GROUNDHOGS!!!!

914Driver wrote:

DrBoost wrote: I want to shoot them, but I can't discharge a firearm in the city limits without a silencer and I'm not sure of a pellet gun would do it. I'm thinking either a .22 cal pellet gun (950 fps) or fumigation.

Catch and release, but I'm told you have to cross water before releasing them, otherwise they find their way back.

Interesting about crossing water. I haven't heard that (but believe it), but I did hear it has to be at least 5 miles away. Holy homing pigeon Batman! That stinking rat will find it's way home up to 5 miles!?!?
On second though, I did read that they are good swimmers, so I wonder if they could still find their way home.....

foxtrapper wrote: conibear trap. 220 will suffice.

Just heard about this Saturday but haven't looked into these. Is this something that my daughters car could get killed in?

I'll tell you what I want to do. I want to get another Akita. GREAT dogs and no ground hogs.

They are a kill trap. They work great at doing it. Vagely like a rat trap on steroids.

They require muscle to set, and care with handling, as having it go off in your hand can easily result in you having a broken arm. Added bonus, you'll have a broken arm with a conibear stuck on it. Not fun.

To get started, you really do want to borrow one (and just one) from a farmer or such who can show you how to set it and handle it. They aren't hard, IF you understand them.

Set right over the hole, or in a bucket set, and the animal dies. Do understand it's a trap, so if your dog goes to sniff in the bucket, it will die instead. And a neighbor kid who sticks their hand in the hole...

Trapping is fine, but understand what you're doing, and do it with thought and care.

Wrong trap. That's a double long spring foot hold.

This is what a conibear looks like. Off hand, I'd say this is a 110.

Since we're coming up on the glorious Fourth, find the kid in your neighborhood selling packs of salutes and /or M-80s. Light and throw down the hole. Keep doing it until they go away permanently.

I managed rental property in LA. This has worked for me a number of times.

I have a Gamo 870 .177 air rifle that I got from Cabela's years ago. It came with a BSA 4-12x scope on it and shoots the .177 pellets at 1000fps. One shot kills are routine.

So far it has dispatched 23 groundhogs that tried to take up residence under my storage shed. I live in the city with houses 30 feet from me on either side and none of the neighbors has noticed it.

.22 pellet won't take them out. I've put 3 .22 regular rimfire rounds in one and had it lumber off. Now I use .22 viper hollow points and that works pretty well. I like the firecracker camouflage idea - although a single round from a decent bolt action isn't very loud. Just yell "He's coming right at us" before you fire :)

rebelgtp wrote: Did you happen th see my thread on my 10/22 build? 60gr SSS rounds out of it are dead quiet and the impact makes more noise than the shot itself.

Linkarooni? I should read up; I'll have some protein to harvest this season from my garden.

You'd be amazed how a 20 oz plastic soda bottle duct taped to the muzzle will quite down a .22 rifle. Mix that with firing from within the house through an open window and it's damn near silent outside.

That's a felony, Ross. They'll burn your church down for that, with you in it, of course.

I had the same problem with racoons. I would suggest purchasing a compound bow and shooting them with that. They make no noise, are generally legal to shoot in city limits and the challenge of hunting your prey is redneck fun.

Hal wrote: I have a Gamo 870 .177 air rifle that I got from Cabela's years ago. It came with a BSA 4-12x scope on it and shoots the .177 pellets at 1000fps. One shot kills are routine. So far it has dispatched 23 groundhogs that tried to take up residence under my storage shed. I live in the city with houses 30 feet from me on either side and none of the neighbors has noticed it.

^^^This. My dad lives out in the boonies with his choice of weapons and still uses one of these b/c its quick, humane and doesn't make a bloody mess of the back porch. He uses it to dispatch raccoons raiding his birdfeeder. In terms of being a tough kill, raccoons are virtual rhinos compared to groundhogs. But you may still be in violation of your city ordinance and/or freak out your neighbors.

Jerry From LA wrote: Since we're coming up on the glorious Fourth, find the kid in your neighborhood selling packs of salutes and /or M-80s. Light and throw down the hole. Keep doing it until they go away permanently. I managed rental property in LA. This has worked for me a number of times.

Aren't there easier ways to evict your tenants?

^^ Awesome. ^^

BANG!! Rent's due! BANG!! Pay up or get out! BANG!!

RossD wrote: You'd be amazed how a 20 oz plastic soda bottle duct taped to the muzzle will quite down a .22 rifle. Mix that with firing from within the house through an open window and it's damn near silent outside.

Past winter thought hard about building a suppressor from a 1.625 X 10 SS pneumatic actuator for a 10/22, little machine work and press on to the flash hider... it's like it was just begging to be built it was that EZ.

Cooler thinking prevailed... it had something to do w/ f-e-l-o-n-y

Ok, so if I were to get a pellet gun, would you recommend a spring action or co2?

Somthing like this: http://www.airgundepot.com/ruger-air-magnum-combo-air-rifle-1400-fps.html

As a side bonus, they're kind of fun to plink with. At 1400 fps, just be sure of your backstop when you take a shot.

Spring action. CO2 guns, in my opinion, are a PITA.

Keith wrote:

Jerry From LA wrote: Since we're coming up on the glorious Fourth, find the kid in your neighborhood selling packs of salutes and /or M-80s. Light and throw down the hole. Keep doing it until they go away permanently. I managed rental property in LA. This has worked for me a number of times.

Aren't there easier ways to evict your tenants?

Yes, but nothing else has quite the chilling effect on the other tenants.

I've had good luck with my Gamo .177, Shadow is the model I think. There's a new one out that I want called the CFX Fixed Barrel which is similar in performance but isn't a break barrel. The Whisper is great if you're worried about noise.

Nobody has suggested a slingshot yet. A proper slingshot will take out a groundhog with no problem. They are also super quiet.

SportsmansGuide.com has a Gamo and "Ruger" break barrels on sale. I have one of the "Ruger"'s, which is a Chinese copy of a RWS German made rifle. It's pretty nice. Supposed to be 1000 FPS (.177 cal). I don't know if it will do that or not, but it is powerful. For the $100 price, including a scope, you can't hardly go wrong. I did a trigger job on it and it's a lot smoother now. I also don't know if it will cap a groundhog. I use 22LR's on the 'coons and 'possum around here, but I bet it would do a groundhog with a head shot.

Well, I'll let you guys know what I do. I was supposed to stop my Bass Pro Shops on the way home tonight but I don't think that's going to happen.

Has anybody asked why they need to be killed? What kind of damage do they cause?