Raccoon/Possum Removal

[Bubbajms]

What would be your firearm of choice to handle sick or injured critters of this size?

I saw a neighbor try to take down an injured raccoon and it was painful to watch. There was no reason he couldn't get a clean shot, but he ended up putting a dozen .22 rounds into the poor critter before it expired. I'd like to be a little more humane than that.. but I also don't want to go crazy. What would you use in this situation? I'd like to be able to put them down AQAP but without making a mess any more than I need to.. plus I don't want to scare any children-types with large scary firearms or wide-ranging splatters of animal bits..

Thoughts?

 

[singlestacksig]

a .22 is just fine, sounds like the shooter had never hunted & did not know how to put a critter down..

 

[trapperDave]

a single .22 to the head

 

[Bubbajms]

How messy is a headshot on a raccoon with a .22?

 

[jgreiner]

What would be your firearm of choice to handle sick or injured critters of this size?

I saw a neighbor try to take down an injured raccoon and it was painful to watch. There was no reason he couldn't get a clean shot, but he ended up putting a dozen .22 rounds into the poor critter before it expired. I'd like to be a little more humane than that.. but I also don't want to go crazy. What would you use in this situation? I'd like to be able to put them down AQAP but without making a mess any more than I need to.. plus I don't want to scare any children-types with large scary firearms or wide-ranging splatters of animal bits..


Thoughts?

Just curious, but was he head shooting the raccoon? That doesn't seem to work to well on them. A good shot through lungs is best.

Possums are tough critters too. As a kid, I pinned one to the barn wall through the chest with a pitch fork late one evening (was in hen house sucking eggs)......it was still kicking in the morning.....

 

[Bradsknives]

50BMG

 

[trapperDave]

its not messy.

Ive killed thousands that way. literally

 

[jgreiner]

a single .22 to the head

they have thick skulls.....with a hollow portion behind it.....head shots can bounce off (have had it happen). I tend to shoot em through the lungs. (got chased by a rabid one once as a kid).

12 gauge works VERY well.

 

[jgreiner]

50BMG

Shoot it AND skin it, all at once.

 

[singlestacksig]

How messy is a headshot on a raccoon with a .22?

not very messy, just not very effective.. put one in the heart/lung box & call it a day..
if you really want to do a head shot step up to 22 hornet or .218 bee with fmj or SP.. a HP will make a mess..

 

[trapperDave]

Ive made a living as wildlife control operator, trapped thousands of coons in my 43 years. (not to mention 20 years of coon hunting...nobody uses anything but a 22 on them) a 22 to the head will kill them on the spot. their skulls are not that thick. A sharp smack on the back of the head with a stick or hammer will kill them dead too.

 

[Kaiser]

ALWAYS USED A 22 SOUNDS LIKE SHOOTER AND NOT THE GUN

 

[Bubbajms]

Well, I can vouch for the shooter - he's horrible! I couldn't see the points of impact, but the critter looked like it had taken birdshot all over the body.

I'm not much of a hunter myself, but if I had to put an animal down, I'd like to be able to do it as quickly/quietly/effectively as possible. And if this guy is around, I'm gonna have to step up to the plate and take that shot - I just didn't know if a .22 was sufficient or not. Guess I should outfit the rifle and start practicing on raccoon-sized targets..

 

[singlestacksig]

he may have also had incorrect ammo for the job..
some "hyper velocity" 22lr gets that fast from really light bullets..
the bullet might not stay together enough to get into chest...

 

[hooky]

.22lr to the head should be plenty

 

[Bubbajms]

I know for a fact that it was that green-box Remington bulk ammo.. is that (should that) be good for this?

 

[Dwight D]

12 gauge and 00 buck. Wham, get back in the truck and go home.

 

[ghitch75]

I know for a fact that it was that green-box Remington bulk ammo.. is that (should that) be good for this?

green box will do fine.....now go get'm!!!!

 

[buckstopshere]

I know for a fact that it was that green-box Remington bulk ammo.. is that (should that) be good for this?

Not sure about the Remington green box. None of my .22s ever liked to eat the Remington. However, WWB works just fine.

Live traps work great. If you're worried about shooting it and have a creek, stream, or lake nearby, just put the live trap on the water and drown the coon. My neighbor does that. He caught 6 this past summer. That's a good. O mess option without doing a poisoned egg or something that dogs or cats could get after.

A .22 will work just fine provided you can hit a vital. Do the live trap, put your .22 on the base of the skull where the spine and skull come together and shoot. Just gotta be quick.

 

[Bubbajms]

(as odd as it may sound) the live, healthy ones don't bother me so much. It's the ones that are half-dead, injured, sick, etc that I'm going to be dealing with..