Airgun Hunting · Buyer's Guide

Best air rifles for ground squirrels, compared

Researched by Golden Guns Outdoors · Updated October 25, 2026 · Editorial policy

How are ground squirrels different from tree squirrels?

Ground squirrels live in colonies on open ground, so you shoot them at longer range, in more wind, with less cover to close the distance. UC IPM's ground squirrel publication describes the California ground squirrel as 14-20 inches long including the tail and 21-30 ounces, living in burrow systems that usually run 5-30 feet long, and foraging within about 75 yards of the burrow. That last number sets the job: the whole colony's activity happens inside a circle you can cover from one rest, so plan for shots out to that distance.

That's a different problem from a tree squirrel in the woods, where shots are short, the backstop is the problem, and a quiet report matters most. If that's your hunt, the best air rifle for tree squirrels covers it. Ground squirrels reward power, wind-bucking pellets and a scope you can range with. Colony shooting has more in common with prairie dog hunting with an air rifle than with squirrel hunting in trees.

Timing matters too. UC IPM says ground squirrels are active mainly from midmorning through late afternoon, especially on warm, sunny days. Most adults hibernate in winter, most also go inactive for a few days to a week or more in the hottest part of the year, and the young come out of the burrow at about 6 weeks old.

How much energy do you need for a ground squirrel?

The published guideline for tree and ground squirrels is 12-20 FPE at the muzzle, and the working floor is 9-12+ FPE delivered at the animal, with head shots only. Those are the same numbers as the airgun FPE chart uses for rabbits. The difference with ground squirrels is distance: a rifle that barely clears 12 FPE at the muzzle has no margin left by the far edge of a colony.

Energy is weight times velocity squared, so check your own rifle with a chronograph and the free FPE calculator instead of trusting a box claim. Listed maximum velocities are usually measured with light pellets, and a rifle's energy with a heavier hunting pellet is the number that matters.

Best air rifles for ground squirrels, compared

Power and shot counts are each source's own figures for .22, and they aren't measured the same way, so read them as a guide rather than a head-to-head test. Prices were checked in October 2026.

Air Venturi Avenger. Airgun Depot lists 34 FPE and 930 fps maximum in .22, with an externally adjustable regulator, and the rifle sells for $349.99. That's the most open-field power per dollar here. The catch is the 4,351 psi (300 bar) fill, which is hard work with a hand pump and much easier with a tank (see best PCP hand pumps).

Umarex Gauntlet 2. Umarex lists 33 FPE in .22. Field & Stream's test rifle averaged 944 fps with 18.13-grain FX pellets, "just a nick under 36 fpe," and gave more than 70 shots before the regulator dropped below 1,900 psi. It shot sub-1-inch five-shot groups at 50 yards. On a big colony, that shot count means fewer trips back to the truck.

Benjamin Marauder Gen 3. Crosman lists up to 50 FPE and up to 1,200 fps in .22 from a regulated 3,625 psi reservoir, with a 14-round magazine, for $829.90. It's the strongest rifle here that still fills to a pressure a hand pump can reach.

Gamo Arrow and Hatsan Flash QE. They're good budget PCPs, but they aren't long-range ground squirrel rifles. Pyramyd AIR's own test of the .22 Arrow showed 775 fps with an 11.9-grain pellet, about 16 FPE at the muzzle. That's fine for a garden edge inside short range and thin across a field. The Flash QE is regulated and gets 55 shots per fill, but the pages checked don't list its .22 energy, so chronograph it before you count on distance.

FX Impact M4. This is the rifle I hunt with. Mine is slug-tuned by Utah Airguns and shoots 40.1-grain ACE FRAG slugs at about 950 fps, roughly 80 FPE. That's far more than a ground squirrel needs, but it's what lets me hold through afternoon wind at distance. It's premium money, and the FX Impact M4 review covers whether it's worth it.

Which caliber is best for ground squirrels: .177, .22 or .25?

.22 is the right default. It carries more energy than .177 from the same air, its heavier pellets drift less in the afternoon breeze that comes up over open ground, and ammo stays cheap. A .177 shoots flatter up close but loses more to wind past 40 yards. A .25 earns its place if you shoot a regulated high-power PCP past 50 yards in steady wind. The trade-offs are laid out in .177 vs .22 air rifle and .22 vs .25 for small game.

Where should you aim on a ground squirrel?

