22 Just Ain't Hackin' It!

[Sulaco]

I have a raccoon problem. I live in a suburban area (for now) and keep the tree rat population under control with my 39A using Super Colibris. I love this setup because it's absolutely silent. All I can hear is the hammer hitting the firing pin.

The problem is, these little bullets just don't do the job on raccoons. I am a good shot but eye shots are a little too hard given the ranges and open sights.

I could probably kill them using some higher velocity ammo, but I'm worried about the noise. Any ideas?

I've tried poisoning them with rat poison and marshmallows but that doesn't seem to kill them either. And now they are digging up my flower beds! :banghead:

Are any of the other rimfire calibers worth messing with? Or will noise still be an issue? I thought about posting this over at rimfirecentral but a lot of those guys don't do much hunting so I thought I'd get more feedback here.

 

[Heavy Metal Hero]

A crossbow might work.

 

[MikeJackmin]

A large Hav-A-Hart trap baited with marshmallows and peanut butter works like a charm. After they are trapped, you can dispose of them in whatever way seems best.

Hav-A-Harts are nice because you can safely release other critters which may be trapped by mistake. Be sure to use a large enough trap, or the coons can just back out.

 

[igpoobah]

Can you own a suppressor in your state?

Seems like the ultimate suburban coon gun would be a suppressed 22 w/ night vision scope!

 

[doubleg]

A couple quick 22 shots going off won't bother anyone. They will probably think that they were fireworks. You could use subsonic ammo if your still worried.

 

[Sulaco]

I will look into the trap solution. If I did that, I wouldn't have a problem with kill shots.

The subsonic ammo might work, but I can't work the lever quickly enough to get off more than one shot before they go over the fence (small yard). I might have to pickup a cheapy semi-auto from the pawn shop. What is some good subsonic ammo to use on coons? I generally just shoot the Federal bulk stuff and Stingers which are both way too loud (my neighbor would surely call the police if she heard them go off).

 

[arcticap]

I'm not sure why, but landowners often think that they aren't required to follow their state hunting laws. These are laws that if they are not followed to the letter, can lead to an arrest. And then there are the local ordinances about discharging firearms.
Why risk it? Follow all of the laws.
Do you have a hunting licence? Are you shooting while at the required minimum distance away from your neighbors houses? Are the coons in season, or are their animal nuisance laws in your state that allow them to be shot anytime?
When a neighbor complains, or someone gets hurt, law enforcement becomes involved, investigates, and charges and lawsuits can result.
Using poison can possibly even get folks in trouble if it get ingested by an area pet. So I wonder if cruelty to animals could even become an issue.
Instead of asking for info. here about your laws, why don't you ask your state wildlife conservation officials and your local police? That's their job.
There are even regulations concerning small game hunting with air guns and archery.
Ethical hunters are legal hunters.
Once you learn whether you are legally hunting or not, then you'll find out if you can legally use the more effective ammo.
Or else I would recommend that you stick with legal methods of pest elimination, since the coons don't appear to be invading your house or garage and causing a direct threat.
In some states, it's legal to kill wild animals that are invading your garden.
But even then, it needs to be done within the law.
I'd hate to see you or anyone else get in more trouble than it's worth over some problem coons.

 

[Sulaco]

arcticap I appreciate the input but I never asked about the law and for you to infer otherwise is just an assumption based on your own misunderstanding of the situation. I could explain a lot of things you seem to be hung up on, but I'm not interested. What I am interested in is successful ways to eliminate problem raccoons without bothering my neighbors. None of that implies anything legal, or illegal.

 

[DMK]

Stay away from the poison. I lost a family pet because my neighbor was poisoning pests. It's not a nice way to die.

The hunting forum might give you some better answers:

http://www.thehighroad.org/forumdisplay.php?f=30

 

[Big Daddy K]

.

 

[Big Daddy K]

Scare Crow type device. Motion sensor light for night. Get a dog, make that a big dog. Moth balls? Works on cats Have a radio playing outside but not to loud. Mabey set up a trip wire with some kind of scare away device. Negative reinforcement done consitently will work.

I like the box trap idea if legal. Call your local dog catcher type person for advise. Tell them your afraid the coons carry rabies which I'm sure you are. The dog catcher probably could careless about your flowers but might be concerned if people and adults may be at risk.

 

[the naked prophet]

Am I the only one imagining everyone in this thread as conversing in whispers, so as not to wake the neighbors?

Try moving up to a heavier subsonic load, but one with reduced ballistics. For instance, a 40 grain bullet moving at say 800 fps would be quieter than a 40 grain bullet moving at 950 fps. Just pick one of the "weaker" subsonic loads. I've found the Aguila SSS 60 grain load to be particularly quiet from very long barrels, even though it's not what I'd call weak. Because of the longer bullet, there is very little powder in the case - it's completely burned in a short barrel, so the report is very quiet in a long barrel.

