MA law and shooting gray squirrels with pellet gun

Alright. Sorry to start up this old conversation but "Tis the season".

Like many of you, I have a squirrel problem that I plan to solve with an Air rifle.

I'm not 500' from my neighbors, but they're cool.
Shooting distance is only about 40' and I'm planning on using Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle .177 (up to 1300 fps). I think this is plenty of power but please let me know if you have evidence to the contrary.

I have no interest in poisoning or drowning, but if for some reason trapping and pointblank headshots makes it more legal, I guess I could do that.

I found this sheet very affirming.
"Shooting is quick, simple, and effective in areas where firearm discharge is safe and legal."
By my logic, Shooting is still quick simple and effective even without a "firearm"


My best Legal logic is MA General Law 1/WIW/131/ Section 37

Section 37. An owner or tenant of land or, if authorized by such owner or tenant, any member of his immediate family or his employee, as defined pursuant to section one of chapter sixty-two B, may, upon such land:—

~~~~

(2) hunt or take by other means, except by poison or snare, any mammal which he finds damaging his property except grass growing on uncultivated land. No such owner or tenant shall authorize any person, other than a member of his immediate family or a person permanently employed by him, to place traps for the protection of said property other than during the open season, unless such owner or tenant has first obtained from the director a permit authorizing him so to do, which permit the director is hereby authorized to issue in his discretion, unless such authorized person holds a trapping license. All deer so killed shall be turned over to any environmental police officer and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement.


~~~~

The following written reports shall be sent to the director by such owner or tenant acting under authority of this section:—(a) upon the taking of pheasant, ruffed grouse, hares or rabbits, or the wounding or killing of a deer, a report stating the time and place, kind and number of birds or mammals so taken, wounded or killed, within twenty-four hours of such taking, wounding or killing; (b) upon the taking of any other birds or mammals, a report on or before January thirty-first of each year, stating the number and kinds of birds or mammals taken under authority of this section during the previous year. This section shall not be construed to limit any other provisions of this chapter.

I guess I just need to keep a log and if anyone every says anything, I'll send it to.... someone.
The First Rule of Fight Club is nobody talks about Fight Club. Feel free to substitute the words Fight Club with any words you choose, you know, like Squirrel Shooting.
 
Alright. Sorry to start up this old conversation but "Tis the season".

Like many of you, I have a squirrel problem that I plan to solve with an Air rifle.

I'm not 500' from my neighbors, but they're cool.
Shooting distance is only about 40' and I'm planning on using Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle .177 (up to 1300 fps). I think this is plenty of power but please let me know if you have evidence to the contrary.

I have no interest in poisoning or drowning, but if for some reason trapping and pointblank headshots makes it more legal, I guess I could do that.

I found this sheet very affirming.
"Shooting is quick, simple, and effective in areas where firearm discharge is safe and legal."
By my logic, Shooting is still quick simple and effective even without a "firearm"


My best Legal logic is MA General Law 1/WIW/131/ Section 37

Section 37. An owner or tenant of land or, if authorized by such owner or tenant, any member of his immediate family or his employee, as defined pursuant to section one of chapter sixty-two B, may, upon such land:—

~~~~

(2) hunt or take by other means, except by poison or snare, any mammal which he finds damaging his property except grass growing on uncultivated land. No such owner or tenant shall authorize any person, other than a member of his immediate family or a person permanently employed by him, to place traps for the protection of said property other than during the open season, unless such owner or tenant has first obtained from the director a permit authorizing him so to do, which permit the director is hereby authorized to issue in his discretion, unless such authorized person holds a trapping license. All deer so killed shall be turned over to any environmental police officer and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement.


~~~~

The following written reports shall be sent to the director by such owner or tenant acting under authority of this section:—(a) upon the taking of pheasant, ruffed grouse, hares or rabbits, or the wounding or killing of a deer, a report stating the time and place, kind and number of birds or mammals so taken, wounded or killed, within twenty-four hours of such taking, wounding or killing; (b) upon the taking of any other birds or mammals, a report on or before January thirty-first of each year, stating the number and kinds of birds or mammals taken under authority of this section during the previous year. This section shall not be construed to limit any other provisions of this chapter.

I guess I just need to keep a log and if anyone every says anything, I'll send it to.... someone.
Do not use the super sonic pellets unless you want to get visits from the local police - sounds like a 22lr.

