cant hit anything.

Maybe you just dont WANT to shoot the furry lil buggers.... My old man always "misses" coyote's he shoots at .....

ohihunter2014 said:

so I can shoot pop bottle caps at 100-200yards of a sand bag or bipod consistently

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I assume this is with a rifle other than your .22?

ohihunter2014 said:

any advice?

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1) work on your field positions
2) more trigger time with your .22
3a) be sure your .22's up to the task and all screws (stock and scope) are tight
3b) be sure your .22 is zero'd correctly
3c) be sure you're shooting ammo your .22 "likes".

ohihunter2014 said:

I shot 4 times at a squirrel 40yards in a tree today and kept missing hitting the trunk.

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If they didn't hit the squirrel or the tree, any idea where those 4 rounds went?

Just off the top the 22 LR is not very formidable for ground hogs at 150 to 200 yards, in fact it is a poor choice for ground hogs in general. Just my opinion. Squirrels and rabbits are fine, I just don't like the 22 LR at those ranges for a ground hog.

As to why you can hit targets but not the game? I really don't know unless in the heat of the moment you are pulling the shots?

Ron

ohihunter2014 said:

so I can shoot pop bottle caps at 100-200yards of a sand bag or bipod consistently but when it comes too shooting animals such as squirrel in the head with a 22lr I always miss. idk what the hecks going on. even in the summer I missed several groundhogs 150-200yards and checked the gun at the range and shoots a raged 5 shot hole.

I used to get the panicky mode but don't get that way anymore.

any advice? or what the hecks going on? I shot 4 times at a squirrel 40yards in a tree today and kept missing hitting the trunk gave gun to buddy and he hit first shot in the head.

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Sounds to me like the bold line contains the key to your problem. No issue with shooting inanimate objects, but try to kill a critter and ...

If they didn't hit the squirrel or the tree, any idea where those 4 rounds went?

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Try this from the OP:

I shot 4 times at a squirrel 40yards in a tree today and kept missing hitting the trunk

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Sounds to me like you are flenching, or jerking the trigger in unsupported field positions.

You might be doing it off bags or a bipod too.

But it's harder to move the gun much off a supported bench position.

I'd suggest you lose the bags & bipod for a while and practice more in unsupported field positions until you get it sorted out.

rc

Poper said:

Try this from the OP:

I shot 4 times at a squirrel 40yards in a tree today and kept missing hitting the trunk

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

eh...yep. <Note to self> put reading glasses on before reading posts.

It may just be that your focus goes to the animal instead of your crosshairs. If you shift your concentration who knows where you may be shooting. Or possibly lack of follow through after you pull the trigger. I see hunters make this mistake all the time. Drop the gun from their cheek before the bullet has left the barrel....gotta see if they hit the deer. Very bad mojo. You must follow through.

I have a friend who's a poor shot on game with a rifle but he's an excellent shot on game with a bow & arrow. Maybe you should take up archery!

Maybe you are not missing

Groundhogs are tough animals. At that distance a .22LR would have to be placed exactly in the right place for a prompt kill. I have seen a ground hog shot with a .22LR at close range (10') and walk off. of course it died a week later from infection, but at the time he just strolled away. Another cruel guy, I hated, would gut shoot stray dogs with a pellet gun. The poor dog would die someplace else.

Please, if you have a problem with animals destroying things on your property, dispatch them quickly and humanely. In most cases the rule is SSS... Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up.

Squirrels are tougher then I suspected too!

I shot one in the left eye at 30 yards with a .177 air rifle about a month ago.
Bang - Flop, DRT.

Went in the garage to get a body bag.
Came back three minutes later and noticed he was gone, and in the top of a 70 foot pin oak with no place left to go.

Some minutes later, he fell out and hit the ground, DRT for the second time.

Post Mortem autopsy showed a clean through shot, in on eye and out the other.

Had this been in typical forest, he would have made it across several trees, never to be found.

