Safe to shoot squirrels in trees with .22LR?

[Sandman]

Many people (including myself) use .22's to hunt squirrels with. I actually use my .22 mag. As long as you apply common sense, you are fine. I don't use it in my neighborhood or in my backyard, but in the big woods where there is nothing within range to be hurt, I use the .22.

[ninjatoth]

a simple rule of thumb if you are worried about the bullet comming down and hurting someone is this-use the lightest bullet possible,no matter how heavy the bullet-they all come down at terminal velocity(150 fps).So naturally if you use a 40 grain standard .22 vs a 20 grain CBcap .22LR,the 20 grain is only going to do half the damage as a 40 grain when coming down.But let's face it,even 40grains@150fps is only 2 ft lbs,and a 20 grain bullet @150fps is 1 ft lb-neither of which would kill or even injure someone,you could just about throw a 40 grain chunk of lead at 150fps.

[pawn]

WoW,,,, to me, a simple rule of thumb is do not fire in any direction you do not believe to be safe. Slug weight matters little if it hits an unintended target. As others have clearly stated, if you pull the trigger then you are responsible for the bullet launched.

To me, nobody can argue with that. In my mind, it matters little whether the victim is: killed, almost killed, hurt real bad, hurt or kinda hurt. If somebody is willfully negligent, they are entirely responsible.

Just my opinion.

Mark

[LurpyGeek]

Originally Posted by ninjatoth

a simple rule of thumb if you are worried about the bullet comming down and hurting someone is this-use the lightest bullet possible,no matter how heavy the bullet-they all come down at terminal velocity(150 fps).So naturally if you use a 40 grain standard .22 vs a 20 grain CBcap .22LR,the 20 grain is only going to do half the damage as a 40 grain when coming down.But let's face it,even 40grains@150fps is only 2 ft lbs,and a 20 grain bullet @150fps is 1 ft lb-neither of which would kill or even injure someone,you could just about throw a 40 grain chunk of lead at 150fps.

Sorry, Ninja, but this is incorrect physics. Terminal velocity is not fixed at 150 fps. for the same reason that a skydiver falling with arms and legs at his side will be going much faster than a skydiver with a deployed parachute. Terminal velocity is variable depending on weight, drag coefficient / aerodynamics, etc.

[pickenup]

I shot a bullet, into the air.......
......it fell to earth, I know NOT where???

Sorry, not something I would like to be involved with.

[Suwannee Tim]

The safety of hunting tree rats with a 22 depends a lot on where you are. I have killed a semi-load of them in a suburban area where I would never dream of using a 22 LR or even a 22 short. I used a Beeman R1 air rifle in 5 mm and a 22 could scarce have been more effective. Even shooting in the country I think I would use a 22 short or a 22 CB Long. The longest shots I ever made on a consistent basis was about 40 yards and the CB Long or short will kill them plenty dead at those ranges. When you are shooting the angle of the shot is very important. A bullet fired straight up will certainly come down and if it hits someone it will hurt but the wound will be superficial. Bullets fired at a low angle, say 0 to 15 or 20 degrees are much, much more dangerous as they will have a lot more energy when they are near the ground where people are. I have never seen figures on bullet terminal velocity versus caliber versus angle fired but I sure would like to.

Lurpy and Ninja are both right. A bullet fired straight up or nearly so will fall to the ground at terminal velocity which is about 150 fps. The exact velocity depends of the bullet's weight, shape, stability and attitude which are practically unknowable. A bullet that is fired straight up and does not hit anything will fall base down and stable and will fall a lot faster than a bullet that is tumbling. A bullet moving at this speed is extremely unlikely to cause a dangerous, much less fatal wound though again, it depends on the bullet. Obviously a 40 grain 22 is going to hurt a lot less than a 500 grain 458 and a good bit more than a 9 grain .177 airgun pellet.

Knowing where the heck you are and what is around you is very important. I remember a couple years ago in Central Florida a couple of gents were legally hunting on a WMA with shotguns and rained pellets down on an elementary school. Bad idea. On the other hand, if I was in the Osceola WMA I would shoot a squirrel with a 22 without any worry.

