forums.....must be the country boy in me but a beef steer and a beef cow are not the same.


Cattle = (plural) Bovine
Cow = female of the species
Bull = male of the species
Steer = neutered male
Heifer = Female that has not produced offspring.
Calves = male or female of the species before they are weaned.
Beef = ....all of the above.....


Thanks.....I feel better now.

[JohnnyOrygun]

When do went get to order steaks? :p

And as to make the cow or steer watch cspan, that is animal cruelty! :neener: No one should be made to watch that... come to think of it, who needs water boarding, just make the bad guys watch cspan and they will sing like a canary.;)

[Sagetown]

I have a friend who lives on a ranch in the sticks.

Putting legalities aside, if any, how does one humanely slaughter a Hereford beef cow ~1000 lbs. in weight with a handgun? Please give specifics on minimum caliber, and where to place shot(s).

Thanks in advance.

Oh! Lord; don't use anything larger than a .22 cal. You'll have a runnaway hornets nest. Those cows hit between the eyes with a .357 mag will run through a wood corral fence as though it were nothing, and you won't be able to catch it for sure. Same situation with hogs. The .357 mags just bounce off their face. (Of course if you use a very high powered weapon, it will do the job.)

where to place shot -- mark an invisable 'X' between their ears and eyes. For hogs, the old saying goes -- "X marks the spot to save the squeal; it's the best part."

[retrieverman]

I have killed a couple of down cows with a 40 cal.

[creativetownsman]

He wants to save some money ($250.00) and slaughter it himself, then have the butcher do the rest. He's new to 'cattle', as it's a horse ranch. He wants to use them for some team-penning type of thing, then fatten them up, and have steaks for the rest of his life.

The butcher said a .30-'06.

I told my friend I've 'read' a .22LR might do it on up. I'll check the thread on .us. I should think a 9mm fmj might do well or a .38/357-or is that 'overkill'. But I've read that one could take out an elephant with a properly placed .22LR.
What about shooting the animal with a NAA mini in .22WMR? Gosh, I doubt if that would do the job-but that is why I started the thread. The manner of killing is important. It must be swift and relatively painless to the animal.

I'm having difficulty reconciling the comments, but certainly do appreciate them. I should think that a 9mm or .38 FMJ might suffice. He has those firearms, and a .22LR MkII (He also has a .22LR rifle and a .30-'06). He just recently got the cattle on a whim.

Comments are appreciated!

[Sagetown]

The .22 cal bullet will penetrate a skull much easier than a large caliber bullet.

Example: A nurse with a hypo needle doesn't have to stick you very hard for that needle to go all the way to the bone. But using the same amount of thrust using a hay bale stinger wouldn't even push you off balance.

[ljnowell]

When I was a kid I always helped my grandpa do it. He used an old .22lr pistol he bought from the Western Auto store. Never saw him take more than one shot except the time he used his .38 S&W(not .38 special). Dang round bounced right off the skull. We figured it was too big with not enough velocity for the size of the bullet to break through the skull. The round went off the skull and skirted under the skin for about 4 inches.

[rondog]

Yeah, a .22 is all you need. They'll make the journey to the floor like a gunny sack full of rocks, with a mighty surprised look on their face.

A lot of people just crack 'em real hard on the gourd with a big ballpein hammer too.

[Big Bill]

How many of you guys have actually killed a steer with a .22?

I was elk hunting with a couple of my friends when my horse broke his leg. So, we send my friend Ben to Yellow Pine - Idaho, to get a Vet. But, all that he could dig up was a hunting guide. So, after they got to our camp, this peacock came strutting up to my horse and looked him horse over and said that about the only thing we could do is put him down.

We all had long faces and so he volunteered to do it and proceeded to pull out his .22 LR pistol. He put the muzzel behing Smoky's ear and fired. That horse just stood there stunned. And, that damn fool fired three more shots into my horses head and finally Smoky just snorted blood and started trotting off. So, my other buddy, Earl, grabbed his 30-06 and ran after Smoky and shot him in the head with it. I was out of my mind with anger.

