I agree Taylor was astute to factor in caliber and bullet weight. I'm not saying it's not important.

But I've shot elephant with more decisive results than impala or deer with the same rifle.

Maybe it's a fact that the bullets people build for a .375 or up are built tougher than you need for a 150 to 500 pound animal. I don't know.

For example, I absolutely staggered a Gemsbock with a shot to the chest. I didn't need to track him.

On the other hand, I took the same shot with the same rifle at about the same range on a Sitka blacktail and didn't even faze it. By all outward appearances.

I needed to track him. He was just as dead, eventually, but I didn't see any immediate evidence of a formula.