Air Gun for Dispatching Raccoons?

[RainForestBird]

I have the Have a Heart traps and the largest one is really only big enough to trap a possum. The raccoons have dragged the traps with the bait over to the neighbors property and I've found them in the woods, minus the bait. Where can one find a live trap large enough to trap a raccoon. They are large and challenge my huge Great Pyrenees who I won't let loose when this happens. I have heard that their claws will slice through a dog's hide. I am sorry but no duck or chicken is worth risking my dog's life. I get within a couple of feet and splash them with bleach but they just growl at me. Our HOA has chosen them as the mascot for our neighborhood! My property is particularly at risk because it backs up a thickly wooded area and is isolated from other houses. I catch a possum every time I bait the trap. I have big barn cats that eat the squirrels and rats. We also have bears and cougars but not as often. I'm considering an electric (livestock) fence but are they effective against raccoons?

 

[joshah]

If you get an air gun that's at least 800fps it will be plenty powerful enough to take out a coon

 

[killer0630]

Drown it?
Stab it?
Electricity?
Starve it?
Make it listen to Brittany Spears?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Last year I dispatched 7 raccoons with a .177 Gamo pellet gun. As much noise as it makes though I should have bought a .22cal rifle, more power, more accurate and not particularly louder than the 1250fps pellet guns, quieter if you use shorts.

This is an old post but have to clarify something about it. Anything crossing the sound barrier is loud. Pellets are very inaccurate at supersonic speeds. Not much fairs well trans sonic period. For accuracy no ballistic, pellet or slug should be near the trans sonic range. Air rifles use light alloy pellets to make it past the sound barrier. It's all hype for many reasons. It's inaccurate doing so, suddenly it's very loud and the alloy pellets are not good for your barrel. Stick with a lead pellet of more grain and you'll be right in the sweet spot of 900-950 fps. Subsonic (quiet), most accurate speed (due to less arc at high speed yet far enough from sound barrier to bother it) and lead pellets are barrel friendly.

A .22 short at sub sonic is louder than a pellet gun sub sonic as it's an explosion not a ram or spring slamming other end of piston tube. And if you want real quiet get a pneumatic air rifle.


A .22 high power break barrel is a humane kill on raccoon in the boiler box. No need for head shot if using .22 or .25 caliber air rifle. Another post said 800 fps or more for raccoon and that's a good statement. Though a .25 cal traveling 650 fps is more humane but makes for shorter shots due to high arc of travel. Hatsan company does not inflate FPS by posting alloy pellet speed. They print what a lead pellet will do. An easy shooting break barrel is their Hatsan 95 that's a wood stock and a cheaper version the 85 has synthetic stock and a single stage trigger. Same power plant and will send a 14 grain .22 pellet 800 fps. Adequate for coon. There are more powerful break barrel air rifles but they are heavy and take more practice to shoot accurately. A lot of jolt and barrel heavy, hard to shoot without a lot of practice. The smaller 95 is a point and click user friendly little beast. Gamo and the rest are fine and about same real power as the 95. Use a fair weight lead pellet, 8 grain for .177 (1000 fps) and 14 grain for .22 (800 fps). To slow the .177 down to low 900's use a 10-11 grain.

My beast is Walther Talon .22, aka old version of Hatsan 125. After I tuned it and put in aftermarket seal it pushes 18 grain JSB 890 feet per second. Two years ago took me an entire summer to figure it's hold sensitivity. Can stack pellets at 50 yards now if using a rest.

 

[birds4kids]

I agree on most points, the Gamo was a mistake on my part and you are right about why it is inaccurate. I bought the heaviest .177 pellets I could find to try and help, and it maybe does some, but I haven't found it to help a lot.

On the noise, the supersonic Gamo is louder than a .22 low velocity short. Used to be an avid trapper and a low velocity shorts can be so quiet that the person with you in the woods a few feet away when you dispatch an animal can fail to hear the shot in some conditions like fluffy snow in a cedar swamp.

I could have bought a lot of .22 rimfire ammo for what I spent on the Gamo, it seems well constructed but as said, the velocity is for marketing and endsup being contrary to actual good function. I was rather aggravated with it when it said something like a 57% noise reduction with the nitrogen piston and then it sounded like a .22LR so I looked into it and realized the DURATION of the noise is shorter vs. a steel spring gun. I had done just what they wanted me to an assumed the reduction was in volume.