LESSON LEARNED - USE ENOUGH GUN TO DISPATCH THE ANIMAL AS HUMANELY AS POSSIBLE! It was damned hard to watch my good ol horse suffer like that. And, it's a good thing that half-a$$ed cowboy got out of there when he did.

I suspect there isn't much difference between killing a steer and a horse. But, if it were me doing the killing, I'd use enough gun.

[creativetownsman]

That story was real sad. That is the type of situation we'd of course, wish to avoid and I'm really sorry that you had to be witness to that, and your horse went through such suffering..

But many posters seem to think a .22LR is plenty. I should think putting down a horse with a .22LR would be more difficult than these cows/steers.

That slaughter/butcher said .30-'06-that is how he apparently does it-at least that is what my friend said he was told. That seems like a bit much with a shot to the head, but rather too much than too little.

[creativetownsman]

Sagetown The .22 cal bullet will penetrate a skull much easier than a large caliber bullet.



Then why does one hear so much about .22's being deflected by human skulls?

[Mp7]

so getting a designated cheap TT33 or CZ52 with the high penetrating 7.62 x 25 as a butcher gun would be okay?

( just trying to sum up )

[Friendly, Don't Fire!]

An SKS (or cheaper) with cheap steel case ball ammo.
Be careful though, you have a second shot immediately ready to fire after the first shot (unless you load one round at a time).

[harro]

G'day
The question was asked by Big Bill about how many of you have actually killed a steer with a .22 .
Well as a matter of fact I have.
Up until last June that is what I did for a job.
Now I must say that about 98% were killed not with a .22 , but with a captive bolt gun . I knocked ( that is what it is called here, not killing) approx 7 - 10 animals a day, five days a week.
The ones we had to shoot with a rifle ( .22 magnum ) were ones that had hurt themselves in the yard ( broken leg etc ) and couldn't walk up the race into the knocking box.Even with a broken leg you can't get close enough safely with the captive bolt .I have done it ,but it nearly turned into a rodeo clown act.
Draw a cross between the ears and eyes and always make sure you drive the bullet in at 90degrees to the flat of their forehead, not at a angle.
When facing them in the yard make sure they have a lowered head before you shoot, unless of course you are shooting from up high.

Thankyou for your time

harro

[Sagetown]

Then why does one hear so much about .22's being deflected by human skulls?

Different conformation I suppose. Unlike Humans, Cattle and Swine have large flat foreheads with the thinnest bone area in the center between the eyes and ears.

[Friendly, Don't Fire!]

I would think the "trick" is what harro said, and that is make sure it is a 90 degree shot into the flat part. I can see if you were to shoot on an angle, even a slight angle, the bullet may ricochet.

[Sagetown]

I would think the "trick" is what harro said, and that is make sure it is a 90 degree shot into the flat part. I can see if you were to shoot on an angle, even a slight angle, the bullet may ricochet.

+1 Yep, that's the trick.:D

[MCgunner]

When I was a kid and we'd slaughter, we used a .22 rifle to the flat of the head. It worked. We didn't have a pistol, but the .22 rifle went everywhere as a go to when a firearm was needed. .22s were our "ranch rifles".

[caribou]

:evil: We Alaskans buy a couple of these Southern attack Wolves and set a pair out for ten of so minutes, and just slaughter the herd.

Knee deep in blood, we wade about and pick up steaks.

All we do is wrap the meat and put it in the freezer:D

[wild willy]

I'll ask big bill a question have you ever seen anybody kill a steer that knew what they were doing.If your watching and you blink you'll miss it thats how quick it is

[Mike2]

Just be sure to aim well because if you miss and the steer gets pissed, you could be in deep doodoo if you don't have a follow up shot ready. I have been on the receiving end of a12-1300 pounder before and it ain't fun.

[Ben Shepherd]

In my family, we use a 22 pistol as others have already described. They just fold up and fall down.

