Squirrel season is on

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78) 05/04/2017 at 12:13 • Filed to: None

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I decided to re-sight my .177 rifle from a different range and vantage point — the book depository my bedroom window. This is the view from about 30 yards out. The scope was initially off by about 6", but with a few clicks I was able to group three of my last four shots inside a 1.5" square. Hopefully I have some more headshots in my future, since I prefer to do it cleanly. (Life to date kills: 17; 2017 to date: 4)

Target is between treehouse and playhouse — blue tape on black tape, mounted to 1/2" plywood.

Please forgive that this vaguely resembles a police logo. It’s all the tape I have.

I still let the chipmunks run free. We have an uneasy alliance, since they eat the squirrels ’ food and DON ’ T climb into my house. Sometimes the hawks show up for close air support, but I don ’ t trust the POGs to be there in the sh*t on time, all the time.

facw > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:16

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Looks like you are set up for some good toddler hunting there. 

Steve in Manhattan > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:20

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He would not mind if you came over and shot pigeons for his amusement - it’s mating season.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > facw 05/04/2017 at 12:21

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The trick is to set up bait traps beforehand, that way when the wonder through the backyard and stop to inspect the jungle gym, you can pick them off easily.

Ash78, voting early and often > Steve in Manhattan 05/04/2017 at 12:23

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He would probably love my backyard. It’s like wild kingdom back there, even though we have houses all around us (right behind those trees). I welcome all neighborhood cat mercenaries with whole milk and cold cuts!

Ash78, voting early and often > facw 05/04/2017 at 12:25

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HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:28

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My buddy and I once had a chipmunk named Kenny, he wasn’t exactly a pet but in the summer when we’d leave the door open he’d come in an eat sunflower seeds out of our hands. Kenny was a fat chipmunk

MonkeePuzzle > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:30

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you’re lucky, I have a similar pest problem, and an excellent .177 rifle, but... I have not the cover of surrounding trees. Last time I was in the backyard with the pellet gun the neighbours freaked :S all I need is the cops called on me

Ash78, voting early and often > MonkeePuzzle 05/04/2017 at 12:34

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Yeah, I have one neighbor directly behind those trees — with 5 kids, no less. They would definitely wig out. Over to the right (out of frame) are three other houses, but all they can see is the barrel, assuming they’re even looking. Sounds just like a roofer’s nail gun. And my neighbor on the left is a retired nuke engineer. He sits on his back deck in the morning in his robe, also shooting squirrels (he has a lot more than I do thanks to a bunch of oaks and chestnut trees).

Steve in Manhattan > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:35

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Both cats are limited to looking at whatever lands on the A/C units.

My bird IS the word > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:42

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I have a .22 pellet rifle but I am having some serious accuracy problems, I have to take it somewhere to sight it in. The scope was garbage so I am just using irons. Got some bird feeders in the back yard I protect. Can’t keep the squirrels out of them and I refuse to be outsmarted by a rodent.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:47

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You gotta eat what you kill. It is only fair.

Scary__goongala! > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 12:49

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Terminate with extreme prejudice

Ash78, voting early and often > My bird IS the word 05/04/2017 at 13:00

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I think a lower-velocity .22 would be what I need, but I got this one as a gift (IIRC, $120 with scope and all). The pellets tear through the squirrels a little too cleanly — to the point where they can start running away. I’ve heard of other people shoving 4-5 BBs into the chamber and using it as a quasi-shotgun, which sounds like a great idea.

Die-Trying > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 13:01

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yeah, thats not terrible on the grouping, but youre going to want to work on getting it still tighter. i usually shoot of a couple of .22 that i have. i am at least consistent with it. one has a scope, and from that range, i can put about 5 shots in the area of a quarter. the open sights, if i can see it, i can hit it.

i go after just about anything that walks, crawls, flies, slithers, or swims. i have been taking it slow this year on what i take out.

you baiting them in any?......

Die-Trying > MonkeePuzzle 05/04/2017 at 13:03

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if the neighbors see you, just wave REAL big, and go over and talk to them about it.........

My bird IS the word > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 13:04

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The .22 is nice because when I went shopping, most if not all of the .177s were supersonic and I am overly paranoid of neighbors. The .22 is subsonic and the gun came with a suppressor, so its ridiculously quiet to shoot.

