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what do you use to kill tree rats

Y

yoteman

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 12, 2013
434
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piedmont nc
Going to ask everyone here a question.
let me start, with a little story. While at a local gun shop last night, got into a heated argument,
(well not me, but the young fellow I was talking with) about ammo for a 22lr to kill tree rat,
I had just bought a box of match solid points for hunting oil bushy tail when the young gent spoke up an said hell you must be new at hunting tree rats,every body knows you need hi veil, hollow points, like stingers to make a clean kill,(young an dumb I guess).
being me, iI asked why, his answer noting kills like stingers, an that he has been hunting many years he was all of 18 years of age,
so a quick lesson on killing power, was tried to be conducted, which seem to make this young gent mad as hell,
so my question is this, what ammo do most here on the hide use, an why
i know a lot of hunters use 22lr,as well as 22shorts
but as this young bull headed gent stated, if he was to use a 22lr it would be with stinger,
be he prefers to use a 17HMR,or a 17mk2
an yes iI will agree the 17 can get the job done.
but my point is to be honest, what does it take to kill a tree rat

one more rant this little picker keep saying more power means a shot anywhere on them an they are dead. I practice head shots myself, we all brag on how well our 22lr shoot so why take a body shot, unless you eat the brains,

what are yalls thoughts on this. Am I the only old man(as this young punk called me)
that use 22lr match/subs solid point,
an to end this bitch party of mine, the know it all young man, was asked to leave the store by the owner, who said he only comes in to piss off any one who will stand still,LOL
 
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I use a air rifle which is deadly on squirrels even with a chest shot. 20-30Y away should be a easy head shot if a guy knows where his rifle hits. Maybe the kid isn't the best shot around so he doesn't go for head shots.

I personally wouldn't want to use a 17HMR or 22 mag for body shots on squirrels because they make a mess.
 
Steve thanks my point exactly I also have used air riflee.
from talking to this young stud I know he is not much any thing
but to call me a old man, well maybe 53 is old in his eyes LOL
 
All I ever shoot out of my 22 is subsonic ammo. Mostly round nose. Nothing fancy. Definitely gets the job done.
I did however just pick up some new Winchester HP Subs that I am anxious to try out this year.
Hell, my 7 year old kills em with CCI Quiet. that stuff is only about 700fps. Most air guns shoot faster than that.
 
Air rifles with 12 ft lbs will kill tree rats no problem lol. I've used 22 LR using eley match, center x, wolf, basically anything that the gun liked most. I now use a hmr but stick with head shots.
 
When I shot a lot of squirrels I didn't bother with an air rifle as I had a Henry lever gun with the sights set for shorts.
If I were in big woods with longer shots I could appreciate a 17 but my shots have always been shorter.
 
Where I live the only "tree rats" are the neighbor's kids climbing in a large Maple tree and we aren't allowed to shoot them -------- with anything :) Damn. :) :)
 
Nah, you're old...but I wonder about the 'younger' generation these day.
'Respect your elders'...a thing of the past.
Not saying age automatically gives you great knowledge...but I was taught to treat everyone with respect, especially my elders...at least till they proved they didn't deserve it.
As far as your tree rate issue, I'm totally with you...in any hunting shot placement is crucial.
A few years back we had a tree rat problem. As this was in a populated area even a .22 short was out of the question.
But a very good number of the little buggers fell prey to my .177 pellet gun. Pushing an 8gr. pellet at 850fps a head shot was fatal every single time out to about 30 yds.
 
In my family, there's an unwritten tree-rat rule:

If it ain't headshot, bury the carcass and pretend it never happened.
gap.gif


Tool of choice is a Marlin 60 with a red dot scope and sub-sonic ammo.
Lightweight, accurate, fast and 15 rounds in the tube means no reloading all morning.
 
bobtodrick said:
Nah, you're old...but I wonder about the 'younger' generation these day.
'Respect your elders'...a thing of the past.
Click to expand...

Not really. I recall an old story about a kid who at 16 wondered how come he was born to such ignorant parents. When he turned 21 he was amazed at how much they had learned in the last 5 years.

Actually, I am a firm believer in the fact that respect is still earned and not just a right of the "old". If you're old AND smart you'll find that the respect you get from earning it is a lot more genuine. Often turns into friendship too. Just ask my 50 year old Son.
 
