22 Just Ain't Hackin' It!

I bet they will come back too
Someone may have mentioned this earlier. I have mixed emotions about even bringing it up due to safety issues but....if they present themselves in an area where you can fire from an open window yet still have an excellent backstop and no chance of hitting the window, virtually none of the sound will leave the building you are in. Something with less report like a CD long would be very hard to hear by a listerner on your front porch if you are firing out of a back window. Pretty much only someone in direct line of sight with the back window would be able to hear anything.

I envy you seeing the kites. We had a couple of pairs of red brested Grossbeaks here for a short time this spring. That's a first. With them came the brown headed cow birds. Eventually and sadly, the Grossbeaks moved on but with less company.

Best of luck and a safe outcome

S-

Get yourself a .17HMR. Shoot from inside your house as opposed to hanging out the window or of the porch. Most of the noise will stay inside.

The .17 is a little louder than a .22, but its usually a one shot drop (and I mean drop, and rarely a twitch) and the damage is impressive. The bullet also tends to disintegrate on impact.

Nuisance 'Coons

Okay, I've been following this thread, waiting for all the helpful folks to start lynching those who hold a different outlook. Time to chime in.

Somewhere around #50, someone suggested a slingshot. Think real hard about that, and if you haven't used an adult version in the past, you owe it to yourself to aquire one. Almost as versatile as the .22 rimfire, but without the legislative restrictions that come with firearms.

I am a State Nuisance Wildlife Control Officer, here in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Past several years have seen an immense influx of city dwellers, looking for a more "sane" lifestyle. They love to see the wildlife, until there is an inevitable conflict. Then I get involved.

We get to use many options not available to the "recreational" hunter/trapper, including off-season persuit, traps, bait piles, etc. Need a solution, without any noise? Remove all things recognized as attractive: trash, pet food, denning sites, "natural" food selections. Coons like fruits & berries. Large juicy grubs & insects.

Spray for insect pests throughout your yard, harvest fruit crops immediately when ripe (or just prior), lids on trash, keep compost piles strictly vegetarian, thin cluttered areas, trim overgrown growth, etc. Use the cage traps, removing all catches as soon as possible (limit observation by other critters, two and four legged). Skunks are no problem, and NEVER drag one in a trap. Cover the cage with an old bath towel, blanket, sheet, etc. If he can't see you, he won't try hitting you with his spray.

Your conflict needs to be cleared while you & yours are visiting away from home? I'll clean-up as mentioned above, and set traps as stated. Not a night-time predator hunter? Find a permanent-ink felt tip marker, red ink. Get your brightest flash/spot lamp. Cover lens with celophane (Scotch tape, Saran Wrap, etc.), and color covering with red. Light shines through, and red beam doesn't spook animals as white light does. Lens of lamp is highly visable, but the "cone" of light isn't. Use one of the .22 rimfires you have chosen, after reading the prior posts. NOT the .17 rimfires. Too high a velocity, the noise is prohibitive. Single shot, repeated a few times through the course of the night won't alarm anyone. Got activity while it's still daylight? Expect the "Neighbor Lady" to be nearby and attentive? Go back to that slingshot. Not an issue typically regulated by Municipal Ordinances. Quieter than all but the quietest rimfire. Accuracy doesn't usually carry as far as your rifle, but lethality far exceeds your expectations. Your ability improves quickly, with practice. Larger projectiles (marbles, stones, etc.) are great deterrents, and not usually deadly. Smaller ones (commercial ammo & ball bearings, etc.) are reliably lethal. You get to choose your level of force/deadly force.

Always be sure of your backstop, public "sensabilities", image in the neighbor's eyes. You commented about her calling the Police... Probably not if she believed that you are safely, humanely, compassionately and carefully removing the cute little guys to a more hospitable home in the Country. She doesn't have to see the trash can full of water in your garage, lumpy plastic bags in your garbage can, etc. Smile at her like you did your old Aunt (the one with the wart on her chin). Ever she thought you were an angel at Christmas time. Good luck, be careful, and have fun!

I agree with JWarren. But for rabid coons or coyotes I'd go with a 12 gauge and a Hastings Metro choke extension. Unwieldy, but no louder than slamming a car door. And you don't have to worry about eyeshots or even being particularly accurate.

Been dealing with them all summer, as my neighbor has as well (we've caught 11 so far, plus one opossum and one skunk ). We both use live traps. I have only shot one this summer, which was smarter than the trapper (I used an M6 with the .22 and .410 barrels, nice to have both options). The rest got carried off to a wilderness area, far from houses.

I like the .410 as I have less worry about a .22 going somewhere it doesn't belong. I am also a fan of the .17 for the same reason. Those bullets just seem to self distruct when they hit anything. I've had too many .22 LR bounce.

