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Best pellet placement for a quick kill, question

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The only time I would shoot a squirrel in the butt would be when using something like the Benjamin bulldog or a 22 250. It simply doesn't matter at that point. The bulldog would do a clean pass through and the 22 250 would just explode the entire squirrel. When it comes to pellet guns generally I agree with everyone here about shot placement. Once you get really acquainted with your particular gun and pellet I don't think it's unethical to take heart lung shots. I definitely prefer the head shots and the dancing around is just it's nerves. It's not feeling pain. You can give another shot if it bothers you but it's totally gone at that point. 
 
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Well, a center head shot resulting in the flip flop dance, is the death dance from the mashed brain to spine sending nerve impulses.

Its easy to confuse this with a devastating brain miss head shot with some flip flopping/jumping but not immediate death. Key here is if the squirrel lifts its head in any way, its not dead just wounded. When a good brain shot is done head never lifts just the flip flop dance.

If the head shot is more to the base of head top of spine with >20fpe+ then a very abbreviated flip flop dance or maybe just a vibrating leg or 2 or DRT results in my experience...

jmo
 
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Rabbits are the same, as in sure are most animals. They kick with head shots. The problem with this, in countries where rabbits dig burrows, is that if they're near a hole they can sometimes kick their way down one and you lose your prize. 

This has happened to me a few times on my Granddad's farm and it sucks when your dead meat still manages to escape, even it is is accidentally. 
 
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I have no plans to try texas heart shots but my 25 Avenger has about twice the penetration of my Prod (tested in wet paper). My Prod will shoot through reliably side to side and will angle through stopping under the skin or out the abdomen on the other side. So I am pretty sure the Avenger will go end to end. It's only killed one squirrel so far and crushed the front shoulder on the first shot angling through the body and out the abdomen in front of the back leg. It was still moving a little so another one caught the same front shoulder and exited the neck. Did a little brain dance after that one, must have hit the spine.

Heads of squirrels move a lot and I have missed the brain when the shot is over 15 yards (from field positions). I've also hit it too, of course. But I find shots through the neck drop them very quickly typically with no or an abbreviated "dance". I have had a string of 7 one shot kills with my little 18fpe Prod. Some were brain but some were pure body shots. The only ones that did not exit angled through the vitals and went nearly the length of the squirrel. All the squirrels dropped at the shot. Most were pretty high up trees. It's nice when they just fold up and drop.

My rule of thumb is to go for the vitals. I'll take the brain shot when I have it but if I need to put one into the chest I will. When a squirrel sits still you don't typically have all day to wait for the perfect brain shot.
 
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