Air Rifle / Pellet Gun for Eliminating Pests

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Where I live, I can LEGALLY fire anything that I can own legally, but it's a not always polite for my few neighbors.  Lately, squirrels have learned, after years of no problem - they've learned to get onto the bird feeder.  Using my .22 air rifle, I killed two three of the little tree rats so that they cannot hold classes for the other squirrels.  One neck shot and two one head shots.  I don't want them to suffer, but I do much prefer dead squirrels to these destructive, live ones. The neighbors' screen door shutting is often louder than my air rifle.

Does anyone else use non-firearms for culling the heard of (non-human) vermin?


Sir John Honeybucket

[Nemo]

I have a squirrel problem myself.  Crossman break barrel .177 pellet gun with the eye/ear base the aimpoint.  Frequently the hit the ground quivering a bit but not long.

I have culled out about 8 so far this year. 

They have chewed wiring on my vehicle 3 times, costing me about $1000 over the past 5 years. 

About a week ago there was a young groundhog in my front yard.  I went out to run him off and he crawled up in engine compartment of my wife's vehicle.   He and mom (lives across the fence) but often in yard will be moving on soon.

Nemo

[Jackalope]

    Yes, depending upon the pest.  I discourage ground hogs with a BB gun.  If I'm serious, then a .22 with a suppressor does the job.  A suppressed .22LR firearm using subsonic ammo is as quiet as an air gun.  I've found a suppressed .22LR topped with a night vision scope is effective in eliminating night time garden raiders.

[JohnyMac]

No. I have no neighbors .

Now my brother lives in suburbia and uses a pellet rifle for tree rats all of the time. He opens his back slider about a foot and uses a rest on his kitchen table. His Dachshunds wits patiently at the open slider and when the tree rat drops she runs out and finishes the job. 

[FeedingFreedom]

Steel rat traps baited with peanut butter do an awesome job against several types of vermin. Got them cheap on Amazon. The pellet rifle or suppressed .22 works great, but there's just too many kids and pets around to use it safely.

[RB in GA]

I just let my very large tomcat out.  When I first got him he managed to bag a least one rodent/squirrel/chipmunk a week, along with the odd rabbit and bird.  He's leave the uneaten heads at the back door so he could show me he was doing his job. Rarely have the pests any more.

[Nemo]

Box him up and Greyhound him north.

Nemo

[CJS06]

I have neighbors though not close enough that I cant shoot to manage vermin.  That said my ruger 10/22 with subsonics have taken 8or9 squirrels this year.  I do take a coyote to the tune of 2 or 3 a year.....but for that I use 1 well placed 77gr 5.56mm round with no complaints from my neighbors.

Chris

[grizz]

I've used slingshots, air rifles, throwing sticks and bow/arrows