 

[Sulaco]

thanks prophet, that's EXACTLY the kind of advice i was looking for. I'll check those out. I am sure they should be nice and quiet out of the long 39A barrel.

Thanks again!

 

[trueblue1776]

Get an old army jungle survival guide, lots of sweet traps to build. Get the neighborhood kids excited about it and let them do all the work.

...or borrow a pit bull.

 

[Sulaco]

trueblue, i just got done reading the SAS survival guide (my wife's a librarian and I'm a book nut, match made in heaven!) and thought real hard about some of those snare traps!

 

[cracked butt]

If they are withing range to hit them with a subsonic .22, they are in range for archery gear. I reccoment using judo points

 

[kBob]

Salaco,

Assuming shooting nusiance critters is lawful where you are......

CCI CBLongs. I find them more accurate and less smelly than the Mexican stuff. I have only shot tree rats with them, but noted that three shots I fired at a pine 3/4 inch board punched through at 50 yards. They are likely louder than the Mexican stuff, but out of my Anshutz they are less noisy than my FWB127 air rifle and seem to do a better job on the tree rats. I do have to be more carefull to line up my shots with a good backstop than with the air rifle, but that just makes sense.

Some friends in town commented that they had racoon problems and that they "bought them off" by supplying the critters with dry catfood in their own bowl. I was appalled. Out here in the "country" we have a crazy lady a mile or three up the road that feeds up to 20 foxes a night. The professional horse folks across the road and the gardener behind us and I do our best to control tree rats which break into horse feed, eat garden veggies and strip my grapes and figs at every opertunity. Meanwhile the new "get away from the city" folks in the new gated community of five acre lots across the way put out corn for the "cute critters" During parts of the year I am busy with my flat nosed shovel removing flattened fat corn fed tree rats from the road between us. My power line is sort of an arial high way across the "Road of Tree Rat Death". As my figs are starting to turn brown I am considering camping out between the trees.

Good luck, shoot safe.

-Bob Hollingsworth

 

[Sulaco]

bob, i know what you mean. i have probably killed over 20 tree rats in the last 6 months. we have some folks up the road from us that feed them so i find it only fair to do my part and shoot them. we have a real nice vegetable, flower and herb garden and try our best to keep the critters out. it doesn't help when the neighbors feed them. we will be moving soon so i only hope to have to deal with this for a little while longer. even though we live in a suburban area, three sides of our property are woods and bottomlands with a creek flowing only a few feet off 2 sides.

 

[jerkface11]

Your marlin probably won't shoot the SSS stuff. A ruger will so will a romanian trainer. Most .22's don't have the right rate of twist for them though.

 

[jklinstein]

Either use a .22 short (louder than Aguila Super Colibri, but not close to a .22lr) or consider Aguila SSS for .22lr.

Check it out HERE

This is a heavy bullet (60gr) with a relatively slow velocity. They hit hard (and penetrate well), but the drop is much more dramatic than with a .22lr.

 

[Sulaco]

jerkface, what rate of twist is best for them? is accuracy the only issue there?

 

[jerkface11]

I'm not sure what rate is best. The ruger bolt actions and romanian trainers are good enough but the bullet tumbles like crazy after it hits even a paper target. In the other guns i've shot it out of the tumbling starts as soon as the bullet leaves the barrel. Of course your marlin may shoot it buy some and see. But only buy one box. I also wouldn't count on it cycling a semiauto.

 

[mbt2001]

A raccoon problem? What are they doing that is problematic? Some people see raccoons alive and then talk about a raccoon problem. Anyway, if they aren't doing anything bad, then let them be.

If they start getting in the trash, chain the lids down. If they start getting other places, shoot a few.

EDIT:

I agree with what arcticap said. Use a pellet gun.

Also, don't think just cause animals are out there, that you have a "problem". The only animal I know that is true of is Rats....

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

I had a problem with opossums coming on my deck and eating the cat's food. It wasn't so much that I was unwilling to feed the critters but that they were snarling and nasty to the cats. I feed the cats on a platform on the deck rail just outside the kitchen window to give the cats respite from an over friendly dog. The straw that broke the camels back was when they started crapping on the kitchen window sill. The opossums(3) were fearless and that enabled me to lay a Steven Little Favorite loaded with Super Colibre against their head and end the problem. It's difficult to miss from an inch away. Raccoons are a little more clever.

 

[Mike U.]

Edited to remove irrelevant tree rat rant.