Pellet Gun Hunting

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Hunting Squirrels With A Pellet Gun Guide

Published January 15th, 2010 in Pellet Gun Hunting Animals | 6 Comments »

When it comes to pellet gun hunting it seems that the intended target almost invariably is the squirrel.  Plentiful in nature and also cagey and fun to purse, the squirrel is just about every boy's dream of what they first choose to hunt.  Yes, the beauty of the squirrel is that we all have seen so many of them, we are quite well versed in how they scamper about and what their general tendencies are.  With that in mind, let's look at what is important to remember when pellet gun hunting for squirrels.

Where to find squirrels when pellet gun hunting

If you can narrow down the list of possibilities you are well on your way.  Let's try to start highlighting things to look out for.  As with all animals, food if first and foremost on its list.  In addition, they require water to drink and a place to hide / relax.  Predators are many, so having a way to stay away from hawks, owls, fox, coyotes and similar is paramount to a long prosperous life for the squirrel.  For this reason you will often find many squirrels in a small area.  Once they find a safe place with bountiful food they invite all their friends and family!

What do squirrels eat?

This is first and foremost in nearly every animals mind and the squirrel is no exception.  We have all seen squirrels feverishly gathering items, burying them in our backyards and doing this day in, day out for what appears to be every ounce of daylight.  I wouldn't be surprised if they sleep at all in the fall!  That said, they are generally targeting specific things.  For those of us in the suburbs and exurbs, it seems that there is no end to what they are willing to eat.  Any bird feeder is fair game and usually plundered by many squirrels and beaten into submission.  Quite resourceful, if hungry a squirrel will eat literally anything to ensure that is survives.  They are quite the resilient rodents.  But there are a few key things to look for out in the wild.  They are addicted to acorns.  If you can find a oak tree forest, you are likely close to the mother load of squirrels.  They are basically crack for squirrels (as an aside, I found out live trapping these in my back yard that honey roasted peanuts are literally crack for squirrels.  They can't not go into the cage and eat them.  Once they get there it is up to you how to remove them and where they should live from that point forward).  In addition, squirrels love to eat walnuts and berries.  But first and foremost, the squirrel is a nut addict, use this to your advantage.

Where do squirrels live?

Not too surprising given what they are wont to eat, squirrels live in trees.  In fact it seems that they are seldom not in trees unless they are grabbing food, running to another tree or burying the food they have found.  If you are looking to go out and hunt them and don't look for a grove of trees if not a forest then you should have your head examined.  Squirrels often live in the exact tree that they eat out of assuming it is big enough.  Look for a large mess of leaves, sticks and the like far up in trees and you will see a squirrel nest.  This is where the squirrels live and raise their young.

Where to shoot a squirrel with a pellet gun

When it comes to the time to aim and fire at a squirrel, it is important to keep in mind that these animals are tough cookies.  I have seen squirrels shot several times find their ways up trees and into their nests.  When pellet gun hunting for rabbits you can often get away with a less than perfect shot and still bag your quarry.  When it comes to squirrels

hunting squirrels with a pellet gun target

With a squirrel you need to be careful to aim well. These resilient creatures will run off if not hit in one of the two lethal areas. The head is small so if given a choice the side profile shot to the lungs / heart is a better option.

this is usually not the case.  A well placed head shot is preferable, but if you prefer you can also aim for the area just behind the front shoulder that houses the lungs and heart.  Avoid taking shots at the middle of their bodies when they are standing perpendicular to you.  Trust me, this is a great way to see a squirrel jump and head far out of sight and gun range.  And since I know you arent' sadists that are reading this, no one wants that to happen.  Poorly placed shots result in few to no squirrels bagged when it comes to pellet gun hunting for squirrels.

What size pellet gun should I use for squirrels?

This is where the important question starts.  What size gun do I need to consistently bag squirrels?  When it comes to relative size, squirrels are usually on the small side of the spectrum.  This is especially true of my loud nemesis, the red squirrel.  But relatively speaking, even the gray squirrel and fox squirrel are pretty small when compared to the other animals of nature.  That said, it is good practice to find a large caliber pellet gun with a fair amount of muzzle velocity.  Much like the rabbit, the smallest I would suggest using to hunt squirrels would be a 0.177 caliber pellet gun with at least 750 feet per second muzzle velocity.  I have shot and watched shot many squirrels with this exact gun.  The key is the range that you are shooting from.  I wouldn't shoot past 25 yards with this type of gun.  You will be leaving a lot of wounded or missed squirrels in the woods if you do.  For added range I would suggest going to a larger pellet such as the 0.20 caliber pellet gun with a faster muzzle velocity.  A 1200 feet per second  pellet gun will work at ranges out to 50 yards in the right hands.  Heck, you could even get it to go to 60+ yards if you add a high quality pellet gun scope and aim for the head region of the squirrel.

So there you have it, an in depth guide to pellet gun hunting for squirrels.  Find the time to scout around for a bit and find a oak forest and you can be a successful squirrel hunter.  In fact, you will likely show your friends and family up with your new found ability.  One more thing to take note, squirrels have a healthy dose of self preservation so fooling them into staying in close range can be a hard task at times.

