pellet guns

[BigGoonTuna]

i've used my $40 pumpmaster for dispatching rabbits in the garden.  even at 500fps, a pellet to the head puts them down quick.  i took one last year from about 40 yards

a better idea than using subsonic ammo in a .22:  get a box of CCI CB longs.  i've shot them out of my CZ 452(with a 21" bbl) and the report is no louder than my pellet gun.  they'll chamber and shoot fine in just about any bolt action .22.

the 60gr aguillas are very quiet, but they are junk unless you've got a 1:9 twist barrel.  out of my rifle, they'll keyhole after about 20 yards.

[Bofire]

Ya'll better rethink shooting Magpies, here at least. Unless you want to make a large donation to the Govt.
Carl

[Mookie]

Straight from the Big Game Hunting Regs. Page 65.

9. Depredating Wildlife:
Rock doves (pigeons), Eurasian collared doves,
starlings, and house sparrows may be taken
at any time. Crows may be taken during the
crow season or in the act of depredation. Crow
season: Statewide, no limit, October 1 - January
31. Magpies may be taken only in the act of
depredation (damaging crops or other property).

8. Protected Wildlife:
It is illegal to hunt, kill, possess, or control
protected wildlife. Protected wildlife are:
Cascade golden-mantled ground, golden
mantled ground, Washington ground, red,
Douglas, northern flying and western gray
squirrels; steller and California sea lions;
seals; dolphins; porpoises; whales, green sea,
loggerhead sea and painted turtles; Larch
Mountain salamanders; pygmy whitefish,
margined sculpins; Olympic mudminnows;
cony or pika; North American lynx; common
loon; least, yellow-pine, Townsend’s red-tailed
chipmunks; hoary and Olympic marmots;
wolverines; California mountain kingsnakes;
all birds not classified as game birds, except,
starlings, house sparrows, rock doves (pigeons)
and magpies; all bats, except when found in
or immediately adjacent to a dwelling or other
occupied building.

Now what does this mean?

all birds not classified as game birds, except,
starlings, house sparrows, rock doves (pigeons)
and magpies;

It seems to read that it is legal to hunt them from this paragraph, but the first quote says only in the act of depredation. I have never shot a Magpie and have never needed to, but am curious.

[BigGoonTuna]

don't magpies land on livestock and peck at them?

[Austrian Hunter]

don't magpies land on livestock and peck at them?

And they harass my dog  

[Bofire]

They are cleaning bugs off the stock

[machine]

I have a rws .22 that shoots 800 fps and am considering having it in the truck for grouse while big game hunting.I also have a 12 gauge but would love to use my pellet gun if it is legal.

[Bob33]

"I also have a 12 gauge but would love to use my pellet gun if it is legal."

Pellet guns are not legal for hunting in Washington.

[machine]

12 gauge it is.

[machine]

They have plenty of power for clean kills a shame they cant be used.My dad used to kill rabbits in the yard when i was a kid with a beeman.

[bobcat]

I don't see any reason why you couldn't use an air rifle to shoot a grouse. It's really just a technicality in the law. I'm pretty sure when they wrote the law they didn't intend to make air rifles illegal for grouse. I doubt any game warden would write you up for it.

[BigGoonTuna]

especially since there are big-bore(.45 cal) pellet guns capable of taking big game cleanly.

[Bob33]

Lewis and Clark killed big game with air rifles, but they are not considered a "firearm" in Washington.  Don't blame the enforcement officers; they didn't write the laws but they are expected to enforce them.

[Shadow Cat]

I shoot a Remington .177 pellet gun and live it. It scoots about 1600fps, weighs about as much as my M-700 .270 and is cheap to shoot.

[h2ofowlr]

I use an old Savage NRA bolt action rifle.  It is a long barrel with CCI CB longs.  It is very quiet and thumps the starlings good.
Gamo also makes good pellet guns.  If you check out some of the ones in Europe they have calibers for hunting big game.  The US pretty much sells, .177, .20 & .22.  Those are the common.