This question is from Minecraft 1.1 to 1.6, when getting wool from sheep required hitting them, rather than killing or shearing them.
I haven't read anything that confirms my suspicions, but I can almost swear that after months of playing Minecraft and harvesting a lot of wool for creations (and trying to make the most out of lapis back when you only got one dye per ore) that hitting sheep in different areas are more likely to yield certain quantities of wool.
Maybe it's confirmation bias, but from all my shearing, I feel that hitting them in the head is more likely to yield 3 wool, in the side is more likely to yield 2, and hitting them from behind is more likely to yield 1. Has anyone else observed this behaviour? Is there any confirmation from Notch or another developer that no matter where you hit a sheep, there's an equal chance of getting 1, 2, or 3 wool?
Best Answer
No.
Hitting a sheep in the head will cause no wool to be dropped until it is killed, when it will drop 1 block of wool. Furthermore, hitting a sheep in the head will not kill it any quicker, but it may relive tension and angst caused by a creeper.
Shearing a sheep with the shears item will result in 2-4 wool blocks being dropped, again, regardless of attack location.