This is what I got:

Die-Trying > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 13:08

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just have to change either the ammo, and get something that spreads out a bit more on impact(like what a hollow point does) or work on shot placement......

MonkeePuzzle > Die-Trying 05/04/2017 at 13:13

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“AHHHH THAT NEIGHBOUR WITH THE GUN IS KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR NOW!!!”

Die-Trying > MonkeePuzzle 05/04/2017 at 13:20

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howdy neighbor, i was outside looking for squirrels in the roof, are they bad over here too? if you didnt mind me shooting the ones in your yard too, i’d be willing to split the meat with you....

V8, RWD and pedal to the floor! > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 14:12

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Last year, I spent thousands of $$$ fixing my house after a squirrel incursion.

Recently, I found that squirrels had chewed a hole in my fascia board and were trying to make my attic into a squirrel home.

Operation KILL ALL SQUIRRELS was begun.

I bought a Gamo Silent Cat (.177 air rifle w/ scope) and have taken out 3 squirrels so far. The remaining squirrels have learned that when they hear a window open, they better run.

Ash78, voting early and often > Die-Trying 05/04/2017 at 14:27

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Yeah, I feel like there’s on so much you can do with all the variables — slight changes in the break barrel alignment, inconsistencies in cheap ammo, etc. I think even a perfectly bore-sighted $100 air rifle is still going to have some randomness.

Ash78, voting early and often > My bird IS the word 05/04/2017 at 14:28

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Nice — yeah, the tiny sonic boom “crack” is pretty telling. Mine is rated for 1,200fps and I can’t find ammo heavy enough to get it lower.

Ash78, voting early and often > Die-Trying 05/04/2017 at 14:30

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No bait, I usually just spot them scavenging in the morning hours and try to get them while they ’ re still on the ground. Most of their nesting is in the neighbors ’ yard, high up in the trees — a much harder shot when you ’ re standing in the yard and they ’ re moving. It ’ s doable, but I ’ m probably 10% accurate under those conditions.

As far as further accuracy, I feel like there ’ s only so much you can do with all the variables — slight changes in the break barrel alignment, inconsistencies in cheap ammo, etc. I think even a perfectly bore - sighted $100 air rifle is still going to have some randomness.

Rock Bottom > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 14:32

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That last paragraph is gold. Thanks for making me laugh like a goon at work.

Die-Trying > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 14:48

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with my rifle pretty well sighted in, my groups are usually about the size of a quarter at the 50 yard range. but once you finally have your rifle to where you are sighted in, and you have a real good idea of where you should be hitting, youve got it made.

when i started in on squirrels, i was using hollow points, and every thing that i hit went down with ease. at some point one of my friends had given me a BUNCH of solids. i had one or two that i had to finish off, because the bullet didnt do enough damage inside. felt bad about it, and have gone back to hollows, and not looked back.

just about everything has a decent bit of randomness. i usually shoot a few groups with new to me rifles, and figure out what it is. i find some paper, and put a small dot on it, that i can see, and take six or seven shots at that exact spot. so long as your equipment is in good shape you should have that many holes VERY close to each other somewhere. and adjust from there. looks like you got things dialed in fairly good though.....

Die-Trying > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 14:50

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if you DO decide to bait them, they LOVE peanut butter.......

Ash78, voting early and often > Die-Trying 05/04/2017 at 14:51

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Yeah, I’m also allowing for the fact that I’m not using a mount, so there’s easily a couple inches of variation based on how much coffee I’ve had :D

Die-Trying > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 15:00

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yeah, how many cups that you have had, along with how excited that there are 3 squirrels in the yard.......

Ash78, voting early and often > Die-Trying 05/04/2017 at 15:02

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I ’ ve used “ humane ” traps to catch them with PB, but I usually end up catching more birds and chipmunks than anything else. I let the birds go, then gas the chipmunks (starter fluid is mostly ether — painless). I like the humane traps because they let me assess the catch first, plus no kids/cats/dogs/birds get maimed.

bubblestheturtle > Ash78, voting early and often 05/04/2017 at 18:40

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“book depository” - LOL

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ash78, voting early and often 05/08/2017 at 15:17

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The juxtaposition of the rifle and the play structures is disconcerting.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 05/08/2017 at 15:19

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#notfunny