Groundhogs & other pests

[allin]

I shoot a lot of handguns but have virtually no experience with pellet rifles. I do have a pump bb rifle that I shoot with my grandson(s). I have a problem, a ground hog and several other pest have taken up residence on my property. I have tried live trapping for a year, and have had not luck. I am thinking that a pellet rifle might be the answer. The area I live in is a township surrounded by housing developments and an air gun is OK but nothing else. Any suggestions on what model pellet gun and ammo to buy. Also any info on "for sure" groundhog bait?
thanks
Happy Turkey Day
:banghead:

 

[Mousegun]

Air rifles are a breed of their own. You can be a great powder rifle shooter and not be able to hit a barn with an air rifle due to its double recoil spring action. The first recoil is when the spring releases and it is a standard backward kick. The next is when the spring, near the end of its travel, hits a wall of compressed air and recoils backwards.

This is the recoil that eats scopes that are not made or "hardened" for air gun use. It also gets the gun vibrating and effects the flight of the pellet.

It is very important to hold the gun exactly the same each time it is shot. The artillery hold, which is a loose hold on the stock and barrel that lets the gun recoil on its own without outside human forces has been said to be the best method to hold a spring air rifle.

Now for a varmint rifle. The most humane air rifle is a 22 cal. It shoots slower than a 177 but the impact is considerably greater due to the weight of the pellet. A 22 air rifle shoots about 700 - 800 feet per second and packs enough wallop to take out a ground hog with one well placed shot.

The price range of air guns is wide. You can spend from $100 or less to upwards of about $700 for a top quality air rifle that would make you proud to display. I suggest something like a Gamo Whisper http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?product=Whisper%2022&productID=289 as a good starting point. The trigger has been upgraded recently so be sure to get a newer model and not one that has been on the shelf for a while if that is your choice. Call Pyramid Air or Airguns of Arizona and speak to someone about their guns.

Practice shooting it. It takes 2-300 pellets to brake in and gain full accuracy. Read as much as you can about air rifles because as stated before, they are a breed of their own and whatever you do, do NOT add any oil to the chamber, clean the barrel before the first shot, and practice the hold that works the best for you.

 

[MEHavey]

I run a pneumatic FX-series 22 caliber. It runs at 2,200 psi, is a tack-driver
with the heaviest of pellets, has zero spring recoil, and so quiet that you
wonder if something malfunctioned after the first shot.



THAT SAID....

I would never take ANYthing but headshots at something akin to a woodchuck.
Any bodyshot is a guarantee of lost/suffering chuck to a slow agonizing death.

 

[Mousegun]

I too would like to have a PCP rifle like the FX but the $1300 price tag cuts into my powder rifle ammo budget a bit much.

If the OP can handle the $$$ then don't forget to add in the cost of an aqua lung or a thee stage pump and the elbow grease to fill it.

Some day I may just throw it to the wind but for now, I'll just have to keep on springing with my RWS model 48 that can group like yours but at only 35 yards.

 

[heavydluxe]

I would think something like an RWS Model 34 in .22 would be more than enough.

 

[MEHavey]

The RWS is more than enough... (It's arguably the best of most all
practical springers -- ask me how I know.)
But I ask the OP to please stay w/ head shots

 

[craftsman]

I'm sold on the Benjamin Marauder .22 PCP, but with the pump, we're talking close to $700. It's rated at 1,000 fps - negligible (if any) recoil, very quiet, and very accurate.

 

[ChaoSS]

allin, what's your budget? If you want to spend 700-1000 you could get an excellent PCP gun and an air pump for it. For around 200 bucks (on sale) you could get what I have, an Umarex Octane, it'll put the hurting on a groundhog. The RWS that has been recommended is a good gun, better than mine, but less power, so shot placement is maybe a little more important. But then again, it's going to be more accurate. Mine should be better for body shots too. Mine also comes with a scope, the RWS with a scope will be over 300 dollars.

The springers will have a different recoil that you need to learn how to shoot them properly, the PCPs won't, but like I said, not exactly cheap.


For around 400 dollars you could get a Benjamin Discovery with the pump. It'll do the job just fine and not have to deal with the strange recoil. Kind of loud though.

 

[HighExpert]

+1 on the Octane. Love mine.

 

[Grumulkin]

On the subject of trapping groundhogs; I've had success with things like apple and also with peanut butter on bread. Of course, other animals like stuff like that as well which I've also trapped; like opposums, raccoons and skunks.

 

[KevininPa]

I have a .......

.......Talon SS. Again, expensive by the time you get all you need. Had mine about 15 or so years now and wasn't near as expensive. Especially since mine was a blem. I've been looking at the Sheridan Nitro line as a back-up. Now that they're making break barrels in a sound suppressed version, my interest in them is rekindled. A friend of mine has a SS type made by Gamo. Not a fan. Seems to work well enough, but also seems chintzy.

Also remember, .177 for smaller birds, .22 for fur and larger birds. Headshots behind the "temple". True airgunners are even more proud of one-shot humane kills than mainstream hunters.

And I've always had really good luck with oatmeal-raisin cookies in my live trap.

 

[ChaoSS]

.......Talon SS. Again, expensive by the time you get all you need. Had mine about 15 or so years now and wasn't near as expensive. Especially since mine was a blem. I've been looking at the Sheridan Nitro line as a back-up. Now that they're making break barrels in a sound suppressed version, my interest in them is rekindled. A friend of mine has a SS type made by Gamo. Not a fan. Seems to work well enough, but also seems chintzy.

Also remember, .177 for smaller birds, .22 for fur and larger birds. Headshots behind the "temple". True airgunners are even more proud of one-shot humane kills than mainstream hunters.

And I've always had really good luck with oatmeal-raisin cookies in my live trap.

Gamo is chintzy.


