First raccoon and some questions

[JustindianaJones]

Got my first coon with my s510 .25

Tho it’s my first, my excitement is kinda reamed by the kill. Was hoping to post a video, but it wasn’t on par with my ethical standards

So, I’m coming here for education. I thought I had a quick kill dialed in - On the video I hit right where I intended.

Here are some pics and questions:

Was the impact angle to shallow? Should it have been more towards the back ear? At that angle where is the best POI?

Also, I didn’t realize how bulky they are, it had to weight 30+ lbs

I’m using .25cal 25.3 JSB registering, powered down at 29 ft/lbs at 692 fps (shot from 19 yards)

I’ve witnessed the deed be done quickly with a .177 springer, so I know it’s not the power

Im also wondering about the ammo - would a 26g slug, or a pointed/hollow pellet be a better option and provide more margin-for-error with headshots than the rounded JSB’s I’m using?

I shot her, it twitched out of my FOV. It took me a few seconds to realize she wasn’t going down, so I had to get there and put it down.

Anytime I gotta “put down” a kill, there’s quite a bit of frustration and self loathing *_*

Anyway, thanks ahead for any input shared, and take it easy

 

[beerthief]

a little more towards the eye , looks to me . I try for a even split between the ear and eye or better yet between the eyes .

congrat's on the racoon and the S510

yes we all suffer when the kill is not DOA

 

[JustindianaJones]

Sorry had to edit the post - internet/forum got all funky and reorganized /deleted half my input haha

 

[Emu]

Cal is ok. I would recommend more fpe's and to place the shot just between of eye and ear.

Be used to apply a finalization shot as quick as possible to avoid suffering.

There is no "undo" available, so make your shots when you are certain that you want to take the critter and that your shot is going to be precise.

 

[dizzums]

it obviously didnt go nowhere lol, mission accomplished .. yeah, in my own opinion you want a gun with enough energy to take something out with a body shot if possible .. a .25 shooting '25s' at under 900 is marginal on larger specimens of anything, so yeah, big coon a 50+fpe is definitely desirable .. that said ive taken out larger animals with a pumpmaster 760 and a bb, one shot dead .. its just not ideal ..

 

[Sqwirl57]

Raccoons have a tendency to flop around heavily and for what seems like forever even with a perfectly placed pellet into the brain in my experience. Occasionally they will just drop in there tracks but more often than not they do a little break dance before going limp.

 

[Ezana4CE]

@JustindianaJones From 19 yards with that velocity and 25 grain domed pellets is fine. From what you stated you have enough fpe. A 33.95 grain diabolo pellet may be better suited. Whichever pellet you decide to use in the future, work on placing your pellets into their brains. Do this with target practice.

Between the eye and ear is good as suggested by @beerthief and @Emu Raccoons tend to bleed a lot and twitch when shot in the head with pellets. Killing pest animals and hunting can be enjoyable but it isn’t a game. If you continue to do it you will watch animals die when they fall within your field of view. Death under these circumstances is not pretty, nor does it tend to be instantaneous. Death is a process. The brain has to shut down for an animal to die, whether via destruction of neuro-pathways (brain shot) or via oxygen deprivation (body shot). If you search the hunting forums, you can find a good amount of information on raccoon hunting/pesting. I’ve read plenty of these types threads so I’m confident that they’re still available. You should be able to obtain realistic expectations from what others have written and the photos they have posted. It’s good that you’re asking questions.

 

[M0ist0ne]

Raccoons are tough buggers. Maybe a shot placement a little more right behind the eye and lower from that angle. I've put em down with 90fpe slugs and they will still flop around for what seems to be an eternity when you're looking down the scope, but they're down.

I always try to imagine a small ball in their head as what I'm trying to hit, then will adjust my aim depending on the angle to try and hit that 'ball'. Ensures I get into the grey stuff

 

[cmatera]

Don't feel bad, it happens. Coons have thick skulls. Sometimes, no matter how well placed the shot is, the pellet can fail to penetrate and get the job done if the coon moves at the last moment or if the angle is not perfect. If a second shot is possible (in my case it rarely is), it's a good idea.

 

[qball]

If it was twitching wildly or break dancing then your shot was in the brain but their nerve system goes nuts when that happens. The fact is it did not RUN OFF it means your shot was on the money, you just weren’t prepared for the breakdance. It could be slightly higher between the eye and the ear but a better/more forgiving shot would be between the eyes when it faces you.

