Urban hunting with airguns

Jaxom

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I started urban hunting well over a year ago. Had to. Tried every avenue we could at the time to join local food banks and food stamp program. But that was then, this is now. I've actually not only become accustome to, but actually like rabbit and squirrel now. But I think I've ran through every recipie I could find on the net, anyone have a special "family secret" or different type recipies?

Also, why I posted in here rather then the kitchen forum. I hunt with an air gun. I currently have two of them. One is a Crosman 2300kt custom .22 caliber pistol. Great on short ranges like my back yard. I've also a Benjamin Discovery rifle, which I'm waiting on one more part so I can use it. Stock, both the pistol will hit 12fpe up to around 30 yards. The rifle extend that out to 75 yards. With a few modifcations the rifle can hit with 50fpe up to 100 yards. What game would I be able to take once I've modified the rifle. I'm looking to expand my table fair beyond rabbit and squirrel.

Anyone else hunt with airguns?

Thanks,

Jax
 

xpc

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I am not a hunter by any means - killed a few fish some twenty years back but that was about it.

I think your list of "urban" vittles pretty much is maxed out unless you want to add the scrumptious cat which as a bonus could also contain a few mice or even a newt or newt byproduct. I would read up on eating summer rabbit and squirrel before wolfing them down. I don't know what kind of recipes you are looking for but would guess that anything made with chicken or pork would be the same.

Just do what Taco Bell does, they only have 6 ingredients but by combining them in a different order they have 720 menu items. I'm just kidding as the exponential of 6 is 720 and is possible but I bet they have at least 50 different items. I have been eating the same 4 meats for the last 5 decades, maybe one or two more but it was not on purpose and I don't count moths or motorcycle buffet.

You know better than I do and the DNR more than you, can small game be taken with a slingshot? Is it legal to wrestle a bear? is shooting a black bear rather than a polar bear considered racist? If pigs ate all the dodo birds why can't they fly?

From what I've read 12fpe is plenty for both of what you hunt but can you humanely kill anything larger without a rim or center fired cartridge? will a 50fpe be legal in you backyard? Is a vegetable considered an animal or mineral? McDoubles are only a dollar buy 4 of them and a package of buns and make 8 single burgers for $5.

Thanks a lot now I'm hungry
 

SKR8PN

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Where are you located?(State) and how urban are we talking? Can you hit your neighbors house with a rock or do you have a little more space?
Depending on your situation......
Rabbits and squirrel are just about it unless you decide to try crow, or perhaps, like XPC suggested, the neighbors kitty.
If you want to take larger game,like venison, you'll need a lot more knock down power, which equates to a lot more noise. Not good in an urban setting like what I think your talking about. Next option for deer would be bow or crossbow, but you'd better be d a m n good at hitting your target. Kinda hard to track a wounded animal without drawing the suspicions of your neighbors. Then... Ya gotta figure out something to do with the gut pile also. Around here we just leave it for the possums and other critters that survive on carrion. Prolly NOT an option for you :idunno
 

patandchickens

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In principle if one were really hungry one could livetrap raccoons (pretty easy in a typical city) then use airgun to dispatch them. Thing about raccoons is that in a lot of places, and if this doesn't include chicago *yet* it will *soon*, there is a fair bit of rabies in the population. Therefore there are some real handling and food-safety issues involved. But aside from that, livetrap-then-dispatch is a reasonable strategy (it lets you avoid the neighbor's kittycat or doggie, unless of course they've annoyed you)

I am told you also wanna be careful how you skin most of the mid-sized game (raccoons, muskrats, etc) on account of nasty scent glands not to puncture.

Personally the rabies thing would be enough all by itself to discourage me from trying raccoon, at least most places I've lived; but in places with little or no raccoon rabies, or in severe situations, I suppose one might consider it.

Pat
 

elijahboy

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I love reading your response. They are informative and indirectly being a smart arse at the same time. Keep that internet connection.

xpc said:
I am not a hunter by any means - killed a few fish some twenty years back but that was about it.

I think your list of "urban" vittles pretty much is maxed out unless you want to add the scrumptious cat which as a bonus could also contain a few mice or even a newt or newt byproduct. I would read up on eating summer rabbit and squirrel before wolfing them down. I don't know what kind of recipes you are looking for but would guess that anything made with chicken or pork would be the same.

