There is an incredibly long list of animals that you can take down with a pellet gun. As a hunter, you are interested in both small and large-sized animals on the go. Specifically, what animals can you kill with a pellet gun?
Generally, a pellet gun will kill small-sized animals like mice, squirrels, birds, rabbits, possums, etc. A powerful pellet gun can also kill medium and large-sized animals like raccoons, prairie dogs, coyotes, whitetail deer, etc. The caliber and power of a pellet gun determine its performance.
If you are a hunter with a great love for pellet guns, you are probably going to benefit from this article. We will be dissecting all questions about pellet guns and their abilities to down different types of animals.
What Kind of Animal Can a Pellet Gun Kill?
When talking about the animals a pellet gun can kill, there are a lot of aspects to put into consideration. Thanks to things like caliber size and power, pellet guns are designed to down specific categories of animals.
Lower-powered airguns can kill smaller animals like rodents, rabbits, and possums, etc. Large caliber airguns can down bigger animals such as deer.
It’s pretty simple – as the caliber increases, so is the ability of the pellet gun to take down large-sized animals.
Most .177 caliber pellet guns like the Benjamin Marauder Synthetic
is a great hunting gun for small and medium pests. It’s also one of the best when it comes to quiet shooting.
However, you need to mark that it’s a better shot and effective when used at shorter distances like 50 yards. At longer ranges, .177 caliber airguns need astute accuracy and excellent skill to have your target impounded.
When it comes to slightly larger animals the likes of raccoons and even coyotes, medium bores are going to be your go-to weapons. Bigger animals of the size of deer would require big-bore pellet guns including the AirForce Texan.
AirForce Texan carries plenty of power and therefore you will not have many accuracy issues as such. You can take down your target from as far as 100-150 yards and get the better of it humanely.
Here is a quick table showing what animals a pellet gun can kill:
| Game Size | Minimum acceptable caliber | Minimum energy in FPE |
| Small birds | .177+ | 5 |
| Medium birds | .177+ | 7 |
| Large birds | .22+ | 11 |
| Squirrel-sized animals | .22+ | 9 |
| Rabbit-sized animals | .22+ | 9 |
| Raccoon and co. | .25+ | 25 |
| Possum and co. | .25+ | 25 |
| Fox-sized game | .30+ | 35 |
| Coyotes and co. | .30+ | 50 |
| Javelina | .357+ | 90 |
| Small deer | .357+ | 100 |
| Medium deer | .40+ | 150 |
| Large deer | .45+ | 200 |
| Hog | .45+ | 200 |
Can a .177 Pellet Gun Kill a Cat?
A .177 pellet gun might kill a cat but it would require some great shot placement. Your closeness, too, matters a great deal.
If you are shooting from a distance, there is almost no chance of taking it down. This is because the pellet would have lost its impact on the way traveling before it lands on the cat.
At this point, you might only injure it and inflict pain on it. The end result is unprecedented suffering.
As far as ethics are concerned, don’t shoot a cat with an airgun. It amounts to animal torture under Federal Law and it could land you into great trouble.
What Pellet Gun Can Kill a Coyote?
If you are having a frequent coyote invasion, you might be wondering the perfect caliber and kind of air gun to help you stop it. A coyote is a medium-sized predator that not only requires some powerful weapon at hand but also great expertise in shot placement.
Any small bore airguns, the .177, .22, or .25 may not drop this animal but rather leave it with a wound that gets infected and later kills it. That’s not the humane way of taking down an animal – it’s crude.
For that reason, a coyote requires .357, .45, or .50 calibers. All these calibers come with plenty of energy at the muzzle that if you take a head shot, it doesn’t take the animal a few steps before it drops down in cold death. Remember, you’ve got to give it a proper shot, well placed for a humane kill.
Benjamin Bulldog .357 Hunting Rifle offers you the power and precision to kill a coyote without any issues. Coupled with the right hunting pellets, 145-grainers, and above, you are in for a sure weapon for your problem.
As a .357 caliber, Benjamin Bulldog throws out pellets at incredibly faster velocities. Its muzzle energy stands at 200ft./lbs., which is a representation of immense power.
There are many other airgun models of the calibers mentioned above that would work really well for your mission.
Can You Hunt Deer with an Air Rifle?
Deer hunters who are prospecting to hunt with air rifles can still get the job done and done well. Since deer are a large-sized game, you need plenty of power on your air rifle.
A rabbit hunting air rifle cannot do anything substantial, so don’t go for them. They only have a small amount of energy.
To have a successful deer hunting day, an airgun above .357 calibers will do it for you. Smaller deer can be knocked down with .357 calibers, medium-sized deer drop with .40 and above, while larger deer require a .45 plus caliber.
In addition, the minimum amount of energy an air rifle should carry for deer hunting is 50 foot-pounds. This can humanely and safely takedown game without causing suffering.
When shooting, kill zone or range also matters a great deal. However, every airgun type comes with its maximum range requirements.
Precharged pneumatics are the most effective at longer ranges. You can accurately take down deer up to 75 yards.
Therefore, airguns like the Benjamin Bulldog and the AirForce Texan can all be wonderful options for your next deer hunting expedition.
What is the Largest Animal You Can Kill with a Pellet Gun?
While there are some really great air rifles on the market, few can take down large-sized animals that easily. Under normal circumstances, only big bore airguns are designed to take down large animals.
An African Cape Buffalo is probably the largest game that has ever been taken down by an air rifle. However, it needed a .50 caliber and above to see that happen.
Again, you will need to be at your best shot. Great accuracy is a must in such a venture. Otherwise, you end up just causing the animal unnecessary injuries rather than giving it one clean humane shot to the ground.
Other larger game to be taken down by air rifles were deer and elk.
How Far Can a Pellet Gun Shoot an Animal Accurately?
This is nowadays proving to be a pretty common question by many avid airgun users. How far away your animal target is a huge factor whether you will take it down or not.
Keeping in mind that your airgun has a maximum range of achieving a clean kill, the choice of the same will be accordingly well guided.
At 40 meters, a pellet from a sub-12ft./lbs. still carries significant energy to down a small animal. But, accuracy issues would be noted at such a distance. If your target were small birds or rodents, that would work with the right shot.
Big bore airguns can shoot up to a range of 200-400 yards with minimal skews in pellet accuracy. Just make sure the pellet is of the correct size and design.
If you want to shoot from very far distances, the regular practice would definitely get you there.
Final Thoughts: What animals can you kill with a pellet gun?
You can kill many different animals with a pellet gun. You just need to determine the size of the animal before getting the perfect match of the air rifle for it.
Small animals like rodents and birds can be dispatched with small-bore airguns. Larger animals will need big-bore airguns.
The right shot placement is a very important factor if you must down any game size.
Make sure that the airgun you chose is the right one. You don’t want to injure the animal when the shot mishits and the animal escapes.
A clean humane kill should always be your target in your hunting ventures. Otherwise, animal torture is against the law for many state jurisdictions out there.
