I'm a live-and-let-live kind of a guy. So as long as the resident groundhog (woodchuck) left us and our stuff alone I was happy enough to leave him alone.

But then, while mowing the lawn, yesterday, I discovered the fat frack had done this under the woodpile, behind which we store stone, pavers, and the like:



I'll get in there, clean it up, fill in the hole, and throw a bunch more crushed stone down. If that does it: Fine. But if not: He'll have to go.

In the latter case: Is there an air rifle I can acquire that will cleanly, humanely take him out?

Or am I going to have to regretfully inform my wife I'm going to have to acquire tax stamps, .22 cal. SBR, and a can?

I don't think a .177 would do the trick, maybe a head shot. The.22 pellet might work but I have zero experience with them

Growing up in mid MI, I gained a reputation as a groundhog exterminator after clearing our barns and house foundation of the critters. The local farmers would hire me to do the deed

I used these traps, placing them over the holes

https://www.acehardware.com/de...ALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I would check on them a few times a day and if there wasn't one in the trap, there would usually be one foraging nearby. It got buckshot from an old Ithaca 16ga double barrel

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
I don't think a .177 would do the trick, maybe a head shot.

I have read, sometime in the past, they have very hard heads and the way to take them out is with a lung shot? But, yeah: I'm doubtful an air gun will do the trick, but I thought I'd ask.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
I used these traps, placing them over the holes

https://www.acehardware.com/de...ALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Yeah, it occurred to me that would be another way, then a .22 cal. to the ear. (That's the way the trappers Up North would put down coyotes and the like they trapped.) Only problem is...

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
It got buckshot from an old Ithaca 16ga double barrel

We're not allowed to discharge a firearm w/in township limits. I can understand why, but it does limit my options.

(Though, TBH, I highly doubt any of my neighbors would care, much less call The Man on me. Plus, with all the fireworks going off all the time around here, who'd even know?)

Unless you get up to those specialty ‘big game’ air rifles the answer would normally be no. You may wound him, could die in his hole, maybe.

I’d use a leg hold trap then covertly dispatch, if a normal gun can’t be used.

If conditions allow, you could shoot from inside your house, barrel & blast well inside, open door or window. Much of the noise would be absorbed. I’d use my 17 HMR.

quote:

Yeah, it occurred to me that would be another way, then a .22 cal. to the ear. (That's the way the trappers Up North would put down coyotes and the like they trapped.) Only problem is...

Those traps usually kill a groundhog pretty quickly, if not you could dispatch with a shovel or bat

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:


Or am I going to have to regretfully inform my wife I'm going to have to acquire tax stamps, .22 cal. SBR, and a can?

Oh my! That would be horrible!!! Adding a 10/22 takedown, or a tactical solution to the safe...

There's some .177 and .22 cal's that are moving at 850-1100fps. Benjamin and Beeman are pretty good. I know in .177 and .22 there's a variety of different pellets for hunting, and will do the trick for what's tearing up the yard.

Then there's the price point... $300-$500 for a pellet gun? For the same $, you can get a .22 rifle. Don't get me wrong, BB guns are a hoot to shoot, but if it's a one time use thing, may as well get a .22.

https://www.airgundepot.com

I shot one last week with my thermal sighted .22 bolt rifle using CB longs.

Nobody heard a thing.

Killed him dead right there.

Any .22 or .25 air rifle capable of 800 FPS or more can easily do the job. I have killed more than my fair share of groundhogs with less than that. Shot placement is key, and with a quality air rifle is easy. I just shot one last week with my FX Impact in .25, and a pellet just behind the ear will drop them right where they are. This particular one’s tail didn’t even stand up.

I’m not going to talk you out of a couple cans and sbr’s, but I can tell you that either of my impacts with an air gun silencer are far quieter than any firearm could ever hope to be. The impact of a pellet is far louder than the muzzle report.

I've killed a number of groundhogs with airguns. A .177 will do it, but a .22 airgun is better for sure. A headshot is the only way to kill them on the spot. A shot in the lungs will kill them, but they normally crawl in their hole before dying.

Aguila subsonic…or cb caps in a bolt gun and a suppressor..Hollywood quiet…although they are really dirty and cleaning the cans baffles is a pain in the butt.

Thanks for the feedback, gents.

It sounds like my two best options are a .22 cal. airgun or a trap and dispatch with sidearm, if necessary.

I was just kidding about a suppressed SBR . While I'm sure it would be cool, I've other priorities on the firearms list.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I shot one last week with my thermal sighted .22 bolt rifle using CB longs.

Nobody heard a thing.

Killed him dead right there.

I have an Anschutz that is accurate with Colibri's

and very very quiet with them,



I had a WhistlePig in the backyard years ago,

bastard set up residence under my back deck,

I have a Daisy 835 target rifle that is very accurate as well,


I got lucky at got a shot before he saw me one morning,
pig dropped back in his hole and never saw him again,

177 pellet, at around 25-30 feet,

A .22 cal airgun is going to be loud . A bolt action .22 rifle with the CCI Quiet .22 ammo will be comparable but probably a lot more lethal . 40 gr bullet @ 710 fps . I've taken out Armadillo's with one shot , and slipped in the back door before anybody knows what happened .

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
A .22 cal airgun is going to be loud. A bolt action .22 rifle with the CCI Quiet .22 ammo will be comparable but probably a lot more lethal.

The other difference being the former is legal for me to shoot here, the latter is not.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
A .22 cal airgun is going to be loud. A bolt action .22 rifle with the CCI Quiet .22 ammo will be comparable but probably a lot more lethal.

The other difference being the former is legal for me to shoot here, the latter is not.

Semantics ..

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
The other difference being the former is legal for me to shoot here, the latter is not.

Semantics ..

Being as shooting a firearm w/in my municipality's boundaries can get me arrested and my losing my CPL, whereas shooting an air gun cannot, it's pretty important "semantics," I think.

Check these guys out: Umarex. All the way up to 50 cal.

How much is that groundhog worth?

I've taken several groundhogs with my .25 caliber air rifles. Shot placement is important as always.

Stuff his hole with mothballs.

depends on your budget. my nephew has a benjamin bulldog in 357. has a pitbull long moderator on it. it is pretty dang quiet i would say. they have options, and even build them custom. not cheap though.

Pitbull Air Guns