Making the Shot

Well, you’re out in the pasture and find some cattle that need medication.  You have accessed the treatment and determined which drug will work best for you, the capacity required, or dart size, and the length of the cannula required for the drug.  You have pulled the required drug and dart from your bag, filled the dart and placed it in the dart barrel of the gun.  You might have already predetermined your distance and have the projector charged and on safety.  It’s time to get into position for the shot.  You could be a little nervous if this is the first time you have actually used your equipment on something alive.  Take a deep breath.

Unlike at the range where you prepared for this moment, the target could be moving around on you as well as other animals coming between you and your shot.  Have a little patience.  If you can get into position from the cab of the truck by driving around a little, great, you’ll have a rest for your arm out the open window.  If you must get out and can position yourself on foot without spooking the cattle, that’s great too, you’ll just have to shoot off hand. Hopefully you have practice doing so with the practice darts after the gun was sighted in and zeroed on a steady rest.

The best scenario for you to have is the animal standing still in a broadside position at a ninety degree angle from you.  The best injection site for you will be in the neck.  There is an ample blood flow and muscle mass to get the medication to work fast when an I.M. injection is sought after, as well as loose hide for a Sub-Q injection.  If the wind is blowing, your first choice should be to have the above set up with the wind directly to your back.  The next best option is to have it blowing straight into your face.

The only thing left to do now is to judge the distance properly and use the appropriate pressure requirement for your particular projector at that range and pull the trigger.  The calf has been medicated without undo stress.

Eventually you will probably run across instances when you need to take some shots in a cross wind situation.  The best way to prepare you for such is back at the shooting range.  The distances of cross wind deflection are related to the dart capacity you are projecting, the distance to your target and how hard the wind is blowing.  The lighter the dart, the more the wind carries it to the downwind side.  The longer the distance, which results in a longer flight time, the more the wind will move the dart downwind.  Of course the higher the velocity of the wind results in the same old story.  So back at the range and using practice darts of the same capacity of live darts you will be using, shoot these darts at different distances in a cross wind situation.  Aim directly as you would under windless conditions and take note of how far the dart drifts to the left or right.  You might see your darts hitting somewhat lower in elevation also.  The cross wind is slowing the projectile’s velocity as the dart is moving to the side.  When you find yourself having to make a crosswind shot in the field, you will have an idea of how much distance is required to “hold” into the wind.  If the wind is just howling, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to use a live dart on a live animal with that much crosswind.

Eventually you may find yourself taking a shot at a moving target.  This will be more difficult for you to learn, although it is similar to wind conditions.  You will not be aiming where the animal is at; you will be aiming where the animal will be by the time the dart arrives.  Just like wind, this is dependent upon the dart capacity and velocity, the distance and how fast the animal is moving.  If I am shooting a 10cc dart at a cow that is thirty yards away and traveling in a fast trot at a 90 degree angle, I may be pulling the trigger with the point of aim that is a yard in front of the cow’s head in order to make an injection in the neck in front of the shoulder.  If the cow is moving directly away from me, I’ll be holding high.  By the time the dart arrives, she will not be the 25 yards away when I pull the trigger, but perhaps 30 yards by the time the dart catches up to her.

You may have some better ideas on how to practice for a moving cross shot, but one way I suggest is to glue a piece of cardboard inside an old tire and have a buddy roll the tire in front of you at different speeds at different distances, using practice darts to find out how much “lead” is required.  (Make sure your buddy stays under cover when you are shooting!).

The best advice I can give to you is to wait for a standing still broadside shot, and hopefully there will be very little wind present if your dart has a long flight to overcome before it reaches the animal.

Consider the needle length on the dart you are using.  It is very important to have close to a 90 degree angle shot when using a one-half inch cannula.  The portion of the dart that attaches the dart body to the cannula is called a ferrule.  If you shoot an animal at an angle, and this ferrule strikes the critter before the point of this needle, your dart will glance off. 

Cattle are dumb animals, but that’s not to say they are stupid.  If they are looking right at you as you put the dart into them, they might wonder what happened the first time.  If you have to repeat an injection the next day, there will be an association made by it.  A few days may lapse and perhaps you want to give a booster shot to keep the blood level of the drug up for just a few more days, just to be on the safe side to insure a complete recovery.  When it sees you stop near him and a barrel sticking out the window of your vehicle, and it has already been darted twice, it will most likely put some distance and some other cattle between you and him.  The best scenario to have during initial treatment is to wait until the animal’s head is turned to where its eyes are looking away from you as you make the shot. When the animal’s head is down taking a bite of feed isn’t a bad time to pull the trigger.

The last thing I want to do on new cattle that I am trying to teach to “eat” is to have them become afraid of my feed truck.  Many times after I feed the cattle, I will drive away a few hundred yards, park the truck, and unload the ATV.  I will preload the darts with the drugs and drive back to the cattle on the ATV to give them their shots.  I have shot many cattle from horseback.  (Make sure you and your horse have reached an “understanding” prior to trying this.)

One thing I do when possible is to stop my truck several hundred yards from the cattle in my initial approach to them out in the pasture, trying to stay unnoticed.  I will observe them through binoculars.  You will be able to tell more easily which ones are not feeling the best in the world.  I’ll go ahead and load any darts needed right then and there.  When you just drive up on them, all of the cattle will become more alert and look perhaps like they feel better than they actually do.

The reason for most missed or poorly placed shots will be due to misjudging the distance to your target.  I will assume you made references of trajectories with measured distances, dart capacity, and power settings with your practice darts.  Well now, you don’t have that measured distance.  On especially longer shots, a rangefinder is a mandatory piece of equipment to have.  Misjudging a distance of only a few yards can make the difference.  Using a rangefinder in combination with the trajectory cards you made, and being a little sneaky in approaching an animal, you can accomplish some amazing shots successfully.  Avoiding eye contact with the critter while positioning yourself can help.  Some animals have a “sixth sense” and know when you are after them.