I agree, get rid of them, I can't stand coons. I'm not treehugger or an extreme do-gooder by any means but I'm not going to drown anything, that's just wrong in my opinion. I have a Beeman .177 cal precision air rifle and yes, a round to the forehead does the job nicely. It shoots 1200 fps. They are dead before they hit the ground. However this rifle is actually louder than a 22 short or at least as loud, so I guess it'd be a toss-up if you're concerned about noise.