[rondog]

I would think the "trick" is what harro said, and that is make sure it is a 90 degree shot into the flat part. I can see if you were to shoot on an angle, even a slight angle, the bullet may ricochet.

EXACTLY! We're not talking about shooting a cow like a deer or something, we're essentially talking about "executing" the animal, at point blank range, right square in the center of the flat spot on top of the head. A round-nose .22 long rifle will put 'em down right now. NOT hollowpoints.

Regular old cows die fast, but I watched a really pissed-off bull damn near destroy the steel "squeeze corral" thing they'd herded him into for the shooting. Guess his skull was a little thicker. Big pigs and hogs can take a few shots to put down too, but it's the same deal, get right up close and personal with 'em.

Trying to slaughter an animal up close like this with a .30-06 to the head is insane, IMO. That bullet's gonna go clear through and go somewhere else, and where might that be?

[wild willy]

Good post rondog I don't think half the people posting have any idea how its done the barrel is inches from their head not feet or yards your not hunting them

[rondog]

When they're killed in big commercial slaughterhouses, don't they use an air-powered contraption that just drives a 1/2" steel rod through the skull and into the brain? I'm almost positive that they don't use firearms to kill cattle in commercial slaughterhouses.

[rcmodel]

Years ago, the local butchers / locker plant processors around here used either a big hammer, or a .22 rifle.

They had their throat cut before they hit the floor, or woke up again.

rcmodel

[redneck2]

Way back when on the farm, we'd take steers to the slaughter house. They always used a .22 solid at about 3 inches. He had a big glass jar full of the empty shells.

It isn't like they jump around. One shot and they're down like a sack of rocks.

[Friendly, Don't Fire!]

You can read about it here.

http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/print.php?id=7662

CAUTION: GRAPHIC CONTENT

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Worked in a slaughterhouse in highschool. They used something like rondog discribed, only fired by a ery large cap. This may be the captive bolt gun harro mentioned. Different caps for cows, sheep and pigs.
They did have an old 22 lr rifle that they used like harro talked about.
And I have also seen pigs shot with a 22 lr or just have throat cut.

[MCgunner]

Anyone see "No Country for Old Men"? I've never seen one of those slaughter house devices the bad guy used, powered by a nitrogen cylinder. I have seen a "stun stick", was a long pole with a little .22 on the end. It went off when you tapped the head with the barrel part. Killed hogs right now. They were using it on hogs, not steers, but same deal.

[harro]

G'day

A captive bolt gun is what others here have described.
It is a hand held device that is powered by a blank cartridge .25 cal although they used to use .22 cal years ago. There are three different colored cartridges which have different power factors.When the captive bolt gun is discharged it forces a rod or bolt out of the end approx 3 inches. It is a single shot device ,and to reload it the bolt is pushed back in , the top half of the gun turned a half turn which then frees it from the lower half. The spent shell is manually removed, a new one inserted ,and the two halves screwed back together. To cock it you must pull up the cocking piece on the top .
It is not like a pistol with a grip but is basically a foot long tube.The trigger which is a pad, not like a trigger on a gun is mounted half way down .You grasp the gun in your hand with the trigger facing away from you ,place the bolt end firmly on the animals forehead , and sq ease your hand which fires the gun.You must make sure you keep firm pressure downwards as the recoil and a moving animal may mean that the bolt doesn't penetrate properly.I have heard about gas powered ones but have never used one.

Thankyou for your time

harro

[supercopjason]

Most slaughter houses use a captive bolt gun. I have worked in 2 slaughter houses in both they called it a slaughter hammer it used a .22 charge.

Lived most my life on a cattle ranch in Amarillo Texas. I have never needed anything more than a .22. Always used a .22 papoose (this includes cows, bulls, and steers) All you need is a .22 just like described in the flat spot.

Pigs drop in 1 .22 shot as well but you tap them in the ear. I dont really know of much a .22 wont kill with a shot to the head.

Just talked to my brother who used to work at Internation Beef Packers and they used a pneumatic captive bolt gun (he calls it a cattle stun)

[Ridgerunner665]

Big Bill,

That stupid guide shot the horse in the wrong place...nowhere near its brain. The 22 would have worked just fine if he had shot him from the front and a little lower.