Deadshot2 said:
Not really. I recall an old story about a kid who at 16 wondered how come he was born to such ignorant parents. When he turned 21 he was amazed at how much they had learned in the last 5 years.

Actually, I am a firm believer in the fact that respect is still earned and not just a right of the "old". If you're old AND smart you'll find that the respect you get from earning it is a lot more genuine. Often turns into friendship too. Just ask my 50 year old Son.
Click to expand...

yes respect is earned, i am a frim beliver in that.
but i try to instill in my 2 sons, listen before speaking,
i am not a expert by a long shot, but when someone speaks reguardless of age,
out the side of there mount so to speak, dont take long for respect to be lost.
both my boys(young men now 22/20) have always respect elders without me telling them to do so,I guess, because of there grandfather, who I highly respect to this day
my point here is not about my damm OLD pride, that I will get over
but what it takes to kill a tree rat.
hell iI have seen them fall dead from a sharp shooting sling shot, (with respect older man)
 
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yoteman said:
yes respect is earned, i am a frim beliver in that.
but i try to instill in my 2 sons, listen before speaking,
i am not a expert by a long shot, but when someone speaks reguardless of age,
out the side of there mount so to speak, dont take long for respect to be lost.
both my boys(young men now 22/20) have always respect elders without me telling them to do so,I guess, because of there grandfather, who I highly respect to this day
my point here is not about my damm OLD pride, that I will get over
but what it takes to kill a tree rat.
hell iI have seen them fall dead from a sharp shooting sling shot, (with respect older man)
Click to expand...

That's what I was getting at Yoteman...though 'true' respect has to be earned...but there is the respect that we should give everyone (again, until they prove they don't deserve it) that is lost today...maybe just call it manners.
I too have two young sons (11 &13). This happened within the last month. We were at our local grocery store and ran into one of the employees handing out samples of whatever sausage they were pushing. We took the samples handed to us and finished our shopping. As we were going to the checkout we passed the young woman again and one of my boys asked if they could have another piece of sausage. Being that our cart had about $200 worth of product in it I said 'ask if you may have one and if she says yes, go ahead"
They did and she said 'yes'.
The boys started to walk away and I gave them 'the look'...they turned back to the young lady and said 'thank you'.
She looked at me and said she appreciated that...that more often than not she didn't get a thank you and that most parents didn't say diddly-squat as their children walked away.
Sad in my opinion....everyone deserves the respect of common courtesy.
 
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Dead shot,
yep when i was a young man with my 1st hair on my chest, I also thought my parents were dumb.I guess teens go with that. But now with sons , my mother/father are the 2 most knowlegable people,I know an we have gotten much closer the old I get.
I am not here to talk down to young men,nope because I tturn wrenches for a living,
an both my sons, have went on to a higher eeducation.I enjoy being around younger people (keeps me young)
just wish an hope(pray) that those behind me learn what life is really about, an not something on TV or video game
i

bob I am with you, on that,
hopeI did not sound out of text,
common respect is a giving in my house,
earned respect takes time.
An sir Thank you, sounds like you an your sons are someone I would enjoy talking to.
YO
 
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Yoteman...there's a whole lot of people here I would enjoy sitting around with a beer or coffee (or single malt scotch)...you included.
I've never mentioned it but your scribblings on .22 accuracy have been very informative and fun to read.
 
I've also used a .177 pellet rifle at 10-20 yds to shoot them critters in the head. One day I mentioned to a coworker that I try for eye shots as that gives me a smaller target and doesn't damage meat. I got that funny look like I was full of crap and exaggerating. Most of you here know that that is a very reasonable target at that distance and any decent air rifle can easily hold inside of a dime.

There's a good portion of the shooting community that do not realize the potential of a good air rifle. Many still liken them to the proverbial BB gun of yore.
 
Lash, yep a good air rifle will kill just as quick.
last year a home bound gent asked me to bring him some for table fare.
but when I dropped a few off at his house, I got a cussing,
said I messed up the best part(brains yuk)
nowI have been told I am old school, but willing to learn something new.
if there is a better way I'm up for it.
if it is proven, an not just flavor of the week.
buI well placed shot, on a tree rat, don't take much power to drop them.I must say a body shot from a 17hmr is sight to see, talk about red mist damm!!
 
DFOOSKING said:
Things that I know to be true:

No such thing as overkill when killing is the goal. Over-penetration is another story.

