MA law and shooting gray squirrels with pellet gun

I have a Beeman that came with both .177 and .22 barrels.
I stick with the .22 barrel as it stays subsonic and you don't get the "Crack"
The .177 barrel was as loud as a regular .22.
The hunting pellets with the pointed plastic insert (Forget the name ) will take out a woodchuck with a head shot no problem.
 
There are a couple of pro tips if you are going to go the trap route .
Cut yourself three pieces of cardboard about the size of a matchbook .
Put peanut butter on all three.
When you go to set the trap , place one all the way to the back.
Then put a little on the trip plate.
Them put one of the pieces just inside the entrance to the trap and the last just in front.
This trick will sucker in the shy ones.

The other trick is to set up your trap with some barriers ( Pieces of firewood, boards , whatever ) so that the front looks like the only option to get the goodies.
Otherwise they may just come up from behind and jostle the trap around till it trips.

The last and maybe most important is to spring the traps just after dusk and reset early in the morning .
A skunk in a squirrel sized Hav A Heart is the definition of ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag and a real problem with no good answer.
 
Cur, I thought the Garmint was actually considered 'quiet', but then again 1400 FPS will probably raise suspicion. I have tons of .177 pellets, maybe I can get something quieter?

I asked them because I was forced into the situation, I tried to do it the other way: Read on the rules, makes sure I am good and proceed...but got threatened by 'one of those kinds of people' so here we are :-/ Now, before I proceed I would like to be cleared by the Waltham PD to proceed - is this a futile endeavor?
You will not get a green light, go ahead, IDGAF, whatever, from the local PD, not going to happen.
Alright, thanks guys. Really appreciate the insight. Looks like I will be trapping the squirrels instead, because it is just so much quieter. Kind of a bummer that I can't really use the Gamo Varmint rifle at all, unless I want to shoot it from my house - which is very impractical for all sorts of logistical reasons.

Very frustrating that we must justify what we do on our own property, especially when these same people have 0 objections to killing the squirrels as they all collectively respond with "hire an exterminator". Clearly this has nothing to do with the poor furry squirrel dying and all about the means. Baffled by the stupidity.

Now you're catching on.
Good observation.
Use whatever means available, necessary, hire an exterminator, whatever, but, FFS, don't ask the wpd any more questions.
Too many already.
In fact, you may be going to jail. [rofl]
 
Have you forgotten the first rule of Squirrel Club???
So there’s this.
however last year I called EPO to find out about using a pellet gun on WMA’s. Turn out the rifles barrel classified it as a fire arm. But he wasn’t totally sure on it so he said it probably would be best not to. The stupid reason was he didn’t think it would be effective in killing the squirrel.
With that said. I refer to the above statement.
 
I have a Beeman that came with both .177 and .22 barrels.
I stick with the .22 barrel as it stays subsonic and you don't get the "Crack"
The .177 barrel was as loud as a regular .22.
The hunting pellets with the pointed plastic insert (Forget the name ) will take out a woodchuck with a head shot no problem.
Predator polymags are the pellets with the red pointy plastic tip inside the hollow point.
 
Spent my teen years living in Belmont, had a buddy whose house backed up to the elevated B&M Railroad Bed. The squirrels would run along his back fence. He would open up the dining room window lay a 22 on a rest and pick them off with 22 shorts. He had squirrel Cacciatore once a month
 
Just knock them off with a .410, but wear a Black Lives Matter t shirt and be celebrated by the greater Boston media and elected officials
 
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Too bad the 4th of July came and went. Mix a few "pew-pews" in with a bunch of "pop-pops" from firecrackers, and no one will care or notice.


Frank
 
I’m pretty sure my death toll for tree rats this year is close to 80. Never thought about asking if it was OK.
Stock your freezer, or disposed of???

Might make good dog food too...
 
They are damaging your roof, time to take care of it.
You need to lure those damaging varmint away from the house and have a bait station in a safe area where you can snipe them from a comfy location from your home.
 
Need inspiration this guys youtube channel is nothing but squirrel shooting.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yykWnBtngo
If you don't want to shoot them you could always take up falconry...


Just so you know, that's an Edgun Leshiy, and it's not your average pellet gun. It's a very niche gun, and has a niche price tag. It's single shot, break action and can run up to 300bar (4400psi), . It also has a Lothar-Walther match barrel and with 'match grade' JSB Jumbo pellets it's extremely accurate to about 75+ yards, depending on tune. Definitely overkill for 99% of what people would need a pellet gun for.

That said, I love mine. :)

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it’s illegal to trap wild life and release the critters anywhere other than the property where they were trapped. This is to control the spread of disease.

There’s an app for that.

Trap them (squirrels are dumb as f*** and will literally fight over who gets to get trapped first unlike just about every other animal on the planet), then drop the trap in a suitably sized container of water, wait a couple of minutes, then “release” the critter back onto/under the property on which they were trapped. Rinse (pun intended) and repeat.

The pellet gun is more fun, but if there is even a chance of hassle it is hardly worth it. Right or wrong, who wants to deal with the cops showing up to your house because they had a report of an ‘active shooter’ situation? If you’ve got those kind of neighbors, best to play it low key IMO.
 
Hey guys,

I know there a few threads on this subject, but they are kind of old and inconclusive. I live in Waltham, MA and the yard is overrun with grays. They destroy the herbs, chew through the weather boxes and reasonably sure they get into the attic. I have a Gamo Varmint Rifle and would like to get rid of them. There are three pieces of information from MA that seem to support this being legal, but calling Waltham police has yielded nothing but frustration. "You just can't, but I don't know why" was an actual response uttered by the officer in charge of licenses.

First law: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIX/Chapter131/Section37
This implies that killing mammals on one's yard is legal.
Second law: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter269/Section12B
This outlines air files and where they can be used. I see nothing that prevents me from shooting in on my premises. The 500ft law applies to firearms, but air rifles are not firearms since we can purchase them freely without any license.
Third "rule": https://www.mass.gov/doc/living-with-squirrels-fact-sheet/download
This is from mass wildlife and at the bottom they outline 'lethal removal' where they suggest we can do so, even suggesting shooting.

So using these 3 pieces of evidence, it seems like this should be perfectly legal and yet...I am being told "you just can't" - even threatening to jeopardize my other license on the grounds of suitability.

My question: What can I do to convince the Waltham PD that in the event a neighbor freaks out, this is perfectly legal and to leave me alone?
I killed a raccoon in our backyard that was trying to raid our trash. One round to the head from my scoped Gamo .177 did the job. That air rifle is loud! Good solid "crack" when it fires, but one shot or maybe two at most should not be enough to scare the neighbors. We live in Wakefield, about half a mile from the MBTA station.
 
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.....then drop the trap in a suitably sized container of water, wait a couple of minutes, then “release” the critter back onto/under the property on which they were trapped. Rinse (pun intended) and repeat.

Drowning them isn’t my thing. Drowning has to suck as a way to go; especially in a cage.

I have no issues killing them. I just won’t drown them.

Bob
 
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