.22 hp for rabid fox?

[JSnover]

A buddy of mine has a rabies problem in his neighborhood, wants to know my thoughts on 22lr hp for fox/raccoon sized critters. If they're rabid, I think I'd like a little more horsepower but I've never shot anything larger than a rabbit with a 22. Any thoughts?

[101VooDoo]

If it were me, I'd use a shotgun.

[JSnover]

Same here. I think he's trying to avoid the 30-06, since he has neighbors. If he didn't live 800 miles away I'd loan him a proper tool for the job.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i have killed a few fox and a lot of coons and 2 coyotes with a 22 LR and 22 shorts fox are small only about 15 LBS or so
a 22LR will work just fine

[Mk42gunner]

I agree with Luckydawg, the .22 will be fine for foxes and raccoons. The only problem might be if he needs to send it in for testing.

From what I remember about a rabies scare around here back in the 1970's, they needed an intact brain to test. That ruled out head shots, (and probably got a lot of SSS action going).

Robert

[JSnover]

Thanks, I'll pass that along

[LtFrankDrebbin]

I've shot a lot of foxes with the .22lr. Stick with HV hollow points and be prepared for the 50 yard dash and drop when you hit em in the boiler room.

[jsizemore]

Shoot them with whatever you got and bury them. Testing brings the health and game officials. Rabies is so prevalent in my area the health dept doesn't even check anymore.

[jakec]

.22 lr will drop a fox easy. ive killed deer with one a few times. shoot it in the ear and theyll drop like a rock. shot placement is key.

[Old School Big Bore]

I've been having to shoot a lot of skunks (our major rabies vector locally) here, the .22 high speed HP works fine, and has worked fine on the foxes I've shot with it (all head shots) but like jsizemore sez, just kill 'em & bury 'em. I don't waste time & energy with burial (buzzards gotta eat too) but it sounds like he's more suburban than rural.

[Swamp Man]

CCI Stinger with drop them in their tracks.

[GhostHawk]

Shoot them, wait, if they move shoot them again. Repeat as necessary. Bigger is ok but will also draw more attention, and might scare other foxes away.

Have not had a rabies problem in our area for years now, but I have shot a few rabid skunks walking down the road in the middle of the day. One of them actually charged me. So I jumped back in the truck and went 200 yards and by the time he was 50 yards out I was loaded and ready for him.

Best of luck eliminating the problem, and make SURE your kids are educated to not approach anything that is acting funny.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Local wildlife folks advised that rabies virus dies when the animal goes cold, after I called about a dead raccoon in water trough. Rabies has become common in this area. Wildlife officials not interested in testing unless people or animals are in contact with live animals, due to expense. I was advised to simply bury or toss the carcass. A .22 should be fine. One of the super velocity hollowpoints if you can find them. CCI Velocitor work very well on raccoon and skunk, should work on fox.

[gandydancer]

all information you have been given on here is good. except for the fact that if the animal has rabies and its not a heart or head shot its most likely not going down. a rabid coon on a outdoor pistol range took so many hits and not just from a 22 lr. unable to walk after so many hits. I went out and put two more 22 rounds in its head.I use a 218 bee or a 17 wsm nothing smaller. GD

[JWFilips]

I dropped 3 adult fox in my yard! ( Suburbs) this past year. They were eating my cats. 2 where they stood and one ran 20 yds : with CCI Velocitor 40 grain 22 LR HP I like that round if you can find it.
All were chest shots: Broadside, Quartering, & Head on ( the runner) all at less then 50 yds
Sorry don't know much about rabid animals however.

[RogerDat]

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.

[country gent]

Not sure whats changed but 22s dont seem as effective as they were when I was younger on wood chucks skunks and fox sized animals. We used to put steers and hogs down for butchering with one when we buthered but was a very controlled shot and very close range. I went to 22 hornet or a 218 bee for nuisence animals around the house. Not much louder than the 22 but more oomph. The 22-250, swift and 243 are way more blast and energu than is needed. With sick or dieseased animals a quick kill and not traveling is important. You want to dispatch a sick animal as quickly and humanely as possibly. Also wear disposable gloves when handling the carcass and keep children and pets away from it.

[Hickory]

People go to Africa and spend big money for the thrill and excitement of hunting dangerous game. Use the 22 lr and get the same thrill on the cheap.:bigsmyl2:

[jsizemore]

I asked one of the state diagnostic vets about rabies. He said as long as the saliva or blood is still liquid, rabies could be transmitted. I bury to cut down on scavengers having rabies spread to them from an easy fresh meal. I mind a couple dozen farms in central and eastern NC, and southeastern Va.

[JSnover]

My buddies shooting abilities are up to it, he and his daughter have been competing locally for years. I'll pass along the HV/HP advice.

[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.