In the end, however, energy must be transferred to the target or no damage is done - that is basic physics and if you think differently you should use your ideas to develop a perpetual motion machine. And get incredibly rich.
Being a physicist, I am unaware of your theories of physics. Where does the energy come from? Try momentum. Momentum must be conserved is the first law, not energy. All analysis starts and ends with momentum. How do you lose momentum? By transferring it to energy. Energy does not break an elk shoulder. If you cannot break the shoulder you do not get to the heart and lungs. Momentum does break the shoulder. Look up impact or impulse analysis and you will learn something about killing an animal. There are two forms of collisions: elastic and inelastic. Bullet deformation upon impact is a loss of momentum by transferring energy to deform the bullet (as opposed to breaking the shoulder bone). That is why a small light expanding bullet will not break a large heavy bone as well as a heavy slow solid one.
