Obviously, we are always responsible for the impact of our bullets, whether they go through the intended target or not. Attacked in a crowded location, the best first move might be to seek cover and consider firing on your attacker from a kneeling position so that your bullet, if it does exit, will do so in an upward direction and be less likely to hit someone else.

By the same token, the hunter must be concerned with the safety of the other animals that might be behind his intended target. Herd-bound animals, such as pronghorns, the various goats, deer, and buffalo, will often bunch up to such an extent that the hunter should be concerned about an exiting bullet. I am told that it is for this reason that many professional hunters ask clients to fire a softpoint bullet for the first shot on Cape buffalo in hopes that it doesn't over penetrate. Subsequent shots, should they be necessary, are made with solids in order to cause as much penetration and damage as possible.

So it's important that you give some serious thought to terminal bullet performance when you are getting ready for your next hunt. In my view, the lack of an exit wound is not an issue when your shot is good enough to drop the animal in its tracks. But how often do we find that this really occurs? If the animal runs at all, an exit wound is critical to recovering your trophy.

My friend and colleague Terry Wieland and I were recently discussing guns and ammo for dangerous game. Terry made the observation that a dangerous-game gun was not selected for those times when everything went as planned. A dangerous-game gun and caliber were selected for those times when nothing was going right and life was on the line.

The more I've thought about that statement, the more I think it applies to any of our hunting situations. When everything works just right, you can kill deer with a .22 Long Rifle. However, I use a .30-06 because I know it is very seldom that everything works just right in the hunting fields. Come to think of it, that's the same reason I carry Federal 230-grain Hydra-Shok ammo in my .45 auto. On the street or in the hunting field, I intend to win.