The breakdance is the main reason why I don’t take brain shots on squirrels anymore, because my kids saw the break dance and wife had to make up some story about it’s playing.

 

[fuznut]

That's not bad placement If you were close to level with the coon. Shooting steeply up or down, or from much of a angle forward or from behind can make good placement a bad shot. Always think about at what ever angle your at where will the pellet be after penetration make sure that line goes through what your trying to get to. Slugs are going to out perform pellets. But coons are tough the fact it hung around tells me you did more damage than you think with the first shot. Thinking your going to instantly kill a 30 lb animal with a pellet that will impact with less depending on distance often far less than the fpe it has at the barrel is going to cause you frustration. It can be done but will be the exception not the normal way it goes. Perfect placement for a low power kill on most animals from 90 degrees is just under the ear opening. But even that must be adjusted to your angle to target and even the angle of the targets head at time of shot. Killing a 30 lb coon with a pellet despite what most here say is not a easy automatic and 90 % of the time will require follow up shots to quickly end any suffering. The simple fact it did not just hump up and haul it, is undeniable evidence you did a good job of placement of the shot. Don't hear it much around here but distance to target is very important when handicapped by low power. The closer you can get the better.

 

[Scotay42]

Hollow points will help dump the energy internally. I use .22 on all of my raccoons and possum. Raccoons are just tough little turds, especially when not so little.

 

[Skydivingmiami]

When I dispatch racoons, I normally use a crown in 25, speed is about 850+ with 25grain JSB. I always aim for the earhole. Last coon I put down was about 15 yards away, as soon as I pulled the trigger it started doing the dance ( a good 30 secs or so, but seems to take forever), its just something they do when you hit the right off spot. Lots of blood unfortunately. They just bleed a lot from that spot. I try to stay away from body shots.

 

[Hal4son]

I believe you sent it just under the brain. It looks to me that he has a slight quartering towards you posture in this photo. To hit the center of the brain you need to adjust for the body angle. There is a lot real estate in the head that is not fatal. Sending a PM.

A domed pellet works well for cracking heads. There is nothing marginal about your setup for this application.

 

[Skydivingmiami]

Also, 1st time i dispatched a coon it did the dance. Hit it with a 22 cal pellet right behind the neck base( i was on the roof). It did the dance. I wasn't ready for it and I didn't know they do this. Started dancing and I thought it wasn't dead, so I put a couple more 22 cal pellets into it. Still continued doing the break dance.

 

[woogie_man]

Dead is dead in my books . Then again I have hit a raccoon in the head with a 22-250 solid point and it still ran away like nothing happened. So it does happen. Don't feel to bad, just learn from it and keep practicing.

 

[TheCarFather]

Like others have already mentioned, racoons are tough critters. I've gone 2 for 3 this summer on them myself, one taking a direct headshot yet still managed to run off. I was using a Maverick in 22 caliber putting out 54ftlbs at the muzzle. My guess was I must of pulled the shot slightly and missed my mark, still a headshot but you have to be precise. I do think using a slug or hollow point does help, but I could be wrong. Reason I say that is the first one I took out was using an FX hybrid slug around 50ftlbs, the second was the one that got away. That night I tried using the FX 25.4gr round nose pellet, which was actually carrying a little more FPE. I had a perfect frontal headshot lined up, squeezed the trigger and heard the pop. But he took that round right to the dome and ran off. A couple nights later I was presented with a third try, this time I went back to the hybrid slug and dropped him. Like I previously said, I may have pulled that second shot, but at the time it felt solid. I only assumed I must of pulled it due to him getting away. Either way from here on out it will be slugs for me on racoons.

 

[JustindianaJones]

You guys rock - definitely feel more comfortable with it now after hearing others experiences. Thanks a ton!

 

[TheCarFather]

You guys rock - definitely feel more comfortable with it now after hearing others experiences. Thanks a ton!

I assume you've watched some videos of racoons being taken out with headshots by an air rifle to see the "breakdance" they do? It was already mentioned in this thread, but a well placed headshot will still have the racoon kicking violently for up to 20-30sec. Just their nerves as they expire, nothing to worry about.

 

[Glenroiland]

I routinely dispatch racoons with .177 around 20fpe at the muzzle at distances under 50 yards. They often violently break dance.

More toward the eye as others have said.