Round nose bullets do not kill as well as hollow points...period. But notice I didn't say they can't kill.

When a bullet on an animal is the equivalent to a bowling ball on a man....it don't matter if it's going as fast as a speeding car or a speeding jet. You get hit with it...your done.

Critters don't have hospitals....even a bad hit (however tragic) will likely mean the end.

I don't shed tears for critters....I'm not a hippie.

I'm the solution to a problem (criiters being bastards)....if they didn't pose a problem....then I wouldn't be there to solve it.

Don't get on people's cases that they don't eat what they shoot. I've seen guys shoot cow turds. How would you feel if you where standing there and I demanded you eat it (cooked of course) to show respect for the turd. Bottom line: different strokes for different folks.
Click to expand...

DEFOO. I hear ya
I don't eat tree rat,coyote,crows,fox,bobcat, an other vermin
I do a service for the land owner that ask me to rid some problems
never been a hippie, nor do I wish to live that life style.
an yes I agree horse power never hurts, to have more.
an the great thing is we all have our way to get it done,
I don't give a rats ass on a bad shot on critters listed above, like you said a solution to a problem.
just asking what people use to kill bushy tail is all
an yes the best weapon to dispatch critters is what you have in you hand at that exact time.
the only time I care about table fare, is when some one ask me to supply it.
bottom line what do you use.
never got on any ones case about eating a turd, but funny shit,(pun intended)
if I need to get the job done, to make land owner happy, 20ga pump shotgun, is the tool
but if iam doing it for fun I use a 22lr rifle, an all the time at the range finding the best ammo for that rilfe.
that's what I use, an yes I do try to make head shots, why not, spent to much time tuning my rifles, to not make a solid hit on what I aim at
 
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+1 for a good air rifle. I've got a good RWS that pushes a .177 at 1200 fps. It's killed birds, squirrels, even a good sized rabbit. Just takes a good shot.
 
I have always used HP's, through I agree shot placement is key. Nothing to get all worked up over (or get kicked outta the LGS)
 
Killed many, many squirrels with a 5mm pellet rifle. Now I use match grade 22lr because it is more accurate in my squirrel rifle, and shot placement trumps horsepower every time.

OFG
 
Head shots, period. It's more difficult with greys, cause they move more.

Now I use a S&W Model 17 revolver, full lug 8-3/8" barrel, scoped, with subsonic 22LR, but grew up shooting squirrels with a rifle using 22 shorts.

Shorts seem to work better than LR, less velocity so bullet energy seems to be expended on the squirrel instead of just passing through it.
 
killed hundreds as a kid maybe over a thousand with a BB gun so the youngsters myopic opinion is just that.
 
Stow the RF's boys--here's my fav. system these days. In fact doing it today--as soon as I can get some sleep--

 
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bobtodrick said:
Yoteman...there's a whole lot of people here I would enjoy sitting around with a beer or coffee (or single malt scotch)...you included.
I've never mentioned it but your scribblings on .22 accuracy have been very informative and fun to read.
Click to expand...

I prefer a good ole KY barrel proof Bourbon myself, lol. That would likely kill a squacker too. As a kid I used a 410 shotgun but once I tried using a rifle I never went back to the scattergun. I have used Eley Black, Lapua, and Wolf subsonic match 22lr ammo on squirrels. It all works great with a perfect head or body shot. Last year I did have a pair of greys that I hit hard enough to knock out of the tree crawl off and were not found. I switched to CCI 40g mini-mags and have not had any more get away, even when they jumped as I pulled the trigger forcing a bad shot. The CCI's are not as accurate but the practical accuracy in a hunting situation, shooting off hand or off of a shooting stick is far less than off a bench or prone anyway. Plus, I am not that great a shot anyway.

I also often use 17hmr and 17wsm. The hmr is great cause it will shoot point blank well out past 100yds. The WSM is great cause it is the lightest weight hunting rifle that I own and if I accidentally encounter a coyote, I have a better chance of dinging him too. Both the 17's will mess up a squirrel badly. Head shots mean the head is gone! Lately I have stuck with my old well proven Mod 52 carbine in 22lr. It is more accurate than both the 17's at any range inside of 100yds and most shots are closer to 35-40yds anyways. Don't tear em up so bad and while heavy it is still a great choice for this kind of hunting.

