What can be done with a 22LR?

Anything bigger than a feral CST, in my opinion, would be in clean kills giving hunters more of a bad name. I do Have a colt m4 ar22. That with a box of ammo, my pup patty and a cute girl is the most fun. It's legal to do that in texas. Also a great way to introduce kids/girlfriends and dogs to hunting.

If you are going at night like I always do. Be sure to get you a stiknshoot!!
 
There are some parts of the country where hunters are restricted to rimfire and shotgun, so I'm pretty sure some will chime in,,,,Little early for some sleepy heads...
 
Maybe the nightshift will be first here
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Anyway, Ive hunted fox with the 22. No problem with the right ammo and shot placement. And if I only had one, a 22 would be my choice. Definetely.
 
At one time they were used in Michigan (legal at the time)for deer hunting in zone 3. My dad took a couple of deer with one.
 
Originally Posted By: DennyrAt one time they were used in Michigan (legal at the time)for deer hunting in zone 3. My dad took a couple of deer with one. Must've been before they had regs on calibers all together. To the original question, I've taken a few woodchucks and a lot of coons with a .22lr nothing bigger. Although my uncle shot and killed a coyote with one a few years ago while farming. The first shot hit it in the throat which sent it to spinning franticly while bleeding to death. He then tried to shoot it again which turned into him dumping the remaing ammo at it through a 552 Speed Master. He got [beeep] lucky his first shot, especially considering open sights and the distance he was shooting.
 
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When I was a kid growing up on a dairy farm I couldn't tell you how many crows, woodchucks, squirrels etc that I killed with a single shot 22 LR. Coons never seemed to be a problem, but I have had a couple unrecovered Red Foxes over the years. Nowadays I prefer to use my 22 mag for anything I'm not going to eat. It does kill with much more authority. 22 mag is a legal deer cartridge here in Maine.
 
Oh, my grandfather and dad used to put the steers and hogs to be butchered down with a .22lr. Plenty capable when tucked behind the back of the ear.
 
Originally Posted By: JDolezalOh, my grandfather and dad used to put the steers and hogs to be butchered down with a .22lr. Plenty capable when tucked behind the back of the ear.
They're VERY Effective at point blank range! I've witnessed that on plenty of farm animals.
 
When I was young, I shot a few woodchucks with a .22LR. I think it's pretty marginal for even that. Shot near their den, way too many can dive down the hole and die there.

Big difference between killing something and being an effective sporting round. I believe even an elephant or two have been killed by the .22LR, shots through the eye socket. NOT a good idea to try, failure probably means being trampled. Don
 
You're absolutely right about woodchucks crawling down a hole to die with a 22 hole through their guts. The big idea was the keep the little ba$tard$ from digging more holes in the pastures that expensive dairy cows would break their legs in. Not to sound heartless about it, but my family had different priorities. I still shoot a lot of chucks from the comfort of my back porch, but I use a 22 mag. The 30 grain Vmax blows their guts out nicely, and the mild report keeps the neighbors from complaining.
 
With the new segmented bullets on the market I find the stopping power of a 22 on a new level and more dependable. That being said, a fox out to 50yds is the maximum I say is ethical....for me at least. Otherwise Id let it walk away. Still the 22. is amazing lite thing.

For some reality was just much more hard-core. I have huge reapect for Eskimo hunters. Imagine having to go near a Polar bear with only a 22LR.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2846837/posts
 
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Originally Posted By: DowneastWayneYou're absolutely right about woodchucks crawling down a hole to die with a 22 hole through their guts. The big idea was the keep the little ba$tard$ from digging more holes in the pastures that expensive dairy cows would break their legs in. Not to sound heartless about it, but my family had different priorities.
If I only have my .22 with me and make a decent shot and It still makes it down it's hole, thats fine by me. Thats one less I have to worry about eating our soybeans! I prefer a confirmed kill but i'll take a mortally wounded one making it in it's hole. Won't bother me one bit.
 
Actually my avatar pic is one shot with the good ole Colt Officers Model Match in .22lr. They were digging under our grain bins and would move enough dirt so that when the bin was full it would break the concrete above the hole. Thats a pricey fix.
 
A lot of woodchucks growing up, and even after for a long time. The coyotes have almost all of them killed off now. Other than that, rabbits, both red and gray squirrels, even a partridge (ruffed grouse) or two here and there. Not on the wing, though, on the ground in a stand of pines or thorn apples. I got more woodchucks out of the holes with my 22 long rifle because I used high velocity CCI Stingers, Yellow Jackets, or mini mags, and they stopped them well most of the time. My Dad on the other hand always shot woodchucks with his 22 HMR, which was so fast it just made a small hole straight through and they would get into the holes and die. I almost forgot to mention raccoons. My brother's dog Buddy would tree them and we'd pick them off with a 22 rifle.
 
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Originally Posted By: JDolezalOriginally Posted By: DowneastWayneYou're absolutely right about woodchucks crawling down a hole to die with a 22 hole through their guts. The big idea was the keep the little ba$tard$ from digging more holes in the pastures that expensive dairy cows would break their legs in. Not to sound heartless about it, but my family had different priorities.
If I only have my .22 with me and make a decent shot and It still makes it down it's hole, thats fine by me. Thats one less I have to worry about eating our soybeans! I prefer a confirmed kill but i'll take a mortally wounded one making it in it's hole. Won't bother me one bit.

I got a ground squirrel with a .17 HM2 that was hit so hard there were pieces of his liver on the rock where I'd hit him and he flopped off the rock and made it to his hole. I counted him as a semi confirmed kill due to how much was left on the rock.
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Originally Posted By: DonDWhen I was young, I shot a few woodchucks with a .22LR. I think it's pretty marginal for even that. Shot near their den, way too many can dive down the hole and die there.

Big difference between killing something and being an effective sporting round. I believe even an elephant or two have been killed by the .22LR, shots through the eye socket. NOT a good idea to try, failure probably means being trampled. Don

There was a story thirty years or so ago in Field and Stream about a guy in Alaska that had a homicidal Brown bear, or one of the sizable breeds climbing a tree after him, he'd dropped his rifle and only had a Ruger .22, he emptied something like five mags into it before he killed it.
 


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