Author Topic: Other then squirrels what do you hunt with the rimfire? (Read 3575 times)

jpshaw · « **on:** March 19, 2012, 02:17:37 AM »

I quess this could mean vermin control as well as edible. I've used mine on the Gulf Coast for rabbits where there are no trees and the salt grass never gets over about 18 inches tall. You might have to jump the thing more then once before it will actually be visable when it stops though. Also quilty of shooting doves in an abandoned wood yard. They would come in and land among the goat weed and I just shot them on the ground when I was a teen and yes the statute of limitations have run out.

Vermin are another story. I use my iron sighted Ruger 10-22 to thin out the armadillos in the yard. I've killed coyotes, as targets of opportunity, with a .22 rimfire also but much prefer the .22 mag for this.

So fess up guys. What have you actually hunted with your rimfire?

keith44 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 19, 2012, 08:56:07 PM »

I learned how to track and stalk by following rabbits through fresh snow with a .22 LR levergun. Other than that everything from mouse to groundhog, and frog to snake has fallen to my rimfire. There was one coyote, but you really can't call it hunting. Found a sick one in the barn one day, and ended the suffering at extremely close range, out of necessity.

saddlebum · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2012, 09:32:55 PM »

Cottontails, Jackrabbits, skunks, badgers, dogs, mice, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, rattlesnakes, beavers, muskrats, porcupines, pigeons, grouse.

Some of these were more victims of opportunity than actually hunted. A rancher used to pay me ten dollars per beaver tail. I don't usually hunt prairie dogs with a 22lr, but I carry one, (revolver or rifle), when I walk the towns and have shot a few with both rifle and revolver. Killed a big badger with my Taurus M-94 revolver once. One shot at the base of his skull.

Rangr44 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2012, 03:06:36 AM »

Besides Squills, I use .22 RF's to take Rabbit, Racoon (tasty suckers, they are), "called" Fox/Coyote (close-range head shots), and an odd, very seldom / occassional Whitetail (ditto, close range earache).

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Ladobe · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2012, 10:23:45 AM »

Born and rasied on a ranch the old Win 1890, 1903, 1906, Stevens Favorites (and other) 22 RF's were used for just about anything up to deer varmints, and every vehicle had one in/on it... the old Winchester levers and Colt SAA's for anything bigger. Later when on my own 22 RF's mostly for small game and varmints (land, water and air) and an ocassional predator. When the 17RF's came along, all the same, but I also added predators up to coyotes. The 17's also retired all my 22RF's in turn... the 22MAG's first, then the Shorts & 22LR's when the 17HM2 came out. I've never looked back.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #5 on:** March 20, 2012, 01:51:25 PM »

My list would be much like Saddlebums, but I never used the rimfire on beaver..most of the others, gr. sq., p. dogs, chucks, skunks, coons, starlings, jacks, cottontails, badgers, fox, porky's, possums, rattlesnakes, forest grouse, and in my misspent youth, one whitetail buck...

geartow · « **Reply #6 on:** March 20, 2012, 04:04:27 PM »

Ground hog is the only other animal I have taken a 22 rimfire out for both Long rifle and mag. Have used one in the camp for porcupine and aggressive stay animals. Have put down several deer with one also, was in volenteer fire dept we would get called out for the car wreck and be there for up to a couple hrs before pd would arrive to do report and put down animal.

Ranch13 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 20, 2012, 06:33:11 PM »

As a youngun I got the biggest share of my spending money from shooting jackrabbits and selling them . Onetime we got 50 cents each for whitetailed jacks and that would buy a box of federal hollowpoints at the Gibsons store in Cheyenne. It took 2 rabbits to get a box of winchester superx at the local lumber yard. Shot a number of skunks,badgers and a coyote or 3. Plus every year in December, my grandmother would go into her dresser drawer and come back with 2, 22 shorts, then we'ld go out and she'ld hand me one of those to head shoot a cotton tail, then we'ld get another bunny found and she'ld give me the other round. Then we'ld take our kill back to the house , hang them on the windmill tower and clean them , she'ld fry them up for dinner....
Currently I use the 22 for prairiedog control during the time of the year when the burrowing owls etc are present and using poison isn't a good idea. If you're careful and take shots out to 200 yds, you can kill a hundred or so before the town will completely go quite for the day.

tacklebury · « **Reply #8 on:** March 21, 2012, 12:14:05 PM »

Purposefully, for hunting, rabbits and woodchucks and crows. Vermin control, rats, muskrats, fox (once) and have done some shotshell shooting of birds inside barns.

