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Air Gun Home Forum Index » Hunting, Pest Control, Varminting » Tough Squirrel Goto page 1, 2  Next    View previous topic :: View next topic  Tough Squirrel   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:16 pm fritz Silver Status Member Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 2444 Location: New Jersey- outside of Philadelphia Well guys, didn't get to post about it yesterday, but... I was out hunting, on my way back to the house, when a squirrel ran up a tree. He comes over to the other side with his head peaking out. I pull up the Super Streak .22 (with a gamo match in it), put the sights right on his head, and bam! Little guy runs down onto a lower branch, and then runs in circles. By now I'm reloaded and waiting for him to calm down for another shot. He finally just drops off the branch. I start to aproach, little guy RUNS BACK UP THE TREE!!! I wait for 15 minutes and no falling squirrels. I noticed the POOL OF BLOOD FROM HIS HEAD under the one branch. I move around looking up at the nearby branches, firing a few shots up there to get him moving. NOTHING. So another squirrel lost. It flusters me why I shoot them in the head with one of the most powerful spring airguns made with medium sized pellets and see them run around in circles for a good 15 seconds and then fall, run up a tree. Now I gave up, went back into the yard and checked my sights. Dead on. I was doing 1/4" groups at 12 yards. I estimate the distance to the squirrel was 15 yards (distance to point of hit, not on ground). I have lost about 75% of my kills this way. It makes me feel like a bad hunter to not cleanly kill the game, but when I literally blow their head off... or atleast half of it, what am I to do? I have given up squirrel hunting for this season to allow the population to replenish. I'll get those little bushy-tailed-bastards next year (with hopefully a more accurate, harder hitting gun!) _________________ "I never set out to be wierd, it was always everyone else who called me it" -Frank Zappa Speed is impressive, accuracy is deadly. It's not that I'm not a people person, it's just that I'm not a stupid people person.   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:49 pm lauchlin Supporting Member Joined: 21 Feb 2007 Posts: 184 Location: Vancouver Island BC If you hit them in the head with that gun there going to be dead there not going to run away ...You just need more practice .....   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:31 pm yourdaddyjoe Supporting Member Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 4027 Location: Tatorville, USA It’s the steroids they put in the "canned" nuts these days… I'll be back! _________________ Say "NO" to BB Gun Wars... Quid Pro Quo Rule: An eye for an eye... www.HPASports.com www.Facebook.com/hpasports   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:39 pm BirdMan Member Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Posts: 32 lauchlin wrote: If you hit them in the head with that gun there going to be dead there not going to run away Indeed. Hell I sometimes hunt squirrels with my slingshot. If you hit them in the head, they will be dead... _________________ The Unorthodox Hunter Blog   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:45 pm yourdaddyjoe Supporting Member Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 4027 Location: Tatorville, USA Yes... Head shots are the preferred method of lead poisoning a limb rat. Or in this case... just behind the head... _________________ Say "NO" to BB Gun Wars... Quid Pro Quo Rule: An eye for an eye... www.HPASports.com www.Facebook.com/hpasports Re: Tough Squirrel   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:01 pm yourdaddyjoe Supporting Member Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 4027 Location: Tatorville, USA fritz wrote: ... I pull up the Super Streak .22 (with a gamo match in it), put the sights right on his head, and bam!... Fritz, Stop using light weight target ammo for game... you are most likely stinging them… At the minimum, try Crosman Premier hollow points or RWS Super Points... My DI Bulked 2250 really likes the Premiers... I have had no wounded runaways with either pellet... My maximun distance kill was 60 yards. That was the top photo above... _________________ Say "NO" to BB Gun Wars... Quid Pro Quo Rule: An eye for an eye... www.HPASports.com www.Facebook.com/hpasports   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:07 pm AirGunEric Site Admin Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 6930 Location: "Out There" You probably either grazed it, or as Joe is suggesting, used the wrong pellet and it practically bounced off its head. Use a pointed or dome (a hollow point is a form of domed pellet) and make sure it's a heavier pellet in a reasonably powerful airgun. _________________ ` I'd say "I care." But I'd be lying. Canadian Airgun Supplier: http://www.scopesandammo.com/storefront   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:09 pm yourdaddyjoe Supporting Member Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 4027 Location: Tatorville, USA AirGunEric wrote: