Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Hey. I have a remington air gun that shoots pellets at 725 fps and bbs at 755 fps. would it be humane to hunt squirrels with this gun? i would just use my .22LR, but I will be shooting these in my yard and my naighors might frown upon that! the pellet i have are pointed 7.9 grn. thanks for the help!!!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

It is perfectly humane to hunt squirrels with it!!!! However, be careful to shoot them in the HEAD... NO body shots. In additon, I'd stay away from the pointed pellets. I have a Beeman that I use and the pointed pellets go straight through them (I learned NOT to make body shots after that). You also need to find the effective range of your pellet gun, I don't normally shoot farther than 30 yards, if that. Go with either the standard pellet, with the flat head; Or even better, they do make hollow point and hollow cavity pellets nowadays. I too live in a semi-urban area (town of about 400 folks) and the dang squirrels like to destroy my bird feeder and tear up my sunflowers!!!! Gotta be careful that no one sees me shoot which is why I took the screen out of my front room window; Just crank 'er open and fire away! Not only do you have to be careful that no one sees you shoot, you have to be careful that no one sees the dang thing fall out of the tree! People tend to frown on that as well! But to keep from rambling... shoot 'em in the head and you shouldn't have any problems!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Back in my college days my roommates and I would shoot squirrels out of our back yard for food with a crossman air rifle. It topped out at 650 fps with pellets. Rarely would we have one that needed a second shot. We kept our range to about 15 yds. Aim right between the eye and the ear. Just like with a rifle, shoot the type of pellet that works best in your gun. Mine liked the flat, target pellets the best.
Practice is the key. we had a 15 yd "range" set up from our kitchen table down the hall into the living room (cardboard box with a thick phone book behind it). We shot everyday, making bets on shots. We started out trying to hit an outline of a quarter that we drew, then a nickle then a penny, and dime. After we could hit a dime 4/5 shots we started taping playing cards to the box. Once you can take out the diamonds on a five with five shots... you are ready for squirrels. Up for a new challenge? Try taking out the tiny diamonds on a card in the two corners just below the number "5" or "8" whatever. that's tough.

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

thanks for the tips! most of my shots will be within 10 yds. i actually have a garden in my courtyard, and that's where they come in. i have a pointer, and they drive her crazy too... i just set up a "bird" feeder, because I have to bait without anyone knowing about it, my girlfriend included! i finally got rid of an annoying ird that wakes me and my dog up and 5:00 every morning too! i don't kow why i didn't think of this earlier. the good thing is, that only two people could possily see me do it, and one wants to shoot the friggin things with me! they eat his stuff too. anyways, thanks for the help... i am gonna set up a little target range in my house today... i think i can do that 5 of diamonds, but i want to make sure. thanks again!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

We stuck a couple apples on to a 2x4 with two angled nails pounded through it. The squirrels would sit nice and still eating the apple but they couldn't just run off with it.
This might be a little too obvious for your girlfriend though.

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

i think i might try that... it would be worth it! how long did it take them to find it? i can set that up in my courtyard with tomatos, and i doubt she would even notice!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

If I remember right they didn't touch it until my roommate took a little chunk out of the apple, then they were on it within a day. We went through 3 apples and 14 squirrel that fall.

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

thanks, i already started by nailing the nails into the 2x4!!! now i just have to put some maters on there... i think i am gonna cut one in half and put half on each nail...

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

hey, they already found it, and they like the bird feeder too...
i am gonna wait until tomorrow and then only shoot at them when just one is around, that way they don't figure me out! i zeroed a scope on it today, just a crappy one, but after i was done i put four pellets through one hole with it! the other shot was just a little off, and this was from 15 yds. i am hoping to get at least a couple in the next few weeks... maybe that'll save my tomatos!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

I have an RWS and love taking it out and shooting squirrels with it they were getting into the bird feeder last month after the snow melted and I took care of them in a week got 4 and havent seen any more for about two weeks. I have found a hollow point beman pellet it is a buck or two more than your regular ones but i think it is much worth it. good luck.

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Gamo Youth Hunter 640- or any Gamo Product- i shoot th e Youth Hunter 640- 640 fps

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Have some fun Pointer. By the way are you going to fry up those critters?

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

not sure yet... i have never cleaned a squirrel, plus these aren't grey or fox squirrels, just nasty little ground squirrels. usually i would even shoot them, but they are messing with my veggies and stuff... i might just fry them up and eat them with the iggies they have been getting... that would be dramatic irony1 i kinda feel like bill murray in caddyshack these things are driving me so crazy! would you eat a ground squirrel? not sure if i could trust it!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

GOT ONE! he was in the courtyard, eating veggies, not the ones i made as a lure, the ones on the plants... one shot etween the eyes and ears and he dropped like a fly. i gotta pic and i will post it later when i am at my computer, as this is my girlfriends, and that just might be ad! ;)

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Good shot! I was thinking they were grey or fox, no I wouldn't eat a ground squirrel, not that you couldn't. I'm sure they taste fine...like moles or shrews.

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

i think i might pass... there are tons of grey, fox, and ground squirrels around here... just happened that this one was the ground... if i get a grey or a fox, do i just skin it, cut off the meat and fry it in peanut oil? i can do that if that's all it takes...

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Yeah, that's about all you have to do. I usually fry mine like chicken, but real high heat to sear it, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes or so.
It's also great in the crockpot with some cream of mushroom, but then again what isn't.
Oh, one other thing I used to do. Boil it until the meat falls off the bone, cut it up into thin strips, and mix with BBQ sauce and brown sugar. Eat it as a sandwich. Good Stuff!

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

Do you guys shoot these squirrells out of season? I shot a squirrell in my backyard once. I shot it with my crossman 760 air gun. It is 625 f.p.s.
I shot it so i could trian the new family puppy.

RE: Air gun for squirrel?????
 

in florida you can only shoot a squirrel out os season if it is destroying property... i was told by a fwc officer that gardens are allowed to be included in this... i am trying not to shoot them unless i catch them actually eating, also i want to leave some for the fall tourny...