If I were in the market for an airgun again it would likely be a 800fps .22, or what I really need to do is get my OLD model 422 Winchester .177 fixed.....

 

[BucksNducks]

I am new to chickens but not new to coon problems. Set out a few dog proof coon traps (the kind that grips the hand) and put some canned sardine or a mini marshmallow inside. Take a well placed swing with a pipe or snare it around the neck and suffocate it. If there are no dogs or cats on the property, find their game trail to the coop and set up some snares. Bucket set with bait in the back with a connibear trap inside will kill it pretty much instantly. Be absolutely sure that if you have kids they know do NOT put their hand in there, it will break their hand. Only use them in a tree if you have dogs.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

like most said a high powered air gun should work just fine. not sure about the lower end guns (500 and under)

 

[Lonesome Dough]

Now I'm all excited, gun talk on the chicken channel. I do wildlife control and have converted almost exclusively to Benjamin Marauder PCP air rifles. My main unit is a .177 that I use on pigeon's but have taken ground squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs and rock chucks, that's a groundhog for you back easters. these guns are tack drivers, mine will put 10 shots in a dime at 30 yards plus and I can dump most birds at 50-60 yards or more. The best part is the silence, all you hear is the pellet smacking the animal, what more could you ask for. If I were going to shoot coons often at range I would opt for the .25 caliber model, they say it will take out a coyote, I haven't had a chance to try it. When I'm out on the beaver trapline I carry a single shot youth model .22 rimfire, with shorts or even long rifle ammo you put the muzzle within inches of the animals head and you can't hardly hear it.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

My beast has the nitro conversion. There's a definite knock when it slams against the end but the sound of pellet hitting plywood backing of target is much louder. As for the old multi pumps oh yeah. Still got the Daisy 880 ten pump from when I was a boy. Few more years and I'll buy new seal kit for it for my boy. Funny thing is those old model seal kits cost more than the new plastic 880's. Will be well worth the $50 for seals and few hours getting gun back shooting.. Shot quite a few squirrels with that gun as a kid.

I agree on most points, the Gamo was a mistake on my part and you are right about why it is inaccurate. I bought the heaviest .177 pellets I could find to try and help, and it maybe does some, but I haven't found it to help a lot.



If I were in the market for an airgun again it would likely be a 800fps .22, or what I really need to do is get my OLD model 422 Winchester .177 fixed.....

These break action guns are very hold sensitive. The trick to them and especially if a person has the spring is to not hold the front of gun. Let it sit on your open palm or even forearm. Let the gun jump and bounce freely from it's shot. What you'll find is it does the same jump and bounce every time. If you sight in on a bench rest the gun on a firm pillow and only hold it with trigger hand. Once sighted in your good to go and as long as you don't try to control the gun it will hit the same spot every time. Like I said earlier my 125 took a lot of shots to finally figure it out. The Gamo shouldn't give you much problem as long as you remember to not try and control it. You'll be holding it back differently every time so just let it bounce so it's always the same.

Yet to dive into the wild side of PCP rifles. Waiting to see if Airforce changes the barrel on their .357. The world of big bore air is calling....

 

[itsasmallfarm]

instead of creating a new thread am just going to ask the question here.

recently they changed the laws, letting us dispatch fur bearing animals with air guns (where i live) also letting us use them on upland game birds and animals such as rabbits. (before i know guys used a .22LR for all those species know we can use lighter air guns)

now i got my trapping licence so i can sell the pelts of the animals i have to dispatch (mostly raccoons) and i also use rat traps for weasels when there in season. all in all i enjoyed the history of trapping and got into it.

now am looking for an air gun, to use to dispatch animals such as raccoons (there the biggest animal am going after this year.) as a .22 can cause a bit of damage to the pelt. but am also looking for a good air rifle that i can use to hunt upland game birds and rabbits with. (and maybe some muskrats)

so what would some good recommendations be? i should note i live in Canada meaning air guns over 500FPS need a fire arms licences to require (i should be getting mine with in the next few months i hope) also looking for one that will not break the bank.

thanks itsasmallfarm out.