One reason airgun hunting has gained popularity is that urbanization has resulted in less land available for traditional hunting with high-powered long guns. The observer of wildlife will also note that these built-up areas, industrial complexes, railroad yards, dumps, or other byproducts of the urban landscape often become the territory and feeding grounds for a variety of pests and small-game species.

Airgun hunting for pest animals provides a service to the property owner while allowing the hunter to hone his shooting skills and experience a lot of quality off-season practice close to home.  Where regulations permit, it is often possible to obtain permission from owners and facility managers to shoot pest animals on their property. Access is made easier if the airgun hunter demonstrates that he is responsible, explains that he will remove pest species that cause financial damage or present a health risk, and will use a hunting tool that minimizes or negates the risk of damage to people or property. When I ask permission to shoot on a property, I’ll often carry along a couple of articles or books that discuss airgun hunting to share with the landowner. I also keep a demonstration gun stowed in the trunk of my car. This practice has lead to more than one impromptu plinking session with a curious owner or land manager.

A frequently encountered obstacle to overcome is concern over liability. I carry a form letter that states that I assume responsibility for any damage I might inadvertently cause and to release the owners from liability for any injury that might befall me while on their property.

Once you determine that local ordinances allow airguns, and line up property to hunt on, you might feel that everything is ready. But things can still go wrong! You might have to pass through a populated area where it is preferable not to be seen toting a gun. I once arranged to shoot at a local lumber yard where pigeons were nuisances. As I walked from a parking lot to the yard, somebody saw me carrying a rifle and called the police. After discussing the situation with me and ascertaining that I had permission and was breaking no laws, the police allowed me to go on my way. But the encounter still cost me an hour of shooting time, and it would have been better had I not been seen at all.

The experience made me consider what constituted the perfect hunting gun for urban hunting/pest control, and I formulated my own set of requirements. The gun must be quiet, compact, generate appropriate power for the intended use and accept various targeting accessories. If it can be broken down for transport to my hunt site, all the better.

Any airgun is quieter than any firearm. Spring-piston airguns are pretty quiet out of the box; most of the noise originates from the piston slamming home and is more of a low-level mechanical twang than the sound of a firearm discharge. Pre-charged pneumatics and CO2 powered guns tend to be louder, producing a firearm-like crack, though at a substantially lower volume.  While the report of even a high-power air rifle is much quieter than a rimfire, there are ways to quieten these guns further. A PCP or CO2 gun with a shrouded barrel can be as quiet as a whisper, but be sure to check on the legality of using a moderator where you hunt.

Urban hunting for pests such as pigeons, starlings, rats and smaller species typically occur at closer ranges, inside of 25 yards. You don’t need a lot of power for fast, clean kills. Generally, 9 to10 foot-pounds of energy (fpe) is more than adequate for most pest-control duties, and it certainly will cause less damage in case of a missed shot. I use a spring-piston airgun for this type of pest control.

If I intend to shoot something bigger, such as a groundhog or raccoon, I will opt for a more powerful PCP rifle. There are spring-piston airguns that have the power and range for larger quarry, but they tend to be big and bulky. It is quite possible to find a substantially more powerful PCP in a compact and unobtrusive package, which makes them a better candidate for taking care of larger urban pests.

The gun should provide a means of mounting targeting accessories such as scopes, lasers, and lights. Iron sights are fine with respect to range, but as urban pest control often takes place in darker conditions, I prefer a scope. A lower-power scope is most useful, especially in low ambient light. A laser and a flashlight mounted on the gun are also useful under such conditions.

My favorite springer for this type of hunting is a Chinese built B57, a low-powered (560 feet per second), .177 side-cocking springer, with a 4X Tasco airgun scope in a Leapers Picatinny Tri-Rail scope mount, which accommodates a flashlight and laser for night hunting. Loaded with Polymag pellets, this combo is effective on pigeons, rats and rabbits. Hunting with this rig at night, I use the light with a red filter to scan an area until I see the glow of eyes, then flick on the laser to home in for the shot. For bigger game such as woodchucks, I use the pre-charged pneumatic Airforce Talon SS in .22, which has an adjustable power setting that allows the power to be dialed up or down to accommodate the quarry and range. Both guns are compact but also offer the advantage of a takedown design, allowing them to be carried onsite discreetly and assembled for the hunt.

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to use a rather unique airgun, a spring-piston-powered scattergun produced by Gamo. As opposed to the other two takedown carbines mentioned, this is a full-sized gun that doesn’t break down. It delivers a 17-grain load of #9 shot with enough power to stop pest birds and rodents at 30 to 35 feet. I’ve used this gun inside factory sheds and around equipment where hits anchored my quarry while missed shots bounced off the corrugated roofs and walls without causing damage.

One of the most compelling advantages of hunting with airguns is that they open up new hunting grounds closer to home. Often these urban settings don’t match the aesthetically pleasing landscapes we all prefer to hunt in, but they do offer target-rich environments that can provide a lot of shooting fun and practice.