I hate the CB and the colbri type ammo. (I love plinking with them though and they work fine for blackbirds) I have shot coons in the eye and didn't get enough penetration to kill humanely. I prefer to use the subsonic, fairly quiet and more effective.

I use both colibri 30, and 60 gr, the 60 will cycle my 10-22 action, the 30 not even close. In fact, the 60s won't do it reliabily. But, the 30s are deadly silent, the 60s a little louder poof. The 60s hit way harder than the 30's killing even the biggest Jackrabits instantly, as the 30 gr take a few minutes to croak, or need a second shot. Id try the .60gr SSS Colibri, and shooththem from claose range if you can. Or get a supressor and use regular hv Vipers or something in a good hollow point, there will be a downrange crack, but no noticable report. No one will know where the shot came from or even know it was a gunshot unless they too have a supressor on a .22 and know what the crack sounds like.

Maybe I missed something in the original post. I do that a lot. Do you use iron sights?

I'm not familiar with the ammo you are using, but have used CCI CB longs in a similar situation.

Head shots seem to take them down quickly and efficiently. To get a head shot at night takes an illuminated reticle scope - at least for me and probably for most people.

Try a budget red dot scope and make sure to dial it in for the actual distance you will be shooting at.

Please be careful with your backstop. I'm sure you are but it always pays to double check. Go over your KZ in daylight and check angles.

Most states have hunting laws, and then they have pest control laws for certain animals and certain situations (i.e. might not apply to homeowners but rather farmers, etc). At least out west, in most states a property owner can eliminate certain varmints and pests without a hunting license. I'll bet raccoons fall into this category, but of course your state probably has a website where you can research this.

Raccoons like peanut butter, but like it better with a bit of bacon thrown in.

Used to have racoon problems, an entire family of mother + 5 cubs as well as a really mean male (I'm estimating close to 40lbs), they used to come foraging at night, drove my dogs wild and sounded like bowling balls dropping on the roof.

Couldn't shoot them because of neighbors & backstop concerns so I opted for a Wrist Rocket slingshot and a box of .44 lead black powder bullets.

I was amazed that I never killed any, but the ones I hit would make a real loud "ooof!" sound and run away. They stopped coming back after about 1-2 weeks. Maybe they crawled away somewhere to die of internal injuries.

Discovered something

Discovered that my racoons seem to follow the same path one night after the other, or really two paths. One was under a gate in the fence that I just about never use. I blocked the entrance and ... tonight...and only tonight, probably, they didn't come through the yard. Reason I know is I was there for five hours while I slow cooked something in a dutch oven.

I don't have any cats to feed and no bird feeder. So my yard is only a pathway to better pickings elsewhere.

God! I wish my varmints would follow an established highway. This rimfire sniper's dream come true.
BAM! Next, please!
BAM! Now serving number 13...#13 please! BAM!

The ones around here do, right to my wifes garden. Its like hunting over bait!

I'm battling the raccoons right now as well.

couple of questions. how do you guys dispose of the raccoons once you get them?

Also, where do you guys find the CB's? I can't seem to find them in any of my local stores, do you get them on the net?

It might sound crazy and out of the question for some people, but heres the way I disposed of raccoons in the city near my apartment when I unfortunately had to live in a very urban area. I found a havahart trap at a scrap metal recycling place that I bought for 5 bucks but they are available at stores all over the place. I did not want to shoot out the window or walk outside with a gun because I would have surely been arrested. I trapped them(with peanutbutter as bait) then brought them inside and set the cage in the bathtub and shot them in the head point blank with a pellet gun. This works well if there are specific animals getting in your trash every night or living in your attic. Mind you I didnt have any roomates and Im not married. It is a way that works that isnt suspicious and I also camouflaged the trap pretty good in a grown up area on the edge of the lot. Alot of people just want to get rid of them but racoon isnt too bad to eat and in the winter the hides are worth about 6 bucks apiece. An easy way just to dispose of them is throw them out with the garbage or in a dumpster. Theres another thread I started dealing with urban wildlife, but I wont discuss that now because many people thought I was making it up, but if youre interested check out the thread I started on urban hunting.

Alot of people just want to get rid of them but racoon isnt too bad to eat and in the winter the hides are worth about 6 bucks apiece.

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I used to go coon huntin' in the hills around here when I was a kid. Don't forget the "toothpick". Almost every country boy in my school had one. Coon is pretty good, though. Not as greasy as possum, more meat than a squirrel, and not as gamey as a groundhog. Purt' near as good as rabbit, unless you get an old boar coon that's tough.

...and set the cage in the bathtub and shot them in the head point blank with a pellet gun.

