Hydrostatic shock is a very real thing, it is the energy transmitted to an animal through its own body fluids reacting to the impact of the bullet, primarily when the fluids cannot move out of the way fast enough. You can see it when you shoot a deer with any relatively fast-moving bullet, you will see a wave of ripples move away from the point of impact and dust, water, mud, hair fly off the animal. The most visible effect of hydrostatic shock in harvested game animals is blood-shot meat. So, yes, it exists and has a real effect on any animal when that animal is shot with a high-velocity projectile.
Having said that, the idea that the energy from the bullet hitting the animal can disrupt its neural pathways, stop its heart, drop it where it stands, or any other nonsense of the sort, is preposterous. To take it a step further, the idea that a bullet merely passing close to a game animal can kill it is akin to believing in the tooth fairy.
On the other hand, big proponents of hydrostatic shock kills were Roy Weatherby, Parker Ackley, and Charles Newton, kind of a "Who's Who" of the gun world.
Having said that, the idea that the energy from the bullet hitting the animal can disrupt its neural pathways, stop its heart, drop it where it stands, or any other nonsense of the sort, is preposterous. To take it a step further, the idea that a bullet merely passing close to a game animal can kill it is akin to believing in the tooth fairy.
On the other hand, big proponents of hydrostatic shock kills were Roy Weatherby, Parker Ackley, and Charles Newton, kind of a "Who's Who" of the gun world.