OLD SMTC SOB wrote:
OLD SMTC SOB wrote:
You must be a lousy shot. The raccoons and ground hogs I put down at 15 to 20 yards with no problem. 900 FPS is fine, as loge as you know how to shoot, and where. One shot. And I don't miss.
One could certainly get a pneumatic, but way to expensive. And loud.
Wrong, I'm a perfectly fine shot. Not amazing, but I can do a pie plate from standing at 100 yards with my large bore rifles using open sights. Standing and shooting squirrels with my scoped pellet gun is usually from 20 yards or closer, I'm within a nickel sized poi under those circumstances. I never miss (or rather, I never attempt an iffy shot), it just doesnt always kill them with the first shot.
When it takes a second shot with my pellet gun, I've looked and the first bullet hit them on the shoulder blade and had insufficient penetration to get to the heart/lung. Like I said, it isn't enough power for humanely killing a raccoon.
When I've shot a raccoon with a 22lr to the head, they've died instantly every time. It is clearly the humane choice. No neighbor is going to notice a single shot from a 22lr and call the police. A single shot from that small of a caliber is indistinguishable from dropping something onto a hard surface, a loud clap, a hammer, etc.
Nobody can perfectly line their shot up to go between ribs for a heart/lung every time, because you cant see them under their fur, so you need enough power to punch through when that happens. You're definitely wounding animals cruelly and unnecessarily with the pellet gun you're using.
The new PCP guns are very quiet, much quieter than any break barrel on the market. They are pricey though, 600 plus. Watch holdover ted's videos on youtube for examples of how quiet they can be.
Rojo: just make a trap door on your porch hole. Whatever it is only wants to sleep down there. Install a trap door so that when it comes out, it cant get back inside. This way if it has babies under there, it can also call them outside with it. If you just trap an adult with babies, they will starve and then rot under your deck, which is bad for everybody involved.
A trap door is easy to make with a set of hinges, some scrap 1x1 wood, wire mesh, and a weight to cause it to close behind them. Make it in such a way they cant get their claws behind it to open it after it closes behind them. Im surprised your post guy didnt do this.