Body shots on bandits?

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They are really really tough like everyone says! And if you wound one they amp up and can be hard to whittle down.
This one took a 44.75 pellet to the chest at 78 fpe straight on from 30 feet so the pellet went deep with no pass through.
It was night and after the shot it bolted away and I figured I’d never find it.
But it only got 20 paces from the porch and expired.
Absolutely no blood anywhere, so I expect it would be impossible to find a blood trail without a side pass through.

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I’ve taken several with a .30 cal using hybrid slugs in the vitals, none went more than 10-15 feet before expiring, big exit holes in them too. I know this isnt what the OP wants though. I have a lot of them around here, been messing with the chicken coop, getting on my back porch getting into everything. Popped one tonight with my kral empire xs .22, fx atomic 15.9 pellet to the head at 35 yards. It was a skiddish one and ran off a couple times while I waited for the right shot but it did present itself.
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My total experience shooting raccoons with airguns is one male a little under 8 lbs. I happed to use my 32 fpe P35 in 22. I used H&N Baracuda Match 21 grain, only because it was handy when the coon entered the yard at 3:30pm. It was 10 yard or less from me for all three shots I took. It was so close to me I couldn't see the first shot clearly but I am pretty sure it was a steep downward angle from above a shoulder down into the chest. That shot caused it to sit down and look at me and my dog. My next shot was right between the eyes. I think a side shot on the skull is significantly preferable but I took what I had. Blood came out that shot and the coon flopped over so I am pretty sure it made it into the brain. My little 40 lb dog grabbed it and shook it like she shakes squirrels she isn't sure are dead. When she put it down the coon was moving it's mouth (probably by reflex) and I shot it in the throat. Blood spirted out about 5 times then stopped. No more movement. I think my 40 fpe 25 would have worked better but looking through these posts, maybe not. Still I would get one of the 25s if I see another one.

For the situation the OP describes I would shoot through the shoulders side to side. If the power is a little low or the raccoon really big, I would avoid the near shoulder and try to hit the off side shoulder. I have not used this on a raccoon, obviously, but I have on dozens of squirrels and it drops them very reliably. The same guns shot straight into the front of the chest resulted in running squirrels. Not very far but still they ran. As stated earlier, double lungs is a reliable killer. You may also get the heart. If you shoot through the near shoulder you are not likely to have pass through. I'm not saying this will kill a raccoon instantly but I think it will expire quicker than any other body shot.

I used to get to go raccoon hunting with an uncle who ran them with dogs. He shot them with a 22lr. They almost were never dead when they fell from the tree. He did not want them dead, his dogs liked to finish them off. He sold the pelts. The dog damage probably affected the pelt value but it didn't seem to matter to him.

Your pictures and the other posts make me almost wish I'd kept the head of the one I shot. I was worried it had rabies, however. I saw a comment somewhere that fire ants will clean up a skull.
 
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beerthief said:
if it is in a trap you can walk up to it and do a gangland style shot but aim for the top of the spine just below the head then you get pelt and scull .
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Unless they're dead or very weakened when they're in a trap they don't really sit still when you approach the Trap and are moving all around so getting a clean shot is very difficult.
 
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Nothing is absolute, however on the 2 occasions I have seen. When you 1st approach the coon they go nut running all around trying to get away from you, but always keeping their eyes on you. As they get tired they try to keep the furthest distance away from you while keeping they eyes pointed towards you while not moving as much. So the suggestion of shooting the coon's spine at the base of the neck isn't going to happen. If you want to go for a frontal shot on the head from a safe distance, yes that's safe to do. A riskier shot, for a chicken like me, would be to attempt a point blank shot to the skull, because the coon could move and get a bite or claws into you. If you have protective clothing on maybe OK, I have shorts on and don't take any unnecessary risks.
 
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BlackICE said:
Nothing is absolute, however on the 2 occasions I have seen. When you 1st approach the coon they go nut running all around trying to get away from you, but always keeping their eyes on you. As they get tired they try to keep the furthest distance away from you while keeping they eyes pointed towards you while not moving as much. So the suggestion of shooting the coon's spine at the base of the neck isn't going to happen. If you want to go for a frontal shot on the head from a safe distance, yes that's safe to do. A riskier shot, for a chicken like me, would be to attempt a point blank shot to the skull, because the coon could move and get a bite or claws into you. If you have protective clothing on maybe OK, I have shorts on and don't take any unnecessary risks.
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Like I said. It was obvious there is no real trapping experience. This comment is more of the same.
If you don't know, you don't know. In the 2 occasions you've seen, were they even your traps?
 
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BlackICE said:
Unless they're dead or very weakened when they're in a trap they don't really sit still when you approach the Trap and are moving all around so getting a clean shot is very difficult.
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Many years ago I only had a cheap pump up pellet rifle. A neighbor trapped a racoon. When I walked up to it with the rifle it just sat there looking right at me and hissed. I put the rifle barrel in the cage, it bit the end of the barrel while it hissed and I shot it dead right through the head. It didn't dance or run around at all.
 
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Hal4son said:
Like I said. It was obvious there is no real trapping experience. This comment is more of the same.
If you don't know, you don't know. In the 2 occasions you've seen, were they even your traps?
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both your posts make it overly obvious that you have never seen any animal in a trap, and YouTube doesn't count. coons, like any other living creature, will try to get out of a trap. I, who does have exp., have walked up on coons that fight to get away, some have just sat there looking at me, had a few actually try to lung at me and 1 was 3/4 way through its leg still chewing. live traps, they tend to sit there because well, where are they going? I have had a juvenile or 2 choose the bullet over relocation though. leg or cuff trap, they will do what it takes to get free because they can still move. I will say most of the time, if you just stand there, they will calm down and give you the shot.
never assume any animal will act a certain way, possums are not the only ones who know how to play possum.
 
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@stanginthe11s I was highlighting that @BlackICE post was derogatory toward trapping and was obvious he had no background to add any useful content on the subject. As for myself, I set my first trap almost 50 years ago in BlackICE's state. What part of my posts gave the impression of a lack of experience? I'll need to work on that :)
 
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mostly the part where you said "absolutely not true" and proceeded to offer no helpful information but continued to flame blackice.
again, if one has exp. trapping then they would know coons caught in a leg trap can and will try to get away. besides the fact that every animal has its own personality, trap type as well as other variables will dictate to some degree how a coon will act.
if you're using a cuff or leg trap, I'd be more worried about the coon that just sits there. damn tricksters they are lol.
 
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Joedirt199 said:
Coons are pretty docile in my live trap when found in the morning. They usually have this look on their face like "Man I am way past my bedtime and I have been reaching through this cage all night." Now the feral cats on the other hand. They are some wild nasty beasts.
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Do you "relocate" them when you catch one?
 
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