Need advice , .22 enough for racoon ?

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nitehawk55

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He fellows , I've only owned a .22 rifle and have little knowledge of other calibers and what works best . We are on a farm in SW Ontario and are overrun with racoons which are a problem if they get into the hay loft and crap all over the horse hay .

I've only used a .22 in the past but if you get a larger one you can't drop them in one shot unless you hit them right . Possums are an issue too and they really seem hard to drop .

Would a 223 or the like be overkill ? I'd like to go scope too and get some at a distance as my eyesight is not like it used to be .

Recommendations welcome and if you have something available let me know as well .

Thanks in advance ,
John
 
I've found a .22 short in the chest killed racoons fastest for me. It doesn't penetrate all the way through and dumps all the energy in the chest. Almost a lights out scenario for me. I live in S.W. ON (Essex County) and have killed quite a few with Shotguns, .17 Mach II, .22 LR and .22 Shorts. .22 shorts did the best for me for quickest kills and it won't put a hole in your barn doing it. Killed maybe 6-10 racoons with the .22 short in the chest. ymmv though.
 
.22 rimfire are just fine. my father in law is a serial racoon killer, and uses a single shot .22 cooey. he has many many hundreds. He sometimes uses a second shot to finish them off humanely. Note cci Velicitors should give you maximum effectiveness.
 
a cheap 3x9 on your 22 will probably solve most of your problems. Racoons have always been a fairly tough animal if you don't hit them in the head or get a clean heart/lung shot.

I don't think a 223 would be overkill. With a good scope, it will certainly let you stretch your range out to 200+ yards. though with a 223, "what's behind your target" becomes much more important than with a 22.

It (223) would also give you a very reliable Coyote persuader if they ever start harassing your horses or any other critters you have.

If you want a bit more stopping power for the racoons - and a bit more range for them - at a price that shouldn't break your bank account ... you may want to think about a 22 Magnum.
 
IMagius said:
a cheap 3x9 on your 22 will probably solve most of your problems. Racoons have always been a fairly tough animal if you don't hit them in the head or get a clean heart/lung shot.

I don't think a 223 would be overkill. With a good scope, it will certainly let you stretch your range out to 200+ yards. though with a 223, "what's behind your target" becomes much more important than with a 22.

It (223) would also give you a very reliable Coyote persuader if they ever start harassing your horses or any other critters you have.

If you want a bit more stopping power for the racoons - and a bit more range for them - at a price that shouldn't break your bank account ... you may want to think about a 22 Magnum.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the "what's behind your target" , we have other farms all over the area and selective shooting would be a must before you pull the trigger with a 223 and might cause more issues if the target isn't in the right spot which could raise a whole bunch of other issues ..
You mention Coyote and that is getting to be another problem as well . 22 Magnum might be a thought .

With my eyesight I think a scope is a must not to hit the right spots instead of just winging them and having to chase them down .

Thanks for tha advice on the ammo , I never gave that much thought .
 
At my old farm we had a serious coon problem. Used a Havahart trap and used 22 short when still,in trap. Did a coon-a-day for a week or so. Fed the buzzards( is this recycling??} jitc.
 
Live traps are great. Work while you sleep, no lost shuteye, no holes to patch in the roof or walls.

I found that drilling holes through dog kibble, and stringing them on a cord to tie them to the trigger of the trap worked well.

Cheers
Trev
 
.22 magnum is a good choice, as has been suggested, and a scoped rifle for older eyes is ALWAYS a good idea. Good luck!

Doug
 
Doug said:
.22 magnum is a good choice, as has been suggested, and a scoped rifle for older eyes is ALWAYS a good idea. Good luck!

Doug
Click to expand...

The eyes part pisses me off Doug , I had perfect vision till I hit my 40's :(

Looking at a nice Ruger 10/22 that's listed local and comes with the rails to mount a scope . A 3x5 should be be suitable ? I want one big enough in diameter and good crosshairs . Honestly I don't know much about scopes , I wish my son (Red Dawg ) who lives in Edmonton was a bit closer , he's great at mounting and setting them up .
 
Just took care of a 'problem' tonight with the .17 Mach II. Since you guys are talking scopes, this gun wears a bushnell DuskDawn in 1.5-4.5. IMHO about as ideal as a rimfire hunting scope can get....
 
My last racoon kill was with my Ruger77/22mag shot it just behind the front upper leg/shoulder @ 50-55yards from my Upstairs bedroom window. The racoon walked 3 feet and fell over dead. Yotes took care of the rest. I don't see any problem with a .22Lr if place your shot well...! They (Coons) rip the sh_t out of my grass looking for grubs....
 
nitehawk55 said:
Agreed on the "what's behind your target" , we have other farms all over the area and selective shooting would be a must before you pull the trigger with a 223 and might cause more issues if the target isn't in the right spot which could raise a whole bunch of other issues ..
Click to expand...

My advice then, since you do have nighbours ... and a barn ...

Time to build a nice little shooting platform on the top of your barn (or silo if you are lucky enough to have one) ... plenty of line of sight, and with that kind of elevation, "beyond the target" should pretty much always be the ground. Then go get yourself a 223

:D
 
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