You probably either grazed it, or as Joe is suggesting, used the wrong pellet and it practically bounced off its head. Use a pointed or dome (a hollow point is a form of domed pellet) and make sure it's a heavier pellet in a reasonably powerful airgun. Yea... _________________ Say "NO" to BB Gun Wars... Quid Pro Quo Rule: An eye for an eye... www.HPASports.com www.Facebook.com/hpasports   Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:14 pm yourdaddyjoe Supporting Member Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 4027 Location: Tatorville, USA --Hollow Point/Domed------------------------Hunting/Super Point--------------------Wad Cutter/Target -------Body Shots----------------------------------Head Shots-----------------------------Paper Puncher --Maximum Expansion-----------------------Maximum Penetration---------------------Nice holes in paper _________________ Say "NO" to BB Gun Wars... Quid Pro Quo Rule: An eye for an eye... www.HPASports.com www.Facebook.com/hpasports   Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:13 am Crosman140 Senior Member Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Posts: 663 Location: USA Well, those 2" dia. pellets will definitely do the job. Nice pic. I used to think shooting a squirrel was so terrible, until I saw the damage they do to houses, etc. Now, I see it as fun and useful. _________________ My Critter Gitters .22 Crosman 140 (1955) .177 Crosman G1 (2009) .177 Crosman 1377 (2009) .177 Daisy 880 (2019) BB Daisy Red Ryder (2012) BB Daisy Buck (2019) BB Crosman 1600 (1980) BB Marksman 1010 (1979)   Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:26 am kanyon Silver Status Member Joined: 09 Aug 2008 Posts: 1582 Location: New Zealand Use Preditors. Shoot these yesterday useing 1.77 preditors though a Geox underlever. _________________ Career Infinity PCP .22 Webley Patriot .25 Hatsan mod 75 .22 Hatsan mod 99 .177 (Quattro & SAS) Kral underlever .177 ............................................. .   Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:20 am fritz Silver Status Member Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 2444 Location: New Jersey- outside of Philadelphia Do they make .22 predators? What weight? I have RWS Hollowpoints but am refraining from using them untill I break in the gun fully. They don't weigh much more than gamo match pellets. _________________ "I never set out to be wierd, it was always everyone else who called me it" -Frank Zappa Speed is impressive, accuracy is deadly. It's not that I'm not a people person, it's just that I'm not a stupid people person.   Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:55 am broommaster2000 Moderator Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 5714 Location: City of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Try some really heavy pellets, re-sight in your rifle and you're bound to be more succesfull. How much Fpe is a Blue streak supposed to do? And how much grain are the pellets you are using? _________________ BIG GAP   Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:57 am Rogerflat Silver Status Member Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 2051 Fritz, You should probably try using a .22 then. But we've addressed this issue before. You can't guarantee a kill, even if you shoot the animal in the head. Squirrels are a tough customer and will keep going even wounded in the head. Remember that their brains are very tiny even in proportion to their heads. So you may hit or graze the head and cause bleeding, but not enough to be immediately fatal. And those tree rats are experts and finding cover and hiding from predators. _________________ I done been assisted by the trees and rivers. Never needed any minister to figure my divinity.   Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:28 am broommaster2000 Moderator Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 5714 Location: City of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands He did use a .22 for hunting, didn't he? Can squirrels scare themselves to death by the way? In that case, you could also use a big bore Airgun without ammo. Instant heart attack. Used to work with mice over here. BANG! Squeek! Flops... _________________ BIG GAP Tough Squirrel     Air Gun Home Forum Index » Hunting, Pest Control, Varminting You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum All times are GMT - 5 Hours   Page 1 of 2   Goto page 1, 2  Next All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First  Select a forum Main Forums----------------AirGunHome Q&AGeneral Air Gun Questions and TopicsPicture GalleryTarget Shooting: Casual, Fun and CompetitionHunting, Pest Control, Varminting People/Events/Airgun Issue Discussion----------------Introduce YourselfThe BS TopicClubs/Events/Regional/Political Airgun Issues Maintenance, Modification and Reviews----------------RiflesPistolsAntique, Collector and Novelty AirgunsBB GunsPellets/AmmoOpticsAccessoriesAirgun Smithing Buy, Sell or Trade Forums----------------For SaleWant to Buy   Note: If you are seeing "Please enter your username and password to log in." 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