Can Maine Residents Legally Hunt Rodents with an Air Rifle?

You'll shoot your eye out, right?

I gave up on BB guns at a certain point when I was a kid. Mostly because I just somehow knew no matter how many times I asked, I was never going to get one. Probably legit too, because I was a reckless little punk. Not that I would've intentionally done bad things, but somehow I probably would've shot my sister in the leg or something and my mom just knew it.

I've also come to realize in adulthood that I'm not necessarily a great shot. My mom can sink a nail head into a tree from 20 yards, but I'm pretty sure if I shot a gun straight up into the air, somehow I'd miss. I have a family member who's pretty fair handed with an air rifle, and they put it to good use in their yard, out the bathroom window. Potty time = squirrel management.

But, is that legal? Can you hunt rodents with an air rifle in your yard?

That's kind of a loaded question, pun fully intended. Like a lot of Maine laws, it's kind of like... Short answer yes, with an "if". Or long answer no, with a "but"... So here's the thing, according to AirGunLaws.com, you can hunt certain types of animals with an air rifle in Maine. You can shoot rabbits, racoons, squirrels, and groundhogs.

You can even hunt coyotes with an air rifle. Am I missing something here, though? A coyote with an air rifle? Is there some sort of mega air rifle I don't know about? I can imagine some kid's Red Rider taking down a coyote. But I'm no hunter.

It also comes down to where you live.

Many towns and cities in Maine have no limits on the use of air rifles within their limits. But, there are many that do. So you'll need to review your local laws. But it would seem generally speaking, you're free to eradicate small rodents at will. Good luck to the guy on Reddit that got me wondering. Looks like you're good to go on those giant rats. But I still feel like this is how really bad horror movies start...

This may interest our hunting friends...