Hello everyone. This is my first official post here at Airgun Nation, and I thought nothing better would be a pesting one.
A retired neighbor just had a new roof put on his house back in November, with added gutters and downspouts, and less than a month later, a mating pair of squirrels moved in to one of the corner edges and set up a nest. He only noticed as of late when he saw one scurry down a tree near his house, collect up a mouthful of leaves and head right back up and disappear in the gutter. Well, after investing over $20k on a new roof,gutters and downspouts, one can imagine he was not happy with his "tenants". He tried banging the gutter with a branch pruner, dousing them out with a water hose, even admitted urinating under the area hoping that human urine would chase them off and nothing worked (he does not believe in using poison on his land and who can blame him, right?), so then he called me.
Long story short, over the last two days I took at total of three squirrels which seemed to like his roof particularly, and I am hoping out of the three I took the pair.
Onto the squirrels, but first, allow me to show you the tool used and some specifications on the gun/ammo/scope.
Gun: Gamo Big Cat 1250 in .177
Scope: UTG 3-12X44 AccuShot SWAT IE Scope zeroed at 25yds
Preferred Pellets (heavies only, plus it keeps the noise factor down being below sound barrier threshold)
The rifle--immediately after purchase--was sent off to airgun smithy in central Michigan to have it (what was advertised as) "Turbo Tuned" which included: a dynamic magnum mainspring (there's no annoying 'TWANG!' from the spring like when it was factory made anymore), boring of the spring cylinder, all cocking surfaces ground and polished, silicon roller bushings, new seals (APEX and Tesla) and all factory lube removed and high quality Moly and Tar replaced (and more). In the hollow stock of the Big Cat, I center weighted with a small baggy of BB's and filled the compartment with "chewed" cork to reduce vibrations.
WEDNESDAY [what I believe to be the pair]
These two came down together from a tree which branches extend out and overhang the roof to go after some peanut buttered bread bait set at roughly 25yds where the neighbor had a mulch pile that would make an excellent backstop. Instead of eating on spot of the bait, they gathered up some of their spoils and moved in closer towards the house, towards me. The first one offering me the best shot was the buck, and although the doe scampered off to my left roughly twenty feet or so, she came right back in to sniff around her mate, only to have the same fate.
The Buck and Doe were taken at roughly 12yds (I know, not too sporting, but a pest is a pest); -17° slope angle from neighbor's kitchen window; 3mph wind at roughly 90°. Ammo used was the JSB Exact Heavies @ 10.34gr.
Between eye shot exiting out the back of the head (picture 1). Side head shot on the Doe from ear to ear picture 2):
Per Strelok Pro, that's roughly 22fpe blasting through their heads at that range, and there was barely any death spasms from either.
THURSDAY (Today)
Today I came back just to check in on the neighbor, and he feels I got the nest builders, however he did mention that he heard one scampering around up there. I set up in his kitchen again and waited, this time spreading out some oatmeal along the base of a tree 25yds out and waited. After about thirty minutes or so, this young lass came about. She was acting quite, well, "squirrely" (excuse the pun please) having traversed the branches hanging over the roof and down to sniff at the oats. You can tell her agitation by her tail twitches and caution, but her belly won her fears over in the end. After following her with the scope for several minutes, she got up the confidence to grab and move, eat, return and the process continued this way until she gave me a confident pose and a safe shot.
She was taken at roughly 22yds.
The pellet took her directly through the center of the head from a straight-on facing shot and traveled down along the body and exited from the lower belly into the ground beneath her (clearer on picture 2). Death was instant of course, followed by one body lurch, then all fell quiet. As you can see, the pellet hit with such kinetic energy [20fpe approx.] that her ear ruptured and hemorrhaged from it.
Well, that's my little shooting story. Thanks for your time reading!
OH! What happened to the squirrels you ask? Well all three I rightfully skinned and cleaned, and are in his freezer of which my neighbor has invited me down so that next week we can enjoy some lovely slow-cooker simmered squirrel stew.