Where he shot him a 38 wouldn't have killed him.

[creativetownsman]

Gosh, I've seen some videos on youtube that really offended my sensibilities re slaughtering cows - in the U.S.A. I don't mind the slaughtering-it's the inhumane way that it's apparently done in some places. The one that really bothered me was of a slaughter place in Iowa. I will not go into the details, but it was sickening.

In any event, after you shoot the beast are you supposed to cut its throat and immediately drain all the blood out? Or can you just bring it over to the butcher? Sorry, don't know about these things.

[harro]

G'day

The first thing you do is not cut its throat.
You approach the animal from behind and reach over and touch it's eye, if it blinks shoot it again.
Don't walk around it's legs , because even if it is dead they can and will thrash their legs around.
You will only get kicked once to learn your lesson.
You do need to bleed the animal out as soon as possible.
But cutting it's throat is not the way.
You basically need to puncture it's heart and major blood vessels surrounding it.
If you cut it's throat you will end up with a huge mess because you have probably also cut it's oesophagus (the food tube ).
You have a lot of work to do and do you want half digested grass or grain all over you and the meat you hope to get off this beast.
If you run your fingers down from your chin past your Adams apple and keep going you will find soft kind of hole where your throat meets the top of your chest and rib bones ( I don't know what it is called, and it's a kind of crazy way of describing it but ,it's the best I can do ) A cow and most if not all other animals have this .You need a good sharp reasonably long knife to enter here.You are trying to get under those bones and follow them along as far as you can.You are not trying to stab it's backbone but puncture along the inside of it's brisket.
You will know when you have hit the right spot.
This is what you do if the animal is on the ground out in a field and you are doing a killer as we call it here.
If you are in a slaughter house situation it is different because the animal is hung immediately.

Thankyou for your time

harro

[peterc]

CoRoMo's drawing/technique is spot on....that is exactly what they taught us when I was studying to become a veterinarian. A .22 long rifle correctly used (placed) is more than adequate - obviously in built up areas/confined spaces a captive bolt is used. Regards Peter.

[Sagetown]

Gosh, I've seen some videos on youtube that really offended my sensibilities re slaughtering cows - in the U.S.A. I don't mind the slaughtering-it's the inhumane way that it's apparently done in some places. The one that really bothered me was of a slaughter place in Iowa. I will not go into the details, but it was sickening.

In any event, after you shoot the beast are you supposed to cut its throat and immediately drain all the blood out? Or can you just bring it over to the butcher? Sorry, don't know about these things.

creativetownsman: After you put the animal down, let it thrash and kick for a couple of minutes, or at least until it quits moving. It may lay there dead still at first, and then make an exagerated kick with both hind legs.

Yes; cut its throat...... If you can hoist its hind legs up about 1/3rd or half its body length off the ground, it will bleed out cleanly, especially if the ground is unlevel so the blood runs away from the carcus, not back under it.

[creativetownsman]

Thanks for your comments and helpful suggestions-that applies to every one of you who has contributed to this thread.

[PBinWA]

Wouldn't you just field dress it like an Elk? I guess it all depends upon how long it is going to sit before you get it to the butcher.

[Big Bill]

I'll ask big bill a question have you ever seen anybody kill a steer that knew what they were doing.If your watching and you blink you'll miss it thats how quick it is...Yep! I was with my son in a meat packing house on the kill floor (it was a small operation) dropping off two deer that we had taken with our bows, and we heard a loud bang. Then a steer rolled down the chute and it was kicking. The butcher took his knife and slit the steer’s throat and blood spurted from the animal's neck. Then he started skinning the animal as blood kept spurting from the animal's throat with each of it’s heartbeats. We were several feet away and had to move so that the blood didn't get on us.

BTW, it was good for him (15 YO) to see exactly how we got our roast beef for Sunday dinner.