[Big Shrek]

Originally Posted by jjfawks

I have a .22 LR and am thinking about giving squirrel hunting a try. I've seen pictures of people shooting them in trees. But isn't there a lot of danger in that seeing as the bullet can travel over a mile and if you miss it might come down and hit someone? Any thoughts would be helpful.

So...don't miss

Making sure you have a backstop (a stout tree limb/trunk/hill/etc) is KEY.

It's a good habit to get into...that way if you ever have to shoot a bankrobber with your CCW pistol, you'll hopefully remember to position yourself so any shoot-thru's go into a pole/wall/etc

[ninjatoth]

Originally Posted by LurpyGeek

Sorry, Ninja, but this is incorrect physics. Terminal velocity is not fixed at 150 fps. for the same reason that a skydiver falling with arms and legs at his side will be going much faster than a skydiver with a deployed parachute. Terminal velocity is variable depending on weight, drag coefficient / aerodynamics, etc.

Fine I agree that it might not be 150 fps-it could be 151fps.Either way-a bullet falling is around that speed.A 12 gauge slug is roughly 10x the weight as a .22-so it will have 10x the energy falling out of the sky.The .22 falls with roughly 2ft lbs of energy-1/2 the energy of a weak BB pistol-if you want to think it's lethal-go ahead,I was just trying to make a point that if a stray .22 ever did come down from the sky that it is not lethal.

[6x6pinz]

I know I live in the wide open west but we still think about the bullet when firing at squirrels in trees. All of the areas I hunt are open forest with very few people in them. You do need to be much more aware of what is beyond if hunting in closer quarters.
As has been mentioned a 22 will not travel very far after contacting branches of a tree. A simple experiment is to take a few branches and set up a target behind them. Now try to hit it. You will see how much the littlest branches deflect the bullet and start it tumbling.
If you must hunt in congested areas be exceptionally careful about what is beyond your target.

[RunningOnMT]

Originally Posted by blackcat_attilio

- be careful! A .22 cal. is a small caliber anyway never you can know before where the bullet stops its fly ...but squirrels? ...nothing to eat! Wild-pigs are better, for my thoot !

You've shot wild pigs in trees with a .22 ???

[RunningOnMT]

I have a friend that loves squirrel and I guess they have more meat on them than you'd expect. He always hunts with .22 short hollow points because he's afraid long rifles might travel too far and he swears by them. Lately he's having a hard time finding them though. He just bought some for $10.00 and change.

[blackcat_attilio]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

You've shot wild pigs in trees with a .22 ???

My dear RunningOnMT, my best greetings to you. Then a couple of questions to you: 1) did you ever stay in Italy? 2) Did you ever see what & who lives on the trees in Italy...? Anyway last summer we have been called to catch an iguana on a tree. Beside that (real!), no I never shot a wild-pig everywhere it was walking down; this is my "dream" but the biggest "dream" is seat at table together my Bavarian friends having it rosted on the spit. Is it a bad idea?

[red14]

Originally Posted by blackcat_attilio

My dear RunningOnMT, my best greetings to you. Then a couple of questions to you: 1) did you ever stay in Italy? 2) Did you ever see what & who lives on the trees in Italy...? Anyway last summer we have been called to catch an iguana on a tree. Beside that (real!), no I never shot a wild-pig everywhere it was walking down; this is my "dream" but the biggest "dream" is seat at table together my Bavarian friends having it rosted on the spit. Is it a bad idea?

Come to Florida. There is no 'season' here for Wild Pigs. They are a non-resident species and a nuisance. Shoot as many as you like. Please!!!

[blackcat_attilio]

Originally Posted by red14

Come to Florida. There is no 'season' here for Wild Pigs. They are a non-resident species and a nuisance. Shoot as many as you like. Please!!!

Hi red14! My Godness, is it a so great trouble??? I know in Texas they are a trouble. I can think it over, interesting idea no-season wild pigs hunting in Florida.