Just do what Taco Bell does, they only have 6 ingredients but by combining them in a different order they have 720 menu items. I'm just kidding as the exponential of 6 is 720 and is possible but I bet they have at least 50 different items. I have been eating the same 4 meats for the last 5 decades, maybe one or two more but it was not on purpose and I don't count moths or motorcycle buffet.

You know better than I do and the DNR more than you, can small game be taken with a slingshot? Is it legal to wrestle a bear? is shooting a black bear rather than a polar bear considered racist? If pigs ate all the dodo birds why can't they fly?

From what I've read 12fpe is plenty for both of what you hunt but can you humanely kill anything larger without a rim or center fired cartridge? will a 50fpe be legal in you backyard? Is a vegetable considered an animal or mineral? McDoubles are only a dollar buy 4 of them and a package of buns and make 8 single burgers for $5.

Thanks a lot now I'm hungry
 

Jaxom

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First off, no worries folks, I'm not about to have cat or dog for dinner. Althought be it, one of my neighbors just did get one of those ankle biting yappy dogs that barks constantly for an hour after a cricket farts! Haven't though about crow, since I never see any. Robins, cardinals, bluejays, are all protected, and frankly aren't worth the cost of a pellet for they meat they offer. However, I have thought about pigeon/dove. Darn things are as large as chickens, and in an urban enviroment like mine there's plenty of them around. The brits eat alot of pigeon/dove, if you search youtube there's a bloke named Mark Gilchrist that shows how to dress and then prepare pigeon. Although, I'm not so sure about eating any poltury that's still "pink" as he describes in one recipie.

I heard about the scent glands in racoons and muskrats. Think I'll steer clear of those for now. Especially since you warned about rabies. What about ground hogs? I've seen a few of them here and there? Look like they'd have a fair bit of meat on them. Anything special I should know about them?

Not sure why spring/summer rabbits or squirrel would be any different then the rest of the year. Well other then the obvious, you want the females that have breed to have offspring. Bit of observation while in hunting mode andit become rather obvious what sex these critters are. Fine example was the last rabbit I got. I have an empty lot across the street from me. Owners keep it cut and manicured, but if you got up really early in the morning you'd see half dozen or so rabbits grazing there. One of which was a large buck. It was obivious he was the big cheese of the lot, since he'd chase the rest of the rabbits around. Then one fine day I spotted him in my back yard. Didn't even hesitate, got the pistol and half an hour later was dressing him down.

You're darn right. The two airguns I have now are loud enough as is. Once I swtich over from Co2 to using high pressure air, that will make them even louder. This is one of the many reasons I want a large lot that's somewhat isolate when I move. There is ways and means to quiet them down. But that costs more money. Doubt I'd be able to quiet the .50 caliber one down though. Have to wait and save for a bow before I take any larger game like deer.
 

k0xxx

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Back in the 70's when I was in high school, I knew a young fellow who, along with several siblings, was being raised by a his widowed mom. As a way to put food on the table he would hunt with a pellet gun. He'd put the pellet gun in gym bag and hitchhike to the city zoo, which had a very large park attached. He'd buy a bag of peanuts for 39 cents, and then go into the park and hand feed the squirrels. When nobody was around, he dispatch a squirrel and quickly put it into his gym bag. After he had 8 or 10 squirrels, he'd hitchhike back home. He also said that pigeons were delicious too.
 

patandchickens

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Jaxom said:
What about ground hogs? I've seen a few of them here and there? Look like they'd have a fair bit of meat on them. Anything special I should know about them?
Scent glandv thing. Also may be difficult to acquire, unless your tastes run towards roadkill. I have seen recipes for groundhog (don't have them handy at the moment though), those who claim to have tried it are about as unenthusiastic about it as they are about raccoon or muskrat :p

Not sure why spring/summer rabbits or squirrel would be any different then the rest of the year.
Do a search on this site for squirrel -- there are a several threads that discuss and provide recipes, and I believe the spring/summer thing is explained there, something about human-transmissible parasites or something? Dunno, more of a fisherman than hunter myself, and really more of a chicken-and-tomato-raiser than either of those.

Pat
 

urban dreamer

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You have no idea how many squirrles are in my backyard trying to eat my chicken feed! I have several guns, but nothing I can use in our cramp little backyard. I thinking about investing in a air gun now. Squirrles are wonderful battered and fried IMO.
 

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