Flynmoose · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2012, 06:48:17 PM »

When I was a kid I shot a bunck of nutria with a Remington model 33
FM

gunnut69 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2012, 05:46:59 PM »

Wow, that's a long list. I grew up on a farm I have killed everything one would imagine plus some you might not. Once as a kid I was tasked to track down the fox killing our chickens. Took the better part of a day but found the den by follwing the chicken feathers! The next day I got to take dad's 550-1 and LR ammo to end the threat.. I killed the vixen and all three kits, the male never showed, at least that I saw. Also ground hogs, raccoons, opossum, squirrel, rabbit, rats, stray cats, sparrows,black birds,muskrats, beaver, 1 mink, pigeons, crows, mice(with birdshot), and the jays and woodpeckers that carried away bushels of pecans.. I even shot the hogs and beef cattle we butchered. The cattle required LR ammo but the hogs were done in with shorts.. The LR ammo would over penetrate and end up in the shoulder..very bad. All but an old boar a neighbor killed. Too big to do his duty any longer and nearly worthless at market, it was castrated and fed a few weeks, then butchered for sausage. LR's were required to penetrate the multi-layered skull. I even shot a couple of stray dogs that got a little too agressive.

simplicity · « **Reply #11 on:** March 25, 2012, 12:09:41 AM »

Other then squirrels I take care of all the woodchucks and crows. The downside here in maine the just classified crows as a migratory bird and now you can only leagally hunt them with a plugged shotgun.

jpshaw · « **Reply #12 on:** March 25, 2012, 01:43:08 AM »

Quote from: simplicity on March 25, 2012, 12:09:41 AM

just classified crows as a migratory bird and now you can only leagally hunt them with a plugged shotgun.

Wow. I hope that's just in Maine.

After watching "Swamp People" here in Louisiana. I will have to add very large Alligators to the list. While some use centerfires for free swiimming gators they seem to prefer rimfires for dispatching them when on the hook.

Victor3 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 26, 2012, 01:26:27 AM »

I've shot more of them long-eared things in my avatar with 22s than any other animal.

My Dad and I used to sit by a pond for hours, hunting dragonflies with 22s. It was a two-pronged attack; we'd use shotshells for the high-flying ones in one gun (Win 62a) and bullets in another (Usually a High Standard Double 9 revolver) for the ones hovering low over the pond. For those, we'd shoot the water and the splash would swamp them.

gendoc · « **Reply #14 on:** April 20, 2012, 12:41:45 PM »

ever now an then, my boy and i go to our kin-folks in texas and hunt turkey with our 10/22's
kan't shoot'um here in bama wif rimfires !!!

but we give all tha critters fits here

rabbits, tree-rats, occasional pig and gator we will eat

so we doa road-trip for tha turkey !!

red-girl

stock

maggie/wmr

silverlady

hillbill · « **Reply #15 on:** April 20, 2012, 02:46:29 PM »

i use them for all kinds of animals up to and includeing deer. well no deer anymore, but i did when i was a kid.i read account once where alaskan natives would shoot a moose with a 22,from behind at a angle,behind the last rib up into the lungs.trail him for a day or two on snowshoes and when he lays down yu got all the moose yu could ever want!

clum sum · « **Reply #16 on:** April 20, 2012, 03:09:14 PM »

In south Fla a 22 was used to kill most any thing that moved, maybe not bears but I know of Gators, Deer, Turkey,Hogs Manatee(aka) Sea Cow,Cows,Varmets,Bunnys,Dogs,Cats,Bass,Catfish,Bream,Garfish,Dove, Duck ,well most anything. A few Horses and one Donkey

hillbill · « **Reply #17 on:** April 20, 2012, 03:38:59 PM »

Quote from: clum sum on April 20, 2012, 03:09:14 PM

In south Fla a 22 was used to kill most any thing that moved, maybe not bears but I know of Gators, Deer, Turkey,Hogs Manatee(aka) Sea Cow,Cows,Varmets,Bunnys,Dogs,Cats,Bass,Catfish,Bream,Garfish,Dove, Duck ,well most anything. A few Horses and one Donkey
[/quote

one donky? ok fess up?