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Hope you dont miss, especially if its a newer tub. It will be an expensive coon.

we kill them with frog gigs

i go a nother question i have a rossi 410 is this enough gun for small animals/varmits/birds at 25yd to 50yds of what do thinks its max range

One reason to get rid of raccoons is that their feces can be quite dangerous around toddlers and infants. Too much disease. (This is not true for squirrels and deer, the other pests in my neighborhood.)

But I only use live traps, so I can't help with the original question. Within Eugene city limits any projectile is illegal -- I can't even use a bow or slingshot.

Insane irish quoted:

I'm battling the raccoons right now as well.
couple of questions. how do you guys dispose of the raccoons once you get them?

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Its called the three S's Shoot, Shovel and Shut up.

Air rifle they make a nice .22 varmit air rifle that can shoot around 1200 fps. I think that would do the trick given air rifles are totaly silent. Yeah poisioning doesnt work i have tryed both Comet and Drainx-x in addition to conventional poisioners. Lets just face it racoons are critters of satan evil hell spawns!

I used to do exactly what you are inquiring about with a Benjamin 22 caliber pellet gun. Ten pumps would put the pellet through an inch and a half thick plank. Plenty of rabbits and squirrels fell to that gun. Makes a hell of a lot less noise than any 22 rifle round save maybe C.B. shorts but has much more knock down power. I've seen rabbits hit in the head with C.B shorts scratch their heads and then walk away. Shot placement is critical, but as long as the raccoon is under 20 lbs, a chest shot would do him in pretty quickly. I always went for head/neck shots though, more humane. Benjamin Pellet guns aren't the most pricey out there but pack a major punch and last a lifetime. Happy Hunting.



P.S. You could also try something like a suped-up squirrel slingshot like this

http://www.bogglesome.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=297&Itemid=42

Air rifle they make a nice .22 varmit air rifle that can shoot around 1200 fps. I think that would do the trick given air rifles are totaly silent.

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Emm..OK.

S-

Shooting the coons is pointless. You can kill them all you want, in short order they will be replaced. Same thing with possums. Possums are nomadic, too, they don't live in any one spot. Kill the possum of the day and another will come back, and another, and another. Depending on your point of view this could get very boring, exciting, expensive, time consuming or ineffective.

A better approach is to see why it is you're getting coons in the first place and how you could go about preventing their access or discouraging them. Mightyoakwildlife had some very good suggestions.

We get to use many options not available to the "recreational" hunter/trapper, including off-season persuit, traps, bait piles, etc. Need a solution, without any noise? Remove all things recognized as attractive: trash, pet food, denning sites, "natural" food selections. Coons like fruits & berries. Large juicy grubs & insects.

Spray for insect pests throughout your yard, harvest fruit crops immediately when ripe (or just prior), lids on trash, keep compost piles strictly vegetarian, thin cluttered areas, trim overgrown growth, etc. Use the cage traps, removing all catches as soon as possible (limit observation by other critters, two and four legged). Skunks are no problem, and NEVER drag one in a trap. Cover the cage with an old bath towel, blanket, sheet, etc. If he can't see you, he won't try hitting you with his spray

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To this I would add look for water that is coon-accessible. They seem to have a hard time swallowing without water. You can either eliminate their access to the water, eliminate the water or construct a water source in a area that's more interesting to them and better for you.

A dog in a fenced yard can help, too. As can lighting. Casual observation has suggested to me that coons are territorial. They're quick learners, too. I used live traps to get my local coons trained. They hate being held prisoner for a week so they've figured out if they stay away from certain parts of my property they keep their freedom, since they defend their territory I haven't had others from outside giving me any problems.

If you've got a garden you might also consider the types of plants you are growing. Ever hear of the "three sisters?" Squash, beans and corn? Coons love corn, but they hate the feeling of the squash plants. By interplanting the corn with squash the Indians not only got better nutrition they also helped keep the coons out. If you don't want to grow vegetables you might look into other spikey plants they'll tend to avoid. Are you sure it's coons, though? Digging around like that sounds more like an armadillo or possum.

As far as shooting them goes, shot placement is everything. I've blown the guts out of a coon with a hasty shot, it would have died on its own but I had to track it back into the woods and dispatch it, I used a hammer to the head to be fast and sure. And this was with a service caliber handgun loaded with a premium defense bullet.

But yeah, sooner or later trying to kill them all will either get boring or futile and if you do manage it you will just open up a niche in the local environment for the smaller creatures they preyed on to exploit, like mice, rats, snakes, snails, moles, etc ... and for competing species of similar sizes to fill like possums, feral dogs, feral cats, etc. Mother nature wins every time in the long run, better to work with nature by directly addressing the root problem.

A .22 short will easily drop a coon at 20 feet and is quite enough not to draw attention from the neighbors.