I've had the same thing happen several times with chest shots.
One minute they are dead.
And the next minute they are running up a tree again to die somewhere else.

rc

With the .22 it might be your range estimation is bad. I shoot 2 different .22 silloutte leagues one 25-100yd the other 40-100m. There is a lot of either scope adjustment or hold over/under at those ranges for good centered hits. My 10/22 used in the speed event is sighted at 75yds. That means hold under at 25 and 50 and hold over at 100.

Use a shot-gun, twenty balls to the pounds, and aim for the squirrel's nose.

You'll add some Squirrel Meat to the pot soon.

ohihunter2014 said:

so I can shoot pop bottle caps at 100-200yards of a sand bag or bipod consistently but when it comes too shooting animals such as squirrel in the head with a 22lr I always miss. idk what the hecks going on. even in the summer I missed several groundhogs 150-200yards and checked the gun at the range and shoots a raged 5 shot hole.

I used to get the panicky mode but don't get that way anymore.

any advice? or what the hecks going on? I shot 4 times at a squirrel 40yards in a tree today and kept missing hitting the trunk gave gun to buddy and he hit first shot in the head.

Click to expand...

Then I misread it because I took all the shooting to be 22 LR. Sort of went from squirrels to groundhog in one swoop.

Then my second suggestion that you might be flinching or pulling your game shots?

Ron

RC, those are the Kansas zombie squirrels. We have them here in Ohio too.

Just out of curiosity,are you getting a full view in your scope and proper /consistent cheek-weld on the stock?

rcmodel said:

Squirrels are tougher then I suspected too!

I shot one in the left eye at 30 yards with a .177 air rifle about a month ago.
Bang - Flop, DRT.

Went in the garage to get a body bag.
Came back three minutes later and noticed he was gone, and in the top of a 70 foot pin oak with no place left to go.

Some minutes later, he fell out and hit the ground, DRT for the second time.

Post Mortem autopsy showed a clean through shot, in on eye and out the other.

Had this been in typical forest, he would have made it across several trees, never to be found.

I've had the same thing happen several times with chest shots.
One minute they are dead.
And the next minute they are running up a tree again to die somewhere else.

rc

Click to expand...

I've noticed that pellet guns don't kill squirrels that well either, even .22 cal pellet guns. I shot several squirrels around my house with my .22 pellet gun that required finishing shots, and these were head shots. I've never had that happen with a .22 RF, even with CCI quiets and the like.

I think the OP might be getting a case of nerves in the moment. Hunting is not target shooting, even with small game you're getting an adtenaline shot shortly before you squeeze the trigger. I would just practice more with field positions (propping on a nearby tree for squirrel) and keep your follow through in mind. Also keep going out after squirrel... some of the most successful deer hunters I've ever met spent a lot of time in the woods polishing their woodcraft/hunting skills on small game.

Don't peek.

A shot is a shot. Make it, then go see what the effect was.

Can you consistently hit bottle caps with your 22 at all ranges up to 75 yards using a rest? Very few people (<.1% using rim fire rifles & ammo) can consistently put ten shots inside an inch at 100 yards.

Do you use a rest when shooting at squirrels?j

Not uncommon.

I see this a lot. We go to the range, set at the bench with sandbags or a leadsled and bang away. Unfortunately, it is really hard for me to get bags or a sled in my treestand. I had to practice offhand and from improvised rest to become proficient. I still blow a shot once in awhile, but it doesn't happen very often.

This goes for bowhunting too. I shot paper targets at known ranges for years, but my kill to shot ratio was really low. When I joined a club and started shooting 3D the deer started to fall. I took 6 in row before missing one. Had one bow for 12 seasons. I took 16 deer with it.

There is no substitute for practice.

When you go to the range I am assuming the OP is shooting a conventional bullseye type target. Try for starters using a squirrel or groundhog target. A squirrel's head at 40 yards or a groundhog at 150-200 yards is a small target. If you google search you can usually find these online for free, print them out and you have more realistic practice.

Also, what ammunition are you using in your .223? As a previous poster stated maybe you are hitting the groundhogs but the bullets you are using aren't providing enough terminal performance. Switching from a conventional FMJ or SP to a thinner jacketed polymer tip like a VMax or Ballistic Tip might result in more DRTs and recovered groundhogs.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr