We have used a BB gun to target cups in our childhood, but a few adults use them to target a squirrel when annoyed by these animals in the garden.
Can You Shoot Squirrels With a BB Gun? You can shoot squirrels with a BB gun, but it is not powerful enough to kill squirrels in only one shot and cause injuries and fractures, leading to a slow death. It is an inhumane way of killing and is considered illegal in a few states of America. You need a license to kill them in hunting season.
BB guns, like Daisy’s Red Ryder, operate with air, as you have to pump the handle several times to push the pellet to reach the target location.
It is safe to use until you properly use it; otherwise, this toy gun can cause harm to you. Accordingly, there are restrictions for using them in different regions of the world.
Why would you shoot squirrels with a BB gun?
Shooting squirrels is common practice in some parts of the world because these innocent-looking creatures can become nuisance pests for your garden and home.
It is considered the easiest way to get rid of these house pests; otherwise, they can attack hanging bird feeders by climbing trees and contaminating the bird food.
Moreover, they can also cause damage to the garden by chewing the leaves, flowers, and fruits. They dig into the soil to make burrows and cause damage to roots.
Killing squirrels becomes essential to control their increasing population when they are responsible for causing harm to children or pets in addition to adults.
In addition, they can enter attics by making their way through wood and metal surfaces as they have strong teeth to chew the hard material.
They can chew rubber insulation on wires that can cause short circuits sometimes, leading to significant damage to the building. So, you can scare them to run away by shooting with BB guns.
It is painful for animals because shooting can cause bone breakage or bleeding. However, many people prefer to kill them in one shoot and get rid of squirrels to protect their property and plants.
Can you kill squirrels by shooting with a BB gun?
BB guns are airsoft guns powered by air and contain bullet balls that are small metallic pellets. These can kill squirrels but are not considered suitable for this purpose from ethical aspects.
It is extremely painful for the animals to tolerate and recover from serious injuries and fractures. These are air-powered guns that are not safe to use for humans.
Moreover, these have round pellets equal in size to shotgun bullets. They have low impact, which means they cannot kill squirrels in only a single shot.
It can only cause fractures when the pellets hit their bodies hard, ultimately leading to death after a few hours or days. They can have poor accuracy, and the animal can escape quickly.
However, it can hit the eyes and cause severe eye injuries, leading to loss of eyesight. Their velocity is approximately 250 to 400 feet per second, which is considered lower for shooting.
So, you can kill these small animals using BB guns.
Do you need a license to shoot squirrels with a BB gun?
Killing a squirrel with a BB gun is considered an inhumane act in many states of America, but a few states allow the killing of some species if they are a nuisance animal.
Additionally, it will be an illegal act to kill them using a BB gun in states where it is prohibited to kill squirrels. It is better to know the state laws before hunting these animals.
You need a permit to kill them in states allowing their hunting in a particular season or get rid of these nuisance pests targeting pet food.
Moreover, you can shoot them in California at any time without any permit or legal issues, but it is not considered legal to use these guns in this region.
In the same way, you can kill only a few species in Florida that are not threatened by extinction or cause problems for homeowners.
You can shoot only eastern grey squirrels if you are a resident of Florida because this state protects southern flying and fox squirrels by restricting their hunting.
How many FPS does it take for a BB gun to kill a squirrel?
Knowing the gun’s caliber before shooting squirrels is essential because a caliber bore determines its potential to push the pellet with a high velocity.
Moreover, a less powerful BB gun cannot kill them, so it is better to check the projectile or range. You can get different types of pellets for a BB gun with varying projectiles.
The flathead pellet is suitable for targeted shooting, while a doomed pellet increases the accuracy of attack and overall range.
In addition, four caliber pellets are commonly available in the market, including .20, .22, .25, and .177.
You can use .177 and .25 caliber pellets for killing purposes, but these pellets require more headshots and are less accurate.
It is better to use a .22 caliber pellet because it can push pellets with around 800 FPS (feet-per-second) that have a good range and accurate shots.
The minimum velocity required for killing is around 600 FPS, while you cannot kill it in a single shot using pellets with FPS lesser than 400.
How to get rid of squirrels without shooting them with a gun?
You can get rid of squirrels by many other methods if it is illegal to shoot them with a BB gun in your region because it is painful for the animal.
Accordingly, you can remove the source of attraction by covering the pet food because these rodents reach the garden if the food bowl is not adequately covered.
The hungry squirrels make their way to reach the pet house and get inside the bowl to eat the food and contaminate it. So, you can stop them from coming by covering or taking the bowl inside.
In addition, remove their nests from tree cavities and branches to control their population because they breed and reproduce rapidly, posing a threat to property and the garden.
Some species build burrows under the ground, so you have to disturb their underground nests so that they find a new and safe location to live.
Fumigation of their nests can pose problems for these climbing animals to live in the trees and under the ground. It is the easiest and most friendly method to get rid of them.
In the same way, you can block their access to the garden using natural deterrents, as they do not like the odor of chili pepper and cayenne pepper.
Spread chili flakes and sprinkle the cayenne powder around the plants or periphery of the garden to block their access to plants. Similarly, you can protect your pet cage and food this way.
You can also use a dog to keep them away from the house because dogs are deadly predators that can kill and eat them by chasing these fast-running squirrels.
So, these nuisance animals do not dare to enter the garden after seeing a large dog patrolling there because they feel fear of these chasing animals.
Furthermore, professional vets can help you remove squirrels from your garden or house, as they can easily trap, capture, and kill them in a humane manner.
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