Oh, I also use a .177 pellet rifle sometimes but mostly for around the neighborhood. The 1300fps superlight pellets make more noise than a subsonic 22 so I use the heavier pellets so it don't spoke the neighbors.

Irish
 
I've been using the Aguila subsonic, 1040fps, not the super slow shit.

It knocks them down no matter what. Going to start using the Gemtech ammo since my Annie likes it best suppressed
 
I prefer to use my Beeman HW77 with Beeman Ramjet pellets when I am near houses. When I am away from houses I like to use my Winchester 75 with Wolf Match ammo.

You have much more patience for young morons than I do, that conversation wouldn't lasted more the two sentences with me before I told him to go find a quite dark place and have sex with himself.
 
I have been an avid squirrel hunter for years. Tried many .22 RF combinations. Shot thousands with Winchester LRHP. In the old yellow boxed. About 1980 I found a Win. 52 Sporter and it came with a case of Win Super Match Ammo. I have used match ammo since then. Mostly Eley 10X due to it shooting well in every 52 I have tried it in. I now use 4 different Win 52C rifles. from a very light custom sporter, a factory sporter and both Standard and Heavy barrel targets. All with good scopes.
All will shoot MOA in no wind conditions.
The match ammo is not the sure killer on body shots that the LRHP is but it is so accurate that I take no body shots. I think that is a natural progression. In youth we seek speed and power. In age we realize accuracy is king.

Anyone know where I can get any Winchester Super Match ammo? That was good stuff.
 
originally, i used 12ga.

got tired of peppered meat and trying to to skin the "holey" hides of of them, so went to the .22lr, HV HP ammo

then for a period gave up using rifle for anything, was using easton 2117 alum. arrows with washers behind screw in blunt points, and a 50lb compound or 45 lb recurve.

got back into rifles, went with .22mag as all too often other targets of opportunity presents itself during a squirrel hunt (yotes, fox, raccoon, etc.) and i liked the little extra on hand. 30 gr hornady basically took the head off, or gutted them before they hit the ground. 34gr winc black box seemed to hamburger them. with FMJ, it seemed i had too many make it back to their holes if the shot wasn't perfect, my rifle doesn't like the 40 gr hp, so i didn't use them for squirrel.

i went back to .22LR, but using using sub sonic / std vel ammo as i had plenty on hand a couple of years ago as 30 gr hornady .22mag ammo in my area is a bit scarce and where available is close to $20.00 per 50. i noticed i missed a whole lot. found a target (knot hole) in a tree, noticed that the extreme angle, almost totally vertical shots i was trying was 1" - 2" off of my zero. tried a 10Y, 25Y, and 50Y zero, still was missing when in the upward tree rat position.

went back to HV with a 25Y "flat ground" zero still hit it's mark with a 35-40 ft high 75-85 deg angle shot. so that's where i'm at now.

head shots are still preferred, remember to step aside when shooting them at an extreme angle of get a face full of squirrel spray (lessons learned).
 
Ruger 10/22 with 4x scope has been my favorite for some time. Light, accurate enough, and fun. Head shots favored to 40 or 50 yards max range. Behind the shoulders works without messing up a lot of meat if the bag needs filled and your on a time limit, you can go out to about 75 yards with reliable results on body shots if you know the gun/load. Any good HP 36 or 40 grain bullet your rifle likes will do. Air rifles work fine, but have some major limitations on full size fox and gray squirrels of the size we have here in central WV. Even full weight pointed .177 will not go through a large squirrels rib cage reliably past 20-25 yards with a velocity of 1000fps. Head shots are fine to almost 50 yards, IF you and the particular air rifle are up to it. Heavy Pointed or domed pellets are best as flat points expand and stop not far under the fur at any distance. Really, I after shooting a lot of them with my RWS 34 as a teen I think 35 or so yards is the best range to make kills reliably with .177. With a .22 moving over 800 fps you can probably stretch that another 50% for max ranges. I have not tried the new hyper velocity pellets, but would think they are a close range deal as lighter pellets shed velocity quickly. On an interesting note, I have noticed that there is a lot of difference in size and hide thickness in grays across the country.
 
69A Winchester, 3X9 AO scope, Fed American Eagle 38GR HP. Put crosshair on the head, pull trigger, squirrel falls to the ground. This has worked form me since about 1958. No reason to change now. SeaBees CAN DO.
 