The older 1200fps versions of the Gammo will dispatch rabbits and squirrels very effectively at 50' with headshots using the 7.9gr crosman pellets (Crosman Premier Hollow Point .177 Cal, 7.9 gr - 500 ct | Airgun Depot). A 1300fps gun may like the 10.5gr better
 
Best bet is to set up "a kill box" where you can put some nuts (not liberals) into a bowl with a back stop like in the video above. Polymer tipped pellets will work well. You'll get a good energy dump with out much over penetration. I favor a 22 pellet gun myself. Lower velocity which should be quieter with more energy.
 
Do not use the super sonic pellets unless you want to get visits from the local police - sounds like a 22lr.
Polymer tipped pellets will work well. You'll get a good energy dump with out much over penetration.

My plan is for Gamo Red Fire but I have a few options to try out at the range first.
 
My plan is for Gamo Red Fire but I have a few options to try out at the range first.
Whatever pellet shoots well in your gun and stays subsonic is the one to use.

You don't need fancy polymer tip pellets for squirrels and rabbits - good head shot and DRT.

Or go with 22 quiet and a 20"+ barreled bolt action - Click and they drop.
 
Alright. Sorry to start up this old conversation but "Tis the season".

Like many of you, I have a squirrel problem that I plan to solve with an Air rifle.

I'm not 500' from my neighbors, but they're cool.
Shooting distance is only about 40' and I'm planning on using Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle .177 (up to 1300 fps). I think this is plenty of power but please let me know if you have evidence to the contrary.

I have no interest in poisoning or drowning, but if for some reason trapping and pointblank headshots makes it more legal, I guess I could do that.

I found this sheet very affirming.
"Shooting is quick, simple, and effective in areas where firearm discharge is safe and legal."
By my logic, Shooting is still quick simple and effective even without a "firearm"


My best Legal logic is MA General Law 1/WIW/131/ Section 37

Section 37. An owner or tenant of land or, if authorized by such owner or tenant, any member of his immediate family or his employee, as defined pursuant to section one of chapter sixty-two B, may, upon such land:—

~~~~

(2) hunt or take by other means, except by poison or snare, any mammal which he finds damaging his property except grass growing on uncultivated land. No such owner or tenant shall authorize any person, other than a member of his immediate family or a person permanently employed by him, to place traps for the protection of said property other than during the open season, unless such owner or tenant has first obtained from the director a permit authorizing him so to do, which permit the director is hereby authorized to issue in his discretion, unless such authorized person holds a trapping license. All deer so killed shall be turned over to any environmental police officer and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement.


~~~~

The following written reports shall be sent to the director by such owner or tenant acting under authority of this section:—(a) upon the taking of pheasant, ruffed grouse, hares or rabbits, or the wounding or killing of a deer, a report stating the time and place, kind and number of birds or mammals so taken, wounded or killed, within twenty-four hours of such taking, wounding or killing; (b) upon the taking of any other birds or mammals, a report on or before January thirty-first of each year, stating the number and kinds of birds or mammals taken under authority of this section during the previous year. This section shall not be construed to limit any other provisions of this chapter.

I guess I just need to keep a log and if anyone every says anything, I'll send it to.... someone.
Just remember these air rifle velocities claims are with very light pellets.
.177 call you want to use 8-10 grain pellets. Squirrels can be a pita with 17 cal. Dont hit the kill zones you just put a pellet through fur and skin.
22 cal 14 grain pellet even at 500+ fps can shut them down with just the shock energy. 22 cal will retain more energy down range.
Just get good shots on target:
 
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I've had very decent luck with the polymer tips in 22. These are 16 grn pellets. A head shot on squirrels or center mass when they stand on their hind legs. With woodchucks its been a somewhat different story. Head shots this time of year right behind the ear or between the eyes have mostly been pretty good. A center mass shot in 22 has not worked well. There just to thickly built. Once they get to the end of the summer their usually pretty fat. So shot placement becomes tighter. Last year I used Gamo rockets which I went 3 for 3 on. This year I just picked up a PCP in 25. So I'm waiting for my first opportunity.
 
crossman 2100 classic pump .177 works for me, sometimes i hit from 50', some times i miss.
a s*%t-ton more misses than hits, but i've got 16 confirmed kills over 2 years, probably more, but i don't track 'em down.
made a heck of difference in the population though, and provides daily enjoyment every am when i load the bird feeder tray
 
I've had very decent luck with the polymer tips in 22. These are 16 grn pellets. A head shot on squirrels or center mass when they stand on their hind legs. With woodchucks its been a somewhat different story. Head shots this time of year right behind the ear or between the eyes have mostly been pretty good. A center mass shot in 22 has not worked well. There just to thickly built. Once they get to the end of the summer their usually pretty fat. So shot placement becomes tighter. Last year I used Gamo rockets which I went 3 for 3 on. This year I just picked up a PCP in 25. So I'm waiting for my first opportunity.
Wood chucks are tough and masters at not giving you a good shot.
Squirrels are tough cause they just dont sit still
 