[William Harper]

It depends on where you are and how far away the neighbors are. A friend of mine lives in a rural-looking area where the land was subdivided into 20 acre plots. Although you cannot see any other homes from his home no less than five are closeby. He has sometimes called on me to diminish the squirrel horde that eats his chickens' feed, eggs, chicks, horse food, exotic bird food and their eggs and chicks, and steals his garden produce before he can harvest it. I always carefully scout ground before firing a shot, thus I was able to use hills and long distances with thick groves to be my backstops. Some days ago, he took on a squirrel himself with his TOZ 99 loaded with Aguila Golden Eagle Match Rifle. The squirrel was at a fairly high angle when he put the crosshairs of his BSA 1.6-7X scope on its lower chest and squeezed off a round. Hit, the squirrel clung to the tree. He squeezed off another round and hit about a half inch from the first wound. Now, both of these round-nosed .22 LRs with a modest 1070 fps MV, went through the squirrel and fell straight into the back-yard of one of his neighbors who was working a few feet from where they fell. This man was soon on the phone and my friend was reduced to the most abject apologies. Later, he even mentioned those "high-powered" .22 LRs I had given him. Either he needs to get an air rifle or to know his ground much better. His son hunts deer on the rear of the property with a .270. I'm not certain his .22 LRs would have inflicted any significant wound on his neighbor but am thoroughly convinced we need to take great care with our firearms in increasingly densely populated areas.

[Lone Wolf]

Know your target & BEYOND. Its not that complicated.

[blackcat_attilio]

Hi folks! I insist: on the whole it is better to shoot wild pigs!!! Much more to eat.

[lentz]

The safest way to hunt squirel I found,was to take my wifes' mother along.
She was so ugly,when she looked up at them they fell out of the tree dead.
Her Aunt was uglier,but she tore them up too bad.

[Lowsonoma21]

In Canada we are told not to. The only acception when shooting in trees, and at night for that matter, is coons

[blackcat_attilio]

Originally Posted by lentz

The safest way to hunt squirel I found,was to take my wifes' mother along.
She was so ugly,when she looked up at them they fell out of the tree dead.
Her Aunt was uglier,but she tore them up too bad.

Eeeeeeek!!!!!

[Old Grump]

I like squirrel, they are to small and to fast for an old man to try and catch so I shoot them, in the trees, because that's where they live. Never had one shoot back, never had a bullet bounce back, never known a bullet that could travel very far through the canopy of a herd of trees.

I'm fairly new at this squirrel hunting thing though, Grandpa was doing it in the 20's I didn't start till the 50's. I almost have the hang of it now. Maybe next fall I will look for those pigs that live in tree's. Would a 22 be big enough for them or do I need a different gun?

[Crpdeth]

Originally Posted by Old Grump

Would a 22 be big enough for them?

Sure... It's all about range and bullet placement.


Crpdeth

[Thomas_1]

If you have any concerns then I would just use a shotgun. I hunt a lot in conservation areas and they only allow shotguns for squirrel hunting. When they are on the ground I use my .410, when in the trees I use the 16ga pump.

[ARB]

A .22 works great to shoot the paw off when they are hanging dead from a branch. (I, probably can't shoot like that anymore)
I, always prefered the single shot .410. I was taught to never shoot a squirrel off a branch with a .22. I did it anyway, but my conscious was at ease with the scattergun.

[Big Shrek]

Originally Posted by red14

Come to Florida. There is no 'season' here for Wild Pigs. They are a non-resident species and a nuisance. Shoot as many as you like. Please!!!

On private land in Florida, NO BAG LIMIT.

On PUBLIC land (Wildlife Mgt Areas/Military Bases like Eglin AFB)...one per day.

And you can use ANY caliber hunting rifle on 'em.

Those states that haven't modifyed their pig hunting calibers over rimfire haven't run across those 300+ pound MONSTERS we have in the south, yet. But as the Discovery channel shows..they're just starting to find out all across the USA...BIG monster Russian & Spanish wild boar ain't gonna drop to no .22lr