TexasCHLforum.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-s ... rifles.ece

The above link is a story about how Texas squirrel hunters may now use air rifles to hunt them
as long as the air rifle uses a .177 or larger projectile, with an FPS (feet per second) rate = or > 600.

SIA

I started hunting squirrels with a pellet gun many years ago! Guess I didn't know it wasn't legal when I was a kid. None of us did. We hunted all sorts of small game. Rabbits, pigeons, squirrels, rats, snakes, etc., etc.

I have to admit that once we were old enough to hunt on our own we left those pellet guns behind and used "real" guns. I might have to go get a modern air rifle and go back to my roots of hunting small game with a little more of a challenge to it.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-s ... rifles.ece

The above link is a story about how Texas squirrel hunters may now use air rifles to hunt them
as long as the air rifle uses a .177 or larger projectile, with an FPS (feet per second) rate = or > 600.

SIA

Nice! Thanks for the post. I hope this doesn't cause a pellet shortage.

Pellets are much cheaper, less noisy and safer than using a 22LR.

TxLobo wrote:

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-s ... rifles.ece

The above link is a story about how Texas squirrel hunters may now use air rifles to hunt them
as long as the air rifle uses a .177 or larger projectile, with an FPS (feet per second) rate = or > 600.

SIA

Yeah!!! ...

on a down note, I asked my wife if I could cook squirrel this fall since we have so many pecan trees in the backyard...

Squirrel and dumplings was not met by an approving WV gal...

*sighs*

What about dessert? Pecan pie?

Squirrel and dumplings was not met by an approving WV gal...

Would she approve if they were served with a nice coal slurry? :-)

SIA

I killed my first squirrel with an Bengiman air rifle in 177. Back in 1970.

I thought the airgun prohibition didn't apply to nongame animals.

Quote: "I thought the airgun prohibition didn't apply to nongame animals."

That is still correct. But in Tejas, tree rats ARE considered a game animal. Some counties even have specific hunting "seasons".

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-s ... rifles.ece

The above link is a story about how Texas squirrel hunters may now use air rifles to hunt them
as long as the air rifle uses a .177 or larger projectile, with an FPS (feet per second) rate = or > 600.

SIA

My canine security force believes shotguns and drone strikes are fully authorized against all squirrels. The two wiener dogs attempted to take out some squirrels with a .22 antiaircraft style, but the old wiener dog was doing the aiming, and he became distracted by a nice nap in the sun.

My boys would like to snipe a few from the back porch but my wife would neither condone the act nor prepare the feast.

I will have to cook any I harvest cause the wife won't cook wild game.

In terms of hunting with airguns, Beeman's published an article quite a few years back addressing this, with their recommendations of appropriate minimum power levels to hunt various critters - here's a link: http://beemans.net/field%20use.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

According to their chart, a squirrel requires about 3 ft. lbs, with an impact velocity of ~415 ft/sec for a 7.8 grain .177 pellet.

Probably a reasonable guideline, but IMHO it's like the 1000 ft. lb recommendation some gunwriters say is required for deer - there's an awful lot of "hand waving" in the numbers. (And since a .357 Mag handgun is a reasonable deer cartridge at close range, it's clear that 1000 ft. lbs. is not really needed.)

After the tree rats raided our tomatoes out of the garden, the MUCH better half will love this new 'hunting season'.

^^^funny