racoons with a .177 airgun?

Funny how much speculation there is without much actual experience.

I've killed over a dozen coons with my Sheridan .20 cal running the cylendrical pellets... all of them went down and didn't make it out of the dumpster they were scrounging. All of them were shot at 12 yards... from my upstairs window down into a dumpster... and all were either head or solid shoulder shots. My roomate also killed two with his .177 cal. Gamo from the same window... with the same result.

Get a quality heavy pellet like a Beeman Kodiak or Crow Magnum... look for a good head shot inside about 15 yards... and it'll be curtains for that coon. I would watch out for local projectile laws though... sometimes there can be pretty stiff penalties for violations.
 
Quote:


Get a quality heavy pellet like a Beeman Kodiak or Crow Magnum... look for a good head shot inside about 15 yards... and it'll be curtains for that coon. I would watch out for local projectile laws though... sometimes there can be pretty stiff penalties for violations.



...you mean like this?
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/Beeman_Kodiak_Extra_Heavy_22_Cal_21_10_Grains_Pointed_200ct/301

My buddy shot a woodchuck with one, from a .22 Talon SS, and it took the top of its head off (with about a third of the brain jelly), from 35 yards. After seing his shot, I'd venture to say that in .22 they'd go through a coon and keep on going. Ensure adequate backstop. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I`ve gotten 2 possums off the fence in my backyard with a hickory handle from a pick axe in the past two weeks.....

Hit the first one so hard i broke 6" off the top of the fence board......[beeep] hickory is pretty strong stuff.....
 
Find a heavy pellet it likes. Sight gun for distance you should be shooting. Aim between eye and ear. Pull trigger. 17 fpe should be enough to crack a skull. If you are close enough, go for the eye or ear. That way there is no question.
 
Timely post for me. My daughter walked out to our garage yesterday and a coon was sitting on top of our garbage can. 1st time that has ever happened. We just got a new lab pup and we stored her food in the garage. Maybe the coon smelled that. I am a little worried about the 7 week old pup vs. the raccoon. I will be parking my Ruger .22 single six on the shelf next to the garage door.
 
Personally, I consider a gun to be "enough gun" (for any rifle/purpose) when a headshot is not required for it to work.

Sure; a .177 to the brain can and will work (better hit the brain), but the potential for a failure to penetrate the skull using such a light pellet is much higher than when using a .22 caliber air rifle. .25 caliber would be much better.

Who wants a wounded raccoon roaming the neighborhood?
 
Quote:
Quote:
I was thinking bow and arrow. Silent and they wont get far. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



Unless they are head shot Coons will scream bloody murder when shot by an arrow. I can tell you from tons of Coon arrowing experience that every neighbor within blocks will hear the drama.

Sorry I meant the arrow being silent, Im sure the coon wont be.
 
Quote:
I have a problem in my neighborhood with racoons, they get into our garbage and they've become so bold that you can't even scare them off. I have a .177 springer airgun that shoots a 9.3 grain round nosed pellet at just over 900 fps. It will completely shoot thru a 3/4" board and stick into another board placed behind it. I'd like to get rid of these pests but I want to make sure I can kill them cleanly. I can't use a firearm because I'm just barely inside the city limits. Will the .177 work? Body shots or head shots only? Max distance is only about 30 feet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif



O.K. for those of you who didnt understand the original post, lets try again.The key words were "CITY LIMITS" NO BIG BOOMIES so yes if you can get a good close shot the 177 from a GOOD air rifle will work. My gamo is actualy louder than my 22 with mini mags but it is much less likely to travel 1/2 mile through a neighborhood and strike a kid after passing through a coons head.
 
Just put out the cage trap. Baited with marshmallows and Jiff Super Chunky. I live in the city limits, however I have hunters and shooters on all sides. I told them to expect a few .22 rounds going off in the next day or two. They are all for it.
 
Sardines work great, but.....you will catch every cat in the neighborhood. Not to mention skunks and possums. I think the coons are curious as well as hungry, and the marshmallows look interesting. Just my 2 cents.

kevlars
 
I would think the live trap option is the best. That being said a very good friend had her son shoot one with his .177 air gun. She too had them stop running away when she took a shovel after them. She had one come after her and she had her son come to the dooor and shoot it so they could leave. After the shot it ran about 15 yards and died at the base of the fence. Again I think the trap is your best option BUT a well placed shot.....

Mark
 
Quote:
Butcher,

What do you think about the Talon SS in .22? How versatile is it in terms of animal species that can be taken with it?



The Talon SS is a very impressive performer, especially when you consider that is has a 12 inch barrel.

For body shots, I would personally stick to small game like rabbits/squirrels/pigeons when using a Talon SS in .22, though I've seen many raccoons/possum taken with them when shot in the brain.

If hopped-up by Talon Tunes, and a .25 barrel was added (preferably a longer one, which would defeat the purpose of the compact/quiet Talon SS), I would think that larger critters could be reliably taken with it.

However, if it is larger critters that you are after, this is where the more powerful AirForce Condor in .25 really shines.

IMO, .25 caliber is the single most versatile airgun caliber there is (I sure miss mine!). My next .25 will likely be a Sumatra, which is a lever-action repeater that uses a 6 shot magazine. That, or an older Career 707. These air rifles, along with the Condor w/.25 barrel, approach .22 long rifle power (maybe more depending on the rifle) when using the super-heavy slugs.

Here's my old Condor in .25, which I was forced to sell /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif before I had the chance to kill any bigger critters with it.


P1000785.jpg
 
Woke up this morning to find a large raccoon in my trap. The marshmallows and Jiff Super Chunky did their job. [beeep] things are half scary when you get near the trap. I poked my Savage .17HMR into the cage and the head shot ended things quickly.

The friend who lent me the trap told me to keep baiting. There is usually more than one around. I will stay with the marshmallows and Jiff.
 
I usually let them out, and shoot them. Just make sure you use a semi auto so you can get another shot off quickly, or use a shotgun. Works better with two people. I think they can smell the blood and coon smell both in the trap, and correlate that as a threat to them, and therefore they may not go as readily into the trap. Just my 2 cents, might not even be worth that, just my observations.

kevlars
 
Like some of the others, I have seen coons take a pounding from .22 hollowpoints, fall several feet out of a tree, and still put a hurtin on dogs! Tough critters for sure!
 
I am in between houses in a neighborhood. I couldn't let it out and then start banging away. Besides, getting close to that thing gave me the willies. A hiss and snarling machine when you got within a couple of yards. I am going to rebait tonight and see if the blood (and there was plenty of it) will scare off the other critters. .
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top