Safety issue coon hunting at night. .22 or brdsht
Hi folks, my nephew and his buddy are shooting racoons at night with .22 rimfire rifles. I am worried about bullets ricocheting (spelling??) off from some of the larger upper branches and possibly hitting them. Also, the boys are usually on opposite sides of the tree. Should they be using shotguns and size 7 1/2 or 6 birdshot loads instead. I thought maybe shotshells wouldn't tend to ricochet with near the energy of a .22 bullet. Thanks for any advice. RC
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are they saving the hides? if so, then i don't suggest the shotgun. we use 22 caliber chipmunks and crickets. it makes it more safe because you have to load every shell and then cock the rifle. we try not to be on oppsosite sides of the tree. use 22 shorts. the lead bullets wont ricochet as bad as the plated ones. i really wouldnt worry about them ricocheting back down. another reason to use the shorts is they lack the range of the lr. you generally shoot at a 45 degree angle which will give the gun its maximum range. that way you don't have to worry about hitting someones stuff 1/2 mile off with the shorts. also, you should find some people that have been hunting coons for a while and let your nephew and buddy hunt with them and see how they do it. 0 -
Coon hunting with a 22 rimfire was a right of passage where I grew up. I would not worry about a 22 bullet being deflected back toward one of the hunters, where it goes if you miss was always my concern.
I never heard a shotgun solution that any of us could live with, so Coons are still shot with 22 rimfires (squirrels too). As I grew older, with less 'still hunt' time for squirrels, I started using a shotgun on them using #6. If I used a shotgun for coons, I would probably try BB.
As a boy, my Dad and Uncles always said that missed shots always "fell in the woods". Regarding the 'misses falling in the woods' , my feed shed has a bullet hole in the roof that was likely from a 22. I also had my sunroof shatter while driving down the Interstate last year. After the glass was replaced, I saw a small tear in the seat. Under the seat was a badly deformed lead bullet that weighed 35 grains.0 -
Hello, As a Fur Dealer when I see a green coon has been shotgunned I downgrade the whole lot. When you start fleshing you find some real messes . If you are not selling, then who cares. 0 -
Makindu - I think it is unlikely that your hunters will be struck by a ricochet from an overhead limb, however you might want to check your local wildlife & fisheries department regarding the hunting of raccoons. Coon hunting regulations can be very restrictive anymore.
In the Louisiana regulations, for example, under the heading of "Raccoon & Opossum:
No closed season.
Raccoon and opossum can be taken at night by one or more licensed hunters with one or more dogs and one .22 rimfire firearm.
A licensed hunter may take raccoon or opossum with .22 rimfire rifle, .36 caliber or smaller muzzleloader rifle, or shotgun during daylight hours during the open rabbit season.
No baglimit for nighttime or daytime raccoon or opossum hunting during the open trapping season...the remainder of the year, the raccoon and opossum baglimit for daytime or nighttime is one per person, per day or night.
No one who hunts raccoons or opossums as prescribed above shall pelt during the closed trapping season nor sell skins or carcasses of raccoons and opossums taken during the open trapping season unless he is the holder of a valid trapping license which shall be required in addition to his basic hunting license. Pelting or selling carcasses is illegal during closed trapping season.0 -
Everyone I ever knew that Hunted Coon, used .22 Longs....Never heard of anyone getting Hit by a Stray bullet or a ricochet....Shot Gunning tore up the Hides and Crack Teeth when biting down on a Haunch 'O' Possum...My Nieghbor who happens to be from Mississippi is here drinking My Coffee and Chowing Down on The 'Mrs.' Peanut Butter Cookies, says,(and this is from many years of experiance) Leave the Scatter Gun at Home....I agree..... 0 -
RC, a unless your local coons have picked up some plate armor or some PETA type has built a steel "safe house" for them, a .22 ain't gonna bounce off a tree limb. It may be deflected so the shooter doesn't hit the target, but if it hits wood directly such as it would ricochet from a hard, flat surface, it will penetrate and stay there. As others have noted, it's where it goes if it *doesn't* hit something which should be their biggest concern after ensuring that all members of the party are out of the line of fire. One firearm / party is a good way to minimize the latter risk. 0 -
Several years ago Kansas had a law that you couldn't use any .22 at night that would chamber anything but a .22 short. So it was .22 short only. Winchester 1906 short only rifles were the coon hunters gun of choice. 0 -
good morning makindu,
we always used shorts on a treed coon. aim for their eyes if the squaller made em shine. if they treed in a hole we would twist em out. i'm sure we have all made a coon toothpick.
i have shot coons with a shotgun but that was for pest control verse food/skins.
have a good weekend,
mallard0 -
20 plus years ago out in Kansas (Moundridge area) a young man was hunting with a 22rifle, squirrels I believe , missed a shot and about a mile away a farmer out working his field took the round in the chest , farmer died ,, you have to becarefull where those rounds go 0 -
gshyhawk: You sure opened a can of worms with that statement...and I'm sure there's gonna be some discussion about Trajectory, Altitude, Velocity and Angle concerning the Man Killed by a .22 at one mile range..................
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0
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