.22 hp for rabid fox?

[John Allen]

the 22 stingers are my go to. I have killed many a raccoon with them.

[GT27]

Shot placement...

[schutzen]

Others have stated this, but to sum it all up in one note: If you have to have the animal tested, the brain must remain in tact. That means a body shot.

These animals are very tough. A full choke shotgun (12 or 20) with #4 buckshot does quite well on body shots. Quick,
clean kills with a reduced range for sub-urban areas.

[Finarfin]

As much as anything, avoid bulk ammo, it doesn't perform well. Minimags are great and more available than velocitors. I have been trying to get those for a year and a half.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Aim for a chest shot (heart and lungs) area if a head shot isn`t readily able to be done. Pull the trigger, continue pulling the trigger (assuming you are using a semi auto) till there is no longer body motion on the varmit!Robert

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Head or chest shots with .22 LR HV, either solid or HP, will get the job done. They may go a ways with a chest shot, but even coyotes succumb to it. Been there, done that. The .22 LR is often under rated.

[Lance Boyle]

I agree with a lot here. I work as a conservation officer and have shot many rabid critters.

a .22 with hp's will work but if you do chest shoot expect them to run on you. Seldom did I get a DRT effect even with a .22 mag and a double lung shot.

big old racoons don't want to die and they will soak up ammo. Funny thing is they seemed to always drop better/faster with a .22 than a .40 handgun.

I too would recommend burying it to prevent other scavengers or your neighbors' dogs from getting the disease.

I still remember one old post on arfcom. A guy was doing some testing on .22 rf with a store bought turkey. It didn't go as planned and the bird was still mostly frozen when he did his test. At 200 yards, the .22 still zipped right through it. I don't remember the rest of the details but that really stuck in my mind.

Foxes are slight animals with a lot fur giving them the appearance of bulk. A .22 will go right through. Some HP's will fail to pen on a body shot.

[cwheel]

Sounds like this might be a urban problem in this case. Because of the close proximity of other houses, my vote is for a 12ga. with #6 shot. Because of the rabies, you want no critter to escape and pass it on to others. When I had a skunk problem, 12ga. hit vaporized the critter and very little chance of your shots passing into a neighbors house or property. Neighbors were all doing the same as a courtesy to the property owners until the problem was eliminated. County Animal Control recommended the same, for the same safety reasons. Not that you can't kill one with a 22, just where the bullet is going after the shot is taken. Chunks of the critter are so small with a good hit that there is little or nothing left to bury, but do it anyway to prevent scavengers from spreading the disease.
Chris

[mikeym1a]

If he really feels that the animals are rabid, kill them with body shots. The brain needs to be intact for testing, or at least that is what the local Fish & Game guy told me. Be careful out there....mikey

[Lee]

Rocky raccoon, fell in a swoon, stinkin' ta high heaven. Last night. Hi-Standard .22 Sentinel! Remember those? Brass case birdshot. Range 4'. Right in the nose, 1st, next three up the chute. Staggered across the driveway, lay down, and I sent him on his merry way. THAT SAID!
As others have stated, shot placement! And distance. I hesitate on the 12ga. unless they are way out on the lawn. Last raccoon with a 12ga was up the chute at 25' and just messed up the side of the house. Still one big chunk to dispose of. Bad decision! Now I let them get further away and then ruin their day.....
I hate that when they get into the garbage can and scatter around.

Yep I know, 22birdshot ain't worth @#$%^&*. Tell that to Rocky. Or the snakes. But at 4-5', don't mess with Mr. 22.
Oh! And skunks? Make sure they are out in the yard. I've been lucky, not shot one yet who sprayed, but that luck could change. And you DON'T want him near the house when that happens.


Rattlesnake Charlie: "The .22 LR is often under rated" .......Amen Sir

[WILCO]

Anybody know what Atticus Finch used to drop that rabid dog?

[Hardcast416taylor]

Anybody know what Atticus Finch used to drop that rabid dog?