Aim for the head and pass on anything else. A ground squirrel that isn't hit cleanly can make it back down the burrow, where you won't recover it. The best chance is the upright "standing at the burrow" pose, when the head is clear of the mound and the animal is still. Range it, settle the reticle, and wait for that pose instead of shooting at a squirrel that's moving. Aim points and angles are in airgun shot placement, and holdover at distance is in air rifle holdover with mil-dots and MOA.

Is it legal to shoot ground squirrels in California?

The California ground squirrel is a nongame rodent, and 14 CCR §472(a) lets rodents be taken at any time of the year and in any number, except as Chapter 6 prohibits. That rule excludes tree and flying squirrels, furbearers, and endangered or threatened species. Air rifles aren't among the prohibited methods for nongame mammals in 14 CCR §475; that rule is covered in California airgun hunting laws.

License. Fish and Game Code §3007 makes a hunting license the default for taking any bird or mammal. §4152 carves out a farm exception: nongame mammals found injuring growing crops or other property may be taken at any time by the owner or tenant, or by employees and agents in immediate possession of written permission, and those people are exempt from §3007's license requirement. If you're helping a farmer, carry that written permission.

Protected look-alikes. CDFW lists the Mohave ground squirrel as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act; it lives only in the western Mojave Desert. The San Joaquin antelope squirrel is also state-threatened. It lives in the San Joaquin Valley and nearby foothills, with strong populations in western Kern and eastern San Luis Obispo counties, and it's much smaller than a California ground squirrel: about 9 inches and 4.6-6.0 ounces, against 21-30 ounces. If you hunt in either area and aren't sure what you're looking at, don't shoot.

Lead and where you shoot. CDFW says that because pellet rifles are not considered firearms, lead projectiles in pellet rifles are not prohibited, though nonlead is encouraged for small game. Fish and Game Code §3004 bars hunting within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling or its outbuildings unless you own or possess the property or have the occupant's express permission. City codes are often stricter: many ban discharging any airgun inside city limits.

How do you set up a ground squirrel hunt on a farm?

• Pick one rest and range the colony. Use a rangefinder to mark the near and far burrow mounds so you know your holdover before the first squirrel stands up.
• Shoot when they're out. Midmorning to late afternoon on warm, sunny days, per UC IPM, and not in the dead of winter or the hottest summer week when most adults stay below ground.
• Mind the backstop and the ground. Hard, flat ground and rocks can turn a miss into a ricochet. Shoot into a bank, berm or soft soil, never toward livestock, workers, roads or buildings.
• Protect what the squirrels are damaging. UC IPM lists grains, nut and fruit trees, seedlings, bark girdling on young trees, and gnawed sprinkler heads and irrigation lines. Keep shots away from the pipe you're trying to save.
• Keep it realistic. UC IPM says shooting "can provide some ground squirrel control, but it is very time-consuming," so on real acreage it works best as part of a wider farm protection plan.
• Glass for light. If your evenings run late, a 50mm scope at low power helps; see best low-light air rifle scopes.

If you farm in Southern California and ground squirrels or invasive birds are costing you crops, my farm protection page explains what I offer.

FAQ

Sources

• UC IPM — Ground Squirrel, Publication 7438 (Quinn, Dimson & Baldwin, revised June 2025)
• Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, §472 — nongame birds and mammals that may be taken (Cornell LII)
• California Fish and Game Code §4152 — nongame mammals injuring crops or property (FindLaw)
• CDFW — Mohave ground squirrel (state-threatened status and range)
• Endangered Species Recovery Program — San Joaquin antelope squirrel profile
• CDFW — Nonlead ammunition in California (pellet rifles)
• Field & Stream — Umarex Gauntlet 2 review (.22 chronograph and 50-yard groups)
• Airgun Depot — Air Venturi Avenger .22 (velocity, energy, fill specs)
• Crosman — Benjamin Marauder Gen3 (specs and price)
• Pyramyd AIR — Air Venturi Avenger regulated PCP air rifle (price)
• Pyramyd AIR — Umarex Gauntlet 2 SL PCP air rifle (price by caliber, fill pressure)
• Pyramyd AIR — Gamo Arrow PCP air rifle (price, Pyramyd test results)
• Pyramyd AIR — Hatsan Flash QE Regulated (price, shots per fill)
• Pyramyd AIR — FX Impact M4 (price, shots per fill)