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Varmint hunting on the cheap

I got two hornets and one ant at 25 yds with my airgun with five shots. There were a lot of things in my favor which I will explain. First off, there has to be gut splatter on the tgt for me to claim a hit. The hornets were horizontal on the tgt which helped take out some of the guess work on the wind. The ant gave me two shots and it was just plain luck I got it on the second shot. Anyway, I have searched how to attract more of these critters and I will let you know how I make out with that. I just wish the air rifle would put five shots in one hole but not to be. No wind I feel I am lucky to get a 1/2 inch group. Sometimes I get three shots cutting each other then two out. Is it the wind? I don't know how much a 5 mph breeze moves a 11 gram pellet in 25 yds. Then add in the wind is variable. Again, a whole lot of luck but very satisfying when I get a hit.
 
I got two hornets and one ant at 25 yds with my airgun with five shots. There were a lot of things in my favor which I will explain. First off, there has to be gut splatter on the tgt for me to claim a hit. The hornets were horizontal on the tgt which helped take out some of the guess work on the wind. The ant gave me two shots and it was just plain luck I got it on the second shot. Anyway, I have searched how to attract more of these critters and I will let you know how I make out with that. I just wish the air rifle would put five shots in one hole but not to be. No wind I feel I am lucky to get a 1/2 inch group. Sometimes I get three shots cutting each other then two out. Is it the wind? I don't know how much a 5 mph breeze moves a 11 gram pellet in 25 yds. Then add in the wind is variable. Again, a whole lot of luck but very satisfying when I get a hit.
Years ago our area was hit by an over-abundance of grasshoppers (locusts). Several of the guys I worked with all lived in the same small town. They formed the "Great Grasshopper Safari" and kept score of hits. They got so into it that they proceeded to buy increasingly expensive and precise pellet rifles and set rules for harvest. Head shots earned extra points and the low-scorer for each week had to buy the beer. Judging by the conversation at lunch, no great African safari ever had such planning and enthusiasm. It was entertaining just to hear the squabbles over plans and scores. All good fun.
 
Just a plain white TARGET backside seems to attract bugs. Piece of sweet fruit hanging also works. I started my son out shooting from the bench this way at 25 yd with a .22 lr then as he got a bit older moved to 100 with a centerfire. Years ago when they released large fuzzy flies to kill gypsy moths, they would go to white paper. Great fun at 200 and 300 yrs with a PPC. They were too easy at 100. I miss those big fuzzy flies.Was much more fun than a match.
 
Yellow jackets are easy to attract with small chunks of hamburger. If you make the chunks just a little larger than the yellow jacket it will climb up on top of the chunk and make a good target.
The small slices of apple or peach trick will work for wasps for sure. In 2009 while going through chemo I sat about 15 yards away from an old wooden shed that was infested with red paper wasps. They would congregate in the late afternoon on the South side of the shed and one by one I'd pick them off with a .177 air pistol with open sights. I eradicated them to the last wasp and to this day the shed is still wasp free.
 
How about a bugasalt salt gun. <50$ at Amazon. High entertainment value.
I got one of those things as a Xmas gift a couple years ago and totally thought it was a gag gift or a joke, UNTIL, I used it a few times just messing around with it and I have to admit it was pretty fun. Took me a few shoots to dial in my distance because I was getting to close but once I got it figured out I was a fly shooting SOB! :)
 
You need the transmission laser sight option to get top value. Put the dot on the fly at about 18" and they're agonna :)
 
Just a plain white TARGET backside seems to attract bugs. Piece of sweet fruit hanging also works. I started my son out shooting from the bench this way at 25 yd with a .22 lr then as he got a bit older moved to 100 with a centerfire. Years ago when they released large fuzzy flies to kill gypsy moths, they would go to white paper. Great fun at 200 and 300 yrs with a PPC. They were too easy at 100. I miss those big fuzzy flies.Was much more fun than a match.
Those big flies had a name, I wanna say corpse flies? They show up in NY when the gypsy moths are in the tents in the oaks. Disgusting fly...but doesn't bite. and they do love a white paper or white house siding
 
I got two hornets and one ant at 25 yds with my airgun with five shots. There were a lot of things in my favor which I will explain. First off, there has to be gut splatter on the tgt for me to claim a hit. The hornets were horizontal on the tgt which helped take out some of the guess work on the wind. The ant gave me two shots and it was just plain luck I got it on the second shot. Anyway, I have searched how to attract more of these critters and I will let you know how I make out with that. I just wish the air rifle would put five shots in one hole but not to be. No wind I feel I am lucky to get a 1/2 inch group. Sometimes I get three shots cutting each other then two out. Is it the wind? I don't know how much a 5 mph breeze moves a 11 gram pellet in 25 yds. Then add in the wind is variable. Again, a whole lot of luck but very satisfying when I get a hit.
I once shot with a guy who would spread raw hamburger over his target, go back to the bench and eat a sandwich, then shoot at whatever hung around on the paper.
 
 
You sir are a cruel, sick, man. But you have a great sense of drama.
Maybe, but it could be considered humane treatment for that "one shot kill" rather than allowing the creature to be stuck on fly paper until it dies a slow death on the target. ;)
 

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