I have shot many many game birds with a airgun and a 22lr and most when hit seem to fly away a short or medium distance before fallind down. All the hare I shot with a .177 BSA METEOR around 600fps at anything from 20- 40yds jump into the air and drop down stone dead. Yes I have never lost a hare with either airgun or 22 but birds are a different story altogether. What have your experiences been?

Squirrels are tough as nails. It takes a brain shot to guarantee they drop right away. Rabbits are extremely easy to kill, I've killed a few by hitting them with only one of two pellets of 6 shot.

Some birds are easy to kill, some aren't. Waterfowl are generally pretty tough, and so are pheasants. Grouse are nearly impossible to hit, but easy to kill. Quail are pretty easy too.

quote:

Originally posted by kjjm4:
Squirrels are tough as nails. It takes a brain shot to guarantee they drop right away. Rabbits are extremely easy to kill, I've killed a few by hitting them with only one of two pellets of 6 shot.

Some birds are easy to kill, some aren't. Waterfowl are generally pretty tough, and so are pheasants. Grouse are nearly impossible to hit, but easy to kill. Quail are pretty easy too.

+1, mirrors my experience exactly. Although larger, racoons are very tough for their size.

+2

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
+1, mirrors my experience exactly.

Couldn't resist speaking of mirrors!!

CZ 452 in .22lr

quote:

+1, mirrors my experience exactly. Although larger, racoons are very tough for their size.

One strange thing I've noticed with coons is that they seem to be the opposite of squirrels; shoot one with a .22, and half the time it'll just make him mad. Shoot him with a shotgun, and he falls right out of the tree. Admittedly, I've only shot half a dozen or so with shotguns, but it knocked every one right down. I've probably killed close to a thousand with .22s (I used to take my coon dogs out 2-3 times a week).

I think the reason birds are harder to kill is the feathers. The feathers make them look a lot bigger than they are. A lot of hits you think are good just hit feathers.
Leo

Mammals.

quote:

Originally posted by 44magLeo:
I think the reason birds are harder to kill is the feathers. The feathers make them look a lot bigger than they are. A lot of hits you think are good just hit feathers.
Leo

I think a lot of shots on birds to the body don't contact the vital areas. Thus results in a lot of wounding or just shaving feathers.

Shot placement again is king good solid vital area hit results in quick death to both types.

Center punch a barnyard rooster with a dull Bear razorhead some time and see how hard a bird can be to kill. Three arrows later, the farmer's wife killed the bird with a hoe.