Why do so many people hate squirrels and rabbits so much?
Click to expand...

Hate 'em? Got that wrong...I love 'em.

I love 'em fried, baked, stewed, grilled, sauteed, fricasseed, and even used for sausage.
I prefer 'em over venison. I know, blasphemy. But it's my preference, not yours.
gap.gif
 
Simplejack said:
Why do so many people hate squirrels and rabbits so much? I think they are cool and feed them while I can. They are the only wildlife you see usually and they have cool personalities..
Click to expand...

The ones in the backyard are almost pets, but not quite. The unfamiliar ones in the open woods are groceries in the rough. Squirrel gravy over biscuits and fried rabbit are 2 rewards of the fall/winter harvest I look forward to each year. Vegetarian - old Native American word for bad hunter.
 
I use my kid. She is deadly with a .22LR. But for ammo, I use CCI Stinger HPs. Works well on tree rats, prairie dogs, rabbits, and even on close range varmints.

Head shots (both types)




 
lancetkenyon said:
I use my kid. She is deadly with a .22LR. But for ammo, I use CCI Stinger HPs. Works well on tree rats, prairie dogs, rabbits, and even on close range varmints.

Head shots (both types)




Click to expand...

cool post
i see who the marksman is, keep the youngen hunting,
was the best time i had with my son's,(they grow up fast)
congrats on the double head shot, LOL
 
justin amateur said:
Hate 'em? Got that wrong...I love 'em.

I love 'em fried, baked, stewed, grilled, sauteed, fricasseed, and even used for sausage.
I prefer 'em over venison. I know, blasphemy. But it's my preference, not yours.
gap.gif
Click to expand...

hush, my mouth is watering.
some people just dont know the finer things in life.

dude yes the ones around the house are off limits for me.
but in the woods fair game, an this year looks like game on
YO
 
I used a .177 Gamo Whisper air rifle to shoot a raccoon out of a tree and it only gave a few death kicks before it subsided. I don't ever worry about whether the bullet is a hollow point or round nose for small game. Just use the most accurate ammunition in your gun and know your limits.
 
Simplejack said:
Why do so many people hate squirrels and rabbits so much? I think they are cool and feed them while I can. They are the only wildlife you see usually and they have cool personalities..
Click to expand...


I agree with Justin, I like 'em a lot. Rabbits too. Also nutria, raccoon and several other things you may not have tried yet.

In fact, most lifeforms look better on a bed of rice, IMO.
 
Since I can't find .22 these days I've rediscovered how much I love the bottom barrel of my old savage 22/410
 
I've used a bunch of different 22RF loads over the years but I have settled on CCI Subsonic segmented HP. It's like an off switch on squirrel and rabbit inside 70 yds....I don't tend to shoot much further than that.
 
I used to squirrel hunt with my Ruger Mk1 5.5" bull barrel and Remington Thunderbolts (30 years ago, Thunderbolts were cheap and accurate-in my guns). Head shots always worked.

My dad, and his dad, preferred .22 shorts in their squirrel rifles. Grandpa used a little Western Field single shot bolt action and dad used a Savage M29 pump rifle. Dad said shorts were nice and quiet and didn't seem to disturb the other squirrels in the hickory tree when he shot one. He said sometimes he could 3 or 4 out of the same tree (they seem to come to one tree on the ridge and clean it out, then move to another one and do the same).

I remember dad laughing about an American Hunter article where the author said .22 shorts wouldn't kill squirrels. He talked about that for awhile.

He said his dad left out of the house one day after lunch (to get supper) with that little Western Field and seven .22 shorts. He came home (in time to supply supper) with four squirrels, two rabbits and a ruffed grouse, all head shots.
 
sscoyote said:
Stow the RF's boys--here's my fav. system these days. In fact doing it today--as soon as I can get some sleep--

Click to expand...

SSCOYOTE, NO shit,
man you are a better indian then me.
cool as hell, what yardage are most of your shots.
damn neck, cant shoot a bow any more.
 
.177 out of a worn out Beeman mostly. I've killed a couple with an old Crossman BB gun. Lots with .22 and .17HMR (probably my favorite). My grandfather insists that hunting squirrel with anything except a shotgun is too dangerous for the neighbors, so most of my childhood I killed them with .410 and 20g. I've killed a couple with a recurve bow w/field tips and I also killed one with a pair of pliers.....


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