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Just remember these air rifle velocities claims are with very light pellets.
.177 call you want to use 8-10 grain pellets. Squirrels can be a pita with 17 cal. Dont hit the kill zones you just put a pellet through fur and skin.
22 cal 14 grain pellet even at 500+ fps can shut them down with just the shock energy. 22 cal will retain more energy down range.
Just get good shots on target:
One got in the house some years back and the only weapon I had handy was a sword. The squirrel got away but I still have the tip of his tail hanging on the wall as a trophy
 
I thought about getting a .177 gamo but when cci quiets came out it was a game changer. Cb rounds worked ok but the accuracy was a bit random. Now with CCI quiet segmented all you have to do is hit grey fur, no louder than clapping your hands or slamming a screen door. Im close to the 4 figure mark in 6 years. Those f***ers started it by chewing on my siding and trim, I'm just finishing it
 
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I had a buddy (RIP) who chased tuna with a harpoon.
He would practice in his yard on squirrels.
iStock-473012660-new-squirrel.jpg
 
Wood chucks are tough and masters at not giving you a good shot.
Squirrels are tough cause they just dont sit still
The old man could whistle louder than anyone i ever heard.
He would line up on a woodchuck and the whistle .
Pretty much every time they would stand up on their hind legs to see where it came from and he'd give them one in the engine room.
 
I used to use my compound bow with whatever broad-heads I could get on clearance. But I had to many issues of these little bastereds running into my neighbors yards and dying. (sometimes screaming and dying) not good for neighbor relations. Thankfully none of the arrows had my name on it. Probably wouldn't have went well if the neighbors knew who doing it.
 
Don't forget to tally up all the mice you kill with mousetraps too and report it annually. [rofl]
Whoa whoa whoa! Don’t go sending the guy off all halfcocked! People look up to senior members like you for guidance, you need to take that implied responsibility more seriously.

Has anyone even asked the guy if he has a stamp for that suppressed pellet rifle? Is he cognizant of rodent slot limits? How about his mousetrap trigger plates? Are they certified to the state mandated pull weights?
 
I watched a hawk grab a bunny only 20' in front of me today. He let it go & it hopped away.

I can't stand for that kind of lack of dedication.
I watched a hawk grab a bunny only 20' in front of me today. He let it go & it hopped away.

I can't stand for that kind of lack of dedication.
He was just practicing
 
The old man could whistle louder than anyone i ever heard.
He would line up on a woodchuck and the whistle .
Pretty much every time they would stand up on their hind legs to see where it came from and he'd give them one in the engine room.
Nice, took me 3 summers to rid the infestation I had.
 
Whatever pellet shoots well in your gun and stays subsonic is the one to use.

You don't need fancy polymer tip pellets for squirrels and rabbits - good head shot and DRT.

Or go with 22 quiet and a 20"+ barreled bolt action - Click and they drop.
See my post in Pellet rifles

16 gr .22 pellets at 750 fps are well below supersonic and 20 ft lbs is more than enough for squirrels (Hatcher’s Notebook says "Previously the Army had decided that on the average, an energy of 60 foot-pounds is required to produce a disabling wound” in a person, so 20 should be more than enough for a squirrel.)

I also have a .22 LR bolt with a 21 inch barrel. The bolt is surprisingly quiet with the CCI Quiet 22 Long Rifle Segmented Hollow Point, but because of the suppressor on the Benjamin it is even quieter. The 22 Quiets run about 710 fps, which is a bit slower than the pellets but with a much heavier projectile.
 
... 20 ft lbs is more than enough for squirrels (Hatcher’s Notebook says "Previously the Army had decided that on the average, an energy of 60 foot-pounds is required to produce a disabling wound” in a person, so 20 should be more than enough for a squirrel.)
grey_squirrel_kittens.jpg


The photographer was outnumbered by about 20 ft lbs.
 
One got in the house some years back and the only weapon I had handy was a sword. The squirrel got away but I still have the tip of his tail hanging on the wall as a trophy
When I was a kid we had an infestation of flying squirrels in our house.
I was washing dishes and my dad was drying when one popped his head out of the cabinet. My dad grabbed a chef knife and stabbed it. DRT.
He just slid the knife into the sink and went back to drying dishes like a boss.
Never forget that.
 
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