Hunting Rabbits with a Pellet Gun Guide

Published January 12th, 2010 in Pellet Gun Hunting Animals | 4 Comments »

When it comes to pellet gun hunting one needs to realize that there is a limit to the size of prey that one can pursue.  If you think you are going to waylay a deer or a goose, you have another thing coming.  However, if you are able to get a rabbit within a reasonable distance and have steady aim you are well within a pellet gun's ability.  This isn't to say that you can indiscriminately shoot for every rabbit within a country block of you, but given a knowledge of how rabbits work and coupling that with a knowledge of where to shoot the critters, you can easily target them while out and about with your air propelled gun.  So let's look at what is important to remember when pellet gun hunting for rabbits.

Where to find rabbits when pellet gun hunting

When it comes to any hunting that you are embarking on it is imperative to find locations that will concentrate the animals.  To that end, it always comes down to the same things: cover, food and water.  Much like humans, all animals need to eat, drink and sleep in peace (I've often thought that if humans were hunted in the 21st century it wouldn't be very sporting as we always congregate (malls, schools, work places) and our routines are like clockwork!).  If you find at least one of these you are likely to find rabbits.  Find two or three and you have a bonified hotspot.  If you can narrow down the list of possibilities you are well on your way.  Let's try to start highlighting things to look out for.

What do rabbits eat?

This is first and foremost in nearly every animals mind.  Where is my next meal coming from.  If you live in the suburbs like I do, this can be fairly easy to answer.  I swear they could live solely off my daughter's pea plants and my wife's Asianic Lillies.  Trust me, they will forgo carrots with reckless abandon for these two items.  Oh, and my neighbors cabbages!  And man do they have an appetite, if you have a small family of rabbits you are likely to not have much of  a garden in a couple days.  But enough about the suburbs, it is highly unlikely that it is legal to shoot them in these places (although it seems many are willing to poach them in their backyards).  We need to consider what rabbits eat in the

Hunting Rabbits with a Pellet Gun Target

Remember to aim for the lethal areas of the rabbit when hunting with a pellet gun. The brain and the lungs / heart are the areas you should be targeting. Image from the Rabbit Stew Blog at http://austeritygrub.blogspot.com/

wild.  Clover is a top pick for just about all rabbits.  Find a walking path that is loaded with clover and you will likely find rabbits in close proximity.  In addition, bunnies are quite fond of many grasses and especially like to eat wild flowers.  If you can find an out of the way meadow with these things you are in business.

Where do rabbits live?

So you have found a spot chock full of grass, wild flowers and clover.  Now you need to find a close place where a rabbit can hide from its predators.  And trust me, there are many.  Between foxes, coyotes, owls, hawks and the like you have quite a long list for those attempting to make the rabbit dinner.  And then of course, there is you.  Rabbits are notoriously nervous, and it is said that they often die of heart attacks due to being literally scared to death.  You can rest assured that any rabbit worth its salt has an escape area that he calls home and feels safe in.  These are often the thickest, nastiest bramble patches known to man.  If not that, then a large deadfall of trees or ones stacked together by a farmer work well for a rabbit hide out.  Basically they require overhead cover to keep away from their flying enemies as well as something that won't let bigger predators pursue them into their homes.  This very reason is why you often have rabbits under your deck in the suburbs, it is a perfect hiding place for rabbits and away from everything that eats them!  Bottom line, find a thick area that has overhead cover and you are set.

Where to shoot a rabbit with a pellet gun

When it comes to the actual time to kill the rabbit, it is important to keep in mind that these critters usually die eventually if you shoot them in the side, but that isn't a very humane way to dispatch of them.  It is much better to aim for their head preferably, or if you prefer you can also aim for the area that has the lungs and heart.  Avoid taking shots at the middle of their bodies when they are standing perpendicular to you.  As I said, it likely will kill them, but you won't likely find them and it is not the human way to go about pellet gun hunting for rabbits.

What size pellet gun should I use for rabbits?

Here is where the rubber hits the road.  When it comes to size, rabbits are normally on the large size of things that people target with air propelled guns.  For this reason, it is advisable to find a large caliber pellet gun with a fair amount of muzzle velocity.  The smallest I would suggest as being usable for hunting rabbits would be a 0.177 caliber pellet gun with at least 750 feet per second.  There will be many that argue that this is too small a pellet going at too slow of a velocity, but I have personally shot many rabbits with this exact setup.  The key of course being range.  I wouldn't shoot past 15-20 yards with this setup.  It won't do the work.  For those that need the added range I would suggest going with a larger pellet such as the 0.22 caliber pellet gun with a faster muzzle velocity.  A 1000 feet per second pellet gun will work at ranges out to 40 yards in the right hands.  It might even work further than that if you are able to pair it would a good pellet gun scope and aim for the head of the rabbit.

So there you have it, a fairly exhaustive guide to pellet gun hunting for rabbits.  If you are willing to spend a little time scouting out a good area for rabbits and are patient enough to let them come out of the woodwork to present a good shot, you can be very successful hunting these critters with your pellet gun.  A word of caution, there paranoid nature also takes your presence into account, so don't plan on them being easy targets!