streak · « **Reply #18 on:** April 20, 2012, 05:50:50 PM »

Well in my younger days, in Louisiana and E.Texas, once I reached the age of 14 i stayed in the woods with my Rem 550-1 that my daddy bought me as my first gun!
I have it still and it is still a great shooting rifle. I shot squirrels, cotton mouths,
quail, doves,frogs, turtles,jaybirds,pigeons, rats, rabbits, gophers,and blackbirds, and buzzard( won`t ever do that again)! I liked most of all the squirrel hunting,especially shooting them jumping from one tree to another!

clum sum · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2012, 03:18:02 PM »

Hill Bill it looked like a donkey but the light was real bright. Could have been any thing from a Sea Cow to Moose,this was in my mispent youth. Had 60,000 acres and a permit for using a light and a gun,for varmints. Of course most any thing looked like a varmint. I know it sounds like B.S. but it was one of those things that only happens to a few of us and I am thankful and I know it will never be again.

redleg11b · « **Reply #20 on:** May 04, 2012, 01:08:56 AM »

Hunt? Squirrel, rabbit, groundhog, chipmunks around the house.

Shot and killed besides that? Wounded deer, feral cats, mangy fox and coon, possum, pigeons, and a few poisonous snakes too close to an area kids play.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #21 on:** May 04, 2012, 02:30:00 AM »

opposum , racoon , crow, rats, snakes (not first choice but if its what I have) and other such critters that are legal. Maybe some listed are shot more than hunted but always hunting for a target. This might be a good place to mention the new CCI ammo called quiet ammo for the 22 LR. It has a 40 gr bullet and is quiet vs the 22 CB long with a 32 gr bullet.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #22 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:43:40 PM »

I know an old Indian that only uses a .22 with a Bushnell 4x scope for deer.He shoots them right behind the eye and they right drop in their tracks.Never seen him miss a shot and never seen a deer take one step.Never underestimate a .22

popplecop · « **Reply #23 on:** June 01, 2012, 10:03:26 AM »

Bunnies, mostly snowshoes, gophers of course. Used for lot of plinkingas it is really relazing and good practice.

hawkenman · « **Reply #24 on:** June 01, 2012, 02:30:38 PM »

Rabbits, Armadillo's, Rattlesnakes, and if I'm lucky an occasional coyote.

101guns · « **Reply #25 on:** June 01, 2012, 03:03:32 PM »

Around here, you can take a .22 and a couple boxes of cartridges to a pond and shoot turtles and snakes all day.

tuck2 · « **Reply #26 on:** June 07, 2012, 02:35:44 AM »

I grew up on a farm-cattel operation. Started shooting prairie dogs and other unwonted critters in 1949 with a Rem 121 22 rifle . Learned how to shoot running jack rabbits with that pump action rifle. Got a very accurate 22 RF bolt action scope sited rifle in 1956 for p dog shooting. During the winter of 1959-60 I sold black tail jack rabbits fo 75 cents and white tail rabbits for $ 1.00 each. That 22 RF paid for its self ,the ammo, and gas . Got a Kimber 22 WMR and used the 22RF and 22WMR rifles untill I got a pair of Cooper rifles, a 17HM2 and 17 HMR. A few years ago I kept count of the p dogs shot with the Cooper RF rifles which was a bit over 2,000. I,ll use the RF rifles for any critter up to the ones that weigh up to about 15 pounds, for bigger critters I use centerfire firearms.

inthebeech · « **Reply #27 on:** June 27, 2012, 07:08:38 AM »

More squirrels.

ejpaul1 · « **Reply #28 on:** June 28, 2012, 05:16:08 AM »

Mostly just prarie dogs. We did most of our hunting and shooting in wyoming, a little less in colorado and prarie dogs were about the only thing I could regularly shoot with a .22.
I tried hunting jackrabbits with them, but the area I hunted jacks in was pressured so 80 to 90 yards was usually as close as you were gonna get. I switched over to the 243 and really did a number on them. I just moved to kansas and am looking forward to some cottontail and squirrel hunting with rimfire.

MNzach · « **Reply #29 on:** July 13, 2012, 10:15:50 AM »

tracking bunnies in fresh snow, feral dogs and cats, crows, and the occasional coyote