We have probably all seen shots made on game that should have been bang flops where the deer ran 200 yds with no lungs and its heart in two pieces, there are exceptions to every rule as its nature, i am only referring to the majority i have seen in animals and humans both.
Anyone who has seen a bullet entering ballistic gelatin can clearly see the shockwave created by hydrostatic shock as we can all plainly see that bullet at no point expanded to the full diameter of the wound channel.
In fact the bullet deposited a level of force/energy on the gelatin and that force caused a hydrostatic wave (as the medium is comprised of high % of water thus physics tells us the shock is then plainly of a hydrostatic nature) that caused a tearing of the medium equal the the energy and subsequent shockwave imparted.
Also from my physics lessons i seem to remeber that any matter containing a liquid can be temporarily placed into a compressed like state due to the force acting upon it, yet you are correct it cannot be held in a compressed state as the force/pressure can and will subside as the object passes and or as the energy/velocity of the object decreases in the medium.
Therefore IMHO any argument that hydrostatic shock is not one of if not the major issue of faster kills is skeptisim or someone with very minimal understanding of anatomy and physiology or how the body operates. EVERYTHING in the body is run by electrical impulses delivered via the CNS (the only exception is the automaticity of the heart AFTER cns disruption/shut down, or the same reason a chicken manages to keep pumping blood after its beheaded). Thus the faster we achieve CNS disruption the faster the animal dies.
Thus i think it foolish to rationalize that hydrostatic shock does not play heavily into the killing of an animal. Bows impart very little hydrostatic shock due to the design of the broadhead and the compartively low amount of energy imparted, they rely on hemmoragic shock, and assuming a good shot with a highpower weapon we all know our animals are not bleeding out prior to expiring.