A 30/40 Krag that probably, if using period ammo, was a 220 grain RN Rem./UMC cartridge.Robert

[pietro]

Raccoons are simply tough animals, able to soak up body shots. I would be reluctant to shoot one with a 22 unless I had a pretty clear head shot with high probability that I would make the shot. Wounded raccoon even if not rabid is not something one wants to have running around.

I have seen one take 2 rounds of 30 carbine before finally getting knocked out of the tree still snarling by a third round.

Why I always shoot Coons between the eyes - which a flashlight, held alongside the gun barrel, makes light up like flares.

Night Coon hunting/shooting is allowed in my state - where they're always working household refuse cans.

If I walk outside, the Coon simply runs away (since they know they can outrun a human) - so I just let my dog outside, wherupon the Coon will immediately tree, and wait for me to get my flashlight & load up.

Only two, of the many I've shot with a .22LR, turned out to be rabid (foam around the mouth).

If someone isn't secure about being able to aim a rifle (.22) accurately while under pressure, AND doesn't live in a rural area, a break-open single-shot .410 will do the trick, even on Foxes.


.

[lksmith]

I use Winchester Super X subs for most of my 22lr work
Huge HP, with very soft lead. Dropped several VERY large coons with them. Granted I am using a suppressor with my 22 and it's as quite as a bb gun with the sound of the bullet flying being louder than the shot

[Mtnfolk75]

About 10 years ago I killed a Coyote that was acting strangly. I had been shooting Ground Squirrels on the hillsides of a small canyon. The Coyote kinda staggered up out of the bottom and stopped. I was shooting Winchester 40 Grain Power Point's from a Ruger 10-22 with a 22" Sporter Barrel. I aimed a little high on the left front shoulder, the Coyote was quartering toward me, and it collapsed at the shot and began kicking and spinning in a circle.

I walked down and put another round through it's head and saw that it was eat up with mange and looked very sick, I estimated it's weight at about 25 lbs. I lazered back up to where I had been sitting when I shot and found it was 97 yards. Although, it was an anchoring shot and would have been quickly fatal, I probably wouldn't of taken that shot lf I had lazered the distance first.

Point is, 22LR High Speed Hollow Points will work on animals in the 30 lb range if you put the bullet in the kill zone. They carry killing power farther than you think, just use your head and keep your yardage in your comfort zone.

[Lance Boyle]

If he really feels that the animals are rabid, kill them with body shots. The brain needs to be intact for testing, or at least that is what the local Fish & Game guy told me. Be careful out there....mikey

That is true but just consider if testing will be necessary. In my state the county health department pays for the testing but only if it's had physical contact with a human or pet or livestock. It's a waste of effort and money to test the ones that don't involve that issue. In those cases, just kill and bury abiding by local laws.

[WILCO]

A 30/40 Krag that probably, if using period ammo, was a 220 grain RN Rem./UMC cartridge.Robert

Congratulations!!!! You win bragging rights for knowing that it's a 30-40 Krag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2L0WQu2fEI

[Geezer in NH]

How does he know they are rabid without tests? Foxes with new pups hunt together as normal. Eating the cats? The cats should be kept inside. Kudos to the foxes for removing pets that hunt.

[ohiochuck]

Back in the 1970's I worked as a seasonal park ranger. One day campers reported seeing a red fox walking slowly thru the camp grounds during the day. It seemed not to be afraid and was reported acting strangely.
The next day it was back. The park manger called me to his office, next to his house and gave me his Browning .22 auto rifle with instructions to find it and kill it away from the campers. I located it several hundred yards away from the camp ground on state forest property. It was laying down and made no attempt to escape. One .22 LR to the head killed it. When I picked it up with a shovel the problem seemed to be a severe caseof mange.
The .22 LR was quieter than the shogun.
Some days I really enjoyed going to work!

[starmac]

My thinking is if a guy can't effectively kill a fox or coon with a 22, a 50 bmg will be no better. I never carried anything else coon hunting, and even killed one by kicking it.