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So my neighborhood is being slowly over run with rabbits. So I'm wondering what the best way to do a little pest control is. I'm honestly thinking a pcp air rifle is the ticket after dark or early in the morning when they are most active and to avoid having the cops called. Any ideas or feedback is welcomed I really want the rabbits gone and really want avoid police interactions,jail time and or charges.
When I lived out in the "country" away from a populated area, I used a Crossman Backpacker .22 cal. pump up air rifle. It had a short barrel (longer than the 1322 air pistol) and a stock which could be changed out for the 1322 pistol grips.
It was an inexpensive alternative to the more expensive PCP air rifles. And was very effective for garden rabbit pest control.
Granted follow up shots were slow, but after a little target practice, one shot per rabbit was all that was needed.
Pellets play nice with pests.
I'd HAPPILY trade your rabbit issue for my raccoon problem. I was on the phone with a friend this evening while four (4!) of them walked along on top of my back fence as if they owned it. I HATE raccoons!
Suppressed .22 would work as well as any pellet gun. I have a similar problem, and we don't have privacy fences in my neighborhood, so I had to be very discreet. It kind of worked, but the rabbits multiply faster than I could buy enough pellets. Damn things ate my whole garden. [Dunno]
This is every night at my place. Every year one of then had at least 4 babies. You don't even need a suppressed. 22 if you have a rifle length barrel.Quote:
Originally Posted by hatidua
break barrel .177 is plenty (pump .22 pistol also good option)
you dont need a pcp rifle to blast bunny rabbits in town lol
Crystallized coyote pee.
Pellet gun?
Doesn't work.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrey
Choot em Clint!
OP, depends on the city ordinance and of course, safety.
Here in DougCo, there's no firearm discharge allowed in residential areas, but there are only noise limits on air pistols/rifles discharge safely on your property. It might not surprise anyone that a MC noise limit is significantly higher than the limit placed on air rifles (at the property line.)
However, a .22 cal pellet rifle with hollow points should stay sub sonic. I use a Gamo Whisper and the neighbors don't have a clue unless they would happen to be watching a bunny when I end it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrey
Yeah, I have a whole dog in my back yard that is larger than a coyote and they still cruise through half the nights in a week.Quote:
Originally Posted by HoneyBadger
Plenty of quiet ways to deal with them.
Suppressed .22, pellet guns, snares and other traps, etc..
Snares will usually catch them around the middle, leaving them alive for you to deal with. However, it keeps them in place and makes it real easy to be sure your shots are going into the ground.
We had a racoon regularly trash our deck like a rock star. I shone the light on him one night and the bastard -snarled- at me, scaring me half to death. The next mirning, I bought Shake-away (crystallized coyote pee) and dumped it around the deck and between the slats (Important Note: be sure your mouth if firmly shut while doing so.) I felt the pee needed bolstering, so I added about a half bottle of ammonia. I added moth balls for dessert. Voila! You could see the stink lines from space, and nobody could use the deck for a few months, but there were NO beasties to be seen. No bunnies. No squirrels. And NO racoon.
Sounds like you guys need more coyotes in town.[Coffee]
We would loan you some but... [AR15]
The SS rounds out of my 22 rifle run 700 FPS and make less noise than the air rifle. Only seen a few rabbits over the years but lots of other wildlife.
Try some super-colibri 22 primer only ammo? You'll have to be fairly close, but those rounds are just a little louder than bunny farts to shoot.
I wouldn't recommended doing this in a rifle length barrel.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChadAmberg
Yeah, we tried this out and not all rounds will make it out of the barrel. The subsonic Quiet CCI rounds that go 740 fps have no issue clearing the barrel and sound much more quiet than a spring powered air rifle, and about the same as a suppressed rifle to my ears.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jer
If you were closer I would help you out! Good luck! Sounds like a fun problem to have. My lab doesn't let them sit in my yard long
Yeah my lab gsp mix doesn't let them hang out long either. But I just want to get rid of them before they cause real havoc.
I know a guy ;) that uses a Nitro piston 2 .22 break barrel air rifle. Crack a window, remove the screen, wait till night. An illuminated reticle scope on top seals the deal. With no lights on outside, while this guys sits and shoots from a dark room, the neighbors can't see anything. The "surpressed" 22 air rifle has a little noise but if you one shot kill, even if someone hears it, nobody will figure out what the noise was with only a single shot...it's not an obvious sound. Hit them in the head and they just tip over. Even if someone was watching that particular rabbit, if it's dark enough at night, it appears as if the rabbit just lays down.
The DOW allows for all year long private property pest control without a small game license. Just be sure your local jurisdiction doesn't prohibit air rifles.
PS - a .22 air rifle is tons of fun and some newer models are in the 1200fps range with alloy pellets. Heck, you can even get air rifle ballistic calculators/apps for your phone.