Thank you,
AGunBug
A retired neighbor just had a new roof put on his house back in November, with added gutters and downspouts, and less than a month later, a mating pair of squirrels moved in to one of the corner edges and set up a nest. He only noticed as of late when he saw one scurry down a tree near his house, collect up a mouthful of leaves and head right back up and disappear in the gutter. Well, after investing over $20k on a new roof,gutters and downspouts, one can imagine he was not happy with his "tenants". He tried banging the gutter with a branch pruner, dousing them out with a water hose, even admitted urinating under the area hoping that human urine would chase them off and nothing worked (he does not believe in using poison on his land and who can blame him, right?), so then he called me.
Long story short, over the last two days I took at total of three squirrels which seemed to like his roof particularly, and I am hoping out of the three I took the pair.
Onto the squirrels, but first, allow me to show you the tool used and some specifications on the gun/ammo/scope.
Gun: Gamo Big Cat 1250 in .177
Scope: UTG 3-12X44 AccuShot SWAT IE Scope zeroed at 25yds
Preferred Pellets (heavies only, plus it keeps the noise factor down being below sound barrier threshold)
- JSB Exact Heavy Diabolo @ 10.34gr /1,095fps
- Beeman Silver Arrow @ 11.57gr (shown, not used)
- JSB Exact Monster Diabolo @ 13.43gr (not shown)
The rifle--immediately after purchase--was sent off to airgun smithy in central Michigan to have it (what was advertised as) "Turbo Tuned" which included: a dynamic magnum mainspring (there's no annoying 'TWANG!' from the spring like when it was factory made anymore), boring of the spring cylinder, all cocking surfaces ground and polished, silicon roller bushings, new seals (APEX and Tesla) and all factory lube removed and high quality Moly and Tar replaced (and more). In the hollow stock of the Big Cat, I center weighted with a small baggy of BB's and filled the compartment with "chewed" cork to reduce vibrations.
WEDNESDAY [what I believe to be the pair]
These two came down together from a tree which branches extend out and overhang the roof to go after some peanut buttered bread bait set at roughly 25yds where the neighbor had a mulch pile that would make an excellent backstop. Instead of eating on spot of the bait, they gathered up some of their spoils and moved in closer towards the house, towards me. The first one offering me the best shot was the buck, and although the doe scampered off to my left roughly twenty feet or so, she came right back in to sniff around her mate, only to have the same fate.
The Buck and Doe were taken at roughly 12yds (I know, not too sporting, but a pest is a pest); -17° slope angle from neighbor's kitchen window; 3mph wind at roughly 90°. Ammo used was the JSB Exact Heavies @ 10.34gr.
Between eye shot exiting out the back of the head (picture 1). Side head shot on the Doe from ear to ear picture 2):
Per Strelok Pro, that's roughly 22fpe blasting through their heads at that range, and there was barely any death spasms from either.
THURSDAY (Today)
Today I came back just to check in on the neighbor, and he feels I got the nest builders, however he did mention that he heard one scampering around up there. I set up in his kitchen again and waited, this time spreading out some oatmeal along the base of a tree 25yds out and waited. After about thirty minutes or so, this young lass came about. She was acting quite, well, "squirrely" (excuse the pun please) having traversed the branches hanging over the roof and down to sniff at the oats. You can tell her agitation by her tail twitches and caution, but her belly won her fears over in the end. After following her with the scope for several minutes, she got up the confidence to grab and move, eat, return and the process continued this way until she gave me a confident pose and a safe shot.
She was taken at roughly 22yds.
The pellet took her directly through the center of the head from a straight-on facing shot and traveled down along the body and exited from the lower belly into the ground beneath her (clearer on picture 2). Death was instant of course, followed by one body lurch, then all fell quiet. As you can see, the pellet hit with such kinetic energy [20fpe approx.] that her ear ruptured and hemorrhaged from it.
Well, that's my little shooting story. Thanks for your time reading!
OH! What happened to the squirrels you ask? Well all three I rightfully skinned and cleaned, and are in his freezer of which my neighbor has invited me down so that next week we can enjoy some lovely slow-cooker simmered squirrel stew.
Thank you,
AGunBug