And if you are capable of hitting the head shot, there are plenty of .177 that are capable of taking fur. in fact, plenty of people prefer the flatter trajectory of the .177 for longer shots on squirrels and such.

 

[KevininPa]

Gamo is chintzy.


And if you are capable of hitting the head shot, there are plenty of .177 that are capable of taking fur. in fact, plenty of people prefer the flatter trajectory of the .177 for longer shots on squirrels and such.

Actually, a good compromise between the old " light but fast vs. heavy, slow but harder hitting" argument is the .20. Someone I know has an older Benjamin Sheridan pump in .20. That baby can whack!

 

[C0untZer0]

They can always be counted on 100% to mess up your mower

If they're in a field. just mow it with a pull-behind rotary mower.

Right after the tractor passes over their hole, they stick their head out just in time to get it caught in the tines.

Guaranteed to make a mess, and kill the groundhog.

 

[ChaoSS]

Actually, a good compromise between the old " light but fast vs. heavy, slow but harder hitting" argument is the .20. Someone I know has an older Benjamin Sheridan pump in .20. That baby can whack!

I've heard, although I don't know from experience, that the .20 can end up being slower than an equivalent .22, because the pellets tend to be longer and have more friction.

 

[Chevota]

You might consider Aguila Colibri ammo in .22 rimfire. I use them when an airgun would be too loud, such as hunting at 2am and I don't want to wake my neighbors. They don't have the power that a typical airgun has, but it's plenty for gophers and such. If you really meant Groundhogs like the big suckers then I'd suggest a magnum airgun like a Benjamin XL, Benjamin Marauder, or a variety of others people have suggested. I say those two because they're also very quiet compared to most but not too expensive.

 

[hillbilly matt]

thats a tough one ,now i have trapped/shot my fair share of ground hogs and i have found that the pellet guns ive tried (1000-1200fps range) just dont cut it. if you ever get around to skinning one you will find they have dense fur and thick hides not to mention there all muscle.i am not a air gun expert ,not by a sight but i think if you have a little cash to drop on hardware i think a crossbow is your best bet,

on the subject of trapping i have have good luck with have-a-hart traps baited with cardboard smeared with peanut butter wired down to the trap triggger. remember to be carful these little bugger have a nasty set of chompers and can get mean when cornered/trapped



good luck and happy hunting



-hillbilly matt

 

[d2wing]

Stay away from GAMO. As others said PCP are superior by far. I use a modified .22 QB 78 from Flying Dragon which used 2 CO2 cartridges. They can be converted to higher pressure bulk fill. And mine is accurate enough for head shots to about 25 yards.
If you stay with a springer, get a quality German made magnum or a tuned gun from Flying Dragon. Don't buy a GAMO as it won't shoot well and the claims of velocity and quiet are totally bogus.
As others said Pryramid has guides and a good selection of guns.

 

[Zeke/PA]

On the subject of trapping groundhogs; I've had success with things like apple and also with peanut butter on bread. Of course, other animals like stuff like that as well which I've also trapped; like opposums, raccoons and skunks.

For pesky Groundhogs I bait a live trap with Apples or lettuce leaves or a cotton ball dipped in vanilla extract. I've learned though ,over the years to "spring" the trap at nightfall , mainly to keep the skunks out. I dispense the trapped "hogs" with a .22 short fired from a handgun. Personally, I would not use an air gun on a groundhog.

 

[ChaoSS]

For pesky Groundhogs I bait a live trap with Apples or lettuce leaves or a cotton ball dipped in vanilla extract. I've learned though ,over the years to "spring" the trap at nightfall , mainly to keep the skunks out. I dispense the trapped "hogs" with a .22 short fired from a handgun. Personally, I would not use an air gun on a groundhog.

Why not? Plenty of air guns are more powerful than a short from a pistol, and even those that aren't many have more than enough power for a head shot on a trapped animal.

 

[Zeke/PA]

Why not? Plenty of air guns are more powerful than a short from a pistol, and even those that aren't many have more than enough power for a head shot on a trapped animal.

My "short from a pistol" is at a range of about 6 inches with a .22 Short HOLLOW POINT.
I've lived in this relatively rural area for almost 50 years and have dispenced AT LEAST 200 ground hogs in this manner. Call me AFTER your 201st shot!

 

[Savage99]

Get a rat poison like Decon.

Just go to your hardware store tell them about the rodents.

 

[ChaoSS]

My "short from a pistol" is at a range of about 6 inches with a .22 Short HOLLOW POINT.
I've lived in this relatively rural area for almost 50 years and have dispenced AT LEAST 200 ground hogs in this manner. Call me AFTER your 201st shot!

I've dispatched enough pests to know that a decent air gun works just as well at 6 inches.

BTW, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the .22 short at that range. It has more than enough power to do the job. And if you "personally wouldn't use an airgun on a groundhog" because a .22 is what you have, and what you are comfortable with, there's nothing wrong with that. At all. But what i got from your statement was that you think an airgun is not sufficiently up to the task, and trust me when I say that a .22 hollowpoint pellet from an airgun at 700-800 fps is more than enough for something like a groundhog.

If I misunderstood you, I apologize.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I've dispatched enough pests to know that a decent air gun works just as well at 6 inches.

BTW, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the .22 short at that range. It has more than enough power to do the job. And if you "personally wouldn't use an airgun on a groundhog" because a .22 is what you have, and what you are comfortable with, there's nothing wrong with that. At all. But what i got from your statement was that you think an airgun is not sufficiently up to the task, and trust me when I say that a .22 hollowpoint pellet from an airgun at 700-800 fps is more than enough for something like a groundhog.

If I misunderstood you, I apologize.

No problem, no harm done.
Regards, Zeke

 

[tallpaul]

22 marauder 45 yards ....