PS, I've had to put down a dog or two (strays that the county wouldn't pick up) and a shot from a .22 LR to the head doesn't always do the job instantly.

[rondog]

At the little slaughterhouse I worked in, they would hoist the animal up asap with an electric hoist. I think they cut the skin covering the Achilles tendons on the rear feet, ran a chain through there, and hoisted 'em up. I won't say they "cut the throat", but they DID put a plastic barrel under the head and cut "something" immediately so the blood would drain out as quickly as possible, while it was still hot.

All in all, it was a pretty gross job for me as a young'un. I didn't do the slaughtering, I was tasked with all the nasty jobs around the place, most of which were VERY disgusting. A very good learning experience though.

[rondog]

Now, if you wanna see REALLY GROSS, go visit a rendering plant, where they process already dead animals, roadkill, and the blood and guts from the slaughterhouses! Ewwwww......

[Big Bill]

Now, if you wanna see REALLY GROSS, go visit a rendering plant...When I was in North Georgia in the 60s there were some chicken processing plants that stunk so badly that you could almost smell them in the next county. I often wondered how people in that town could make love to each other with that smell everywhere and in everything?

[Sagetown]

Wouldn't you just field dress it like an Elk? I guess it all depends upon how long it is going to sit before you get it to the butcher.

Not necessarily. If you make pre-arrangements with the local slaughter house, they'll take care of that when it arrives. A large beef's intestines will nearly fill a 30gal bbl., and you wouldn't want to deal with that on your property.

[Big Bill]

A large beef's intestines will nearly fill a 30gal bbl., and you wouldn't want to deal with that on your property.If you let them age properly, you'd have some good bear bait.

[Friendly, Don't Fire!]

Now, if you wanna see REALLY GROSS, go visit a rendering plant, where they process already dead animals, roadkill, and the blood and guts from the slaughterhouses! Ewwwww......

That's funny, I thought all road kill went to the Road Kill Cafe.:confused:

[tango2echo]

I have dropped dozens with a .22lr in the ear. Then slit the throat.

T2E

[Loomis]

My great uncle(dead ten years now, at least) claimed in the old days he killed hogs by hanging them up by the hind feet and sticking an ice pick in the neck vein. The hog would thrash and scream and the more it did, the faster it bled. I never did ask him how he got a live hog hung up there by it's hind feet. But he claimed that was the way it was done back then because they believed a live hog bled out more completely than a dead one did...and they were scared of parasites in the hog's blood so they wanted as much of the blood out of the meat as possible.

Rendering plants are disgusting. THey don't skin or even gut the animal. They don't even wash the debris off the dead animal's hide or fur. It gets ground up whole as is. Then cooked. Bladders and bowels full of urine and feces get ground up along with it.

[Sagetown]

My great uncle(dead ten years now, at least) claimed in the old days he killed hogs by hanging them up by the hind feet and sticking an ice pick in the neck vein. .

Yep; you don't cut a hogs throat. You take a long bladed knife (butcher knife), stick it deep towards the belly in the "V" where its neck meets the breast, with the sharp edge to the inside. Then with a swift downstroke on the handle to pivot the blade on the "V" upwards slicing into the arteries , jerk the knife out and get outa the way of the flow. :uhoh:

[kbheiner7]

The pros I know all use a .22 mag w/ round nose bullets. The animals I've seen slaughtered this was were absolutely lights out.

[HB]

Never slaughtered an animal so large, but I figure use the 30-06, why not so long as it is a safe shot.... The butcher said it works so give it a shot, sorry for the pun:barf: Why is this thread so long!

HB

[Sagetown]

Never slaughtered an animal so large, but I figure use the 30-06, why not so long as it is a safe shot.... The butcher said it works so give it a shot, sorry for the pun:barf: Why is this thread so long!

HB


For starters, in these days, the old technique of processing one's own pork, lamb, and beef, have long been forgotten, and the information may come in handy during a time of economical necessity.

Sage

[bobby n.]

rembrant forgot a word...kine
a group of cattle . old fashioned yes just like me...