Best Backwoods Gun

Also, it's not allowed to carry guns in National Parks, regardless of what the wild life may or may not do.
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Think again.
I guess, why do you need to carry a gun in the woods? People are the biggest threat. The cats are going to jump on your head from behind and bears, for the most part, are totally uninterested in people.
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Do what you want, though I think that attitude reckless. But don't try to convince anybody that wants to protect himself in the woods that he doesn't need to. That's even more reckless.
 
Do what you want, though I think that attitude reckless. But don't try to convince anybody that wants to protect himself in the woods that he doesn't need to. That's even more reckless.
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Call me reckless then but my comments are as much for any young impressionable gun nuts that may be reading as for the OP. A youngin reading this site will be seeing the boogie man behind every corner if he spends much time here. So I'll chime in with what I believe: a .22 is fine in the woods, you don't need a bug and a bug for your bug, you don't need to carry 100 rounds, etc, etc as much as I dang well want. Someone has to display a certain amount of common sense. By your reasoning anyone who argues against anything that they think may be over the top is reckless. Think not.

LK
 
Call me reckless then
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OK you're reckless.

but my comments are as much for any young impressionable gun nuts that may be reading as for the OP. A youngin reading this site will be seeing the boogie man behind every corner if he spends much time here. So I'll chime in with what I believe: a .22 is fine in the woods, you don't need a bug and a bug for your bug, you don't need to carry 100 rounds, etc, etc as much as I dang well want. Someone has to display a certain amount of common sense. By your reasoning anyone who argues against anything that they think may be over the top is reckless. Think not.
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So why do you bother to even carry a .22? Trying harder to convince yourself it seems to me. Some of us carry everyday. Simply changing caliber is very easy and doesn't pose a challenge for us, sorry if it does you. It wasn't directed at you anyway, go back and take your meds.
 
I've hiked all over the country - Allegheny Forest, Smokey Mountains, Everglades, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Utah, California, etc. without a gun and I'm still in one piece.

The odds of an attack are very small, but they are not zero.

There was a hiker killed in Yellowstone this year by a grizzly. There was a camper pulled out of a tent and killed in the Gallatin Forest last year along with two others who were injured by a bear. A mountain goat attacked and killed a hiker in Olympic National Park last year. A bunch of teenagers were attacked in Alaska last week. That's four attacks out of millions of hikes in the woods.

So, don't get paranoid. Enjoy the wilderness. Keep your eyes open and pay attention to your surroundings.....and carry a gun just in case.
 
When I carry any gun in the woods or out on the town it's for one or more of the following:

- because I can
- because I want to
- hunting
- plinkin
- man's teddy bear
- I like GUNS

Not because of some deep routed fear of ghost, goblins, big foot or the boogie man. I never say not to carry. Carry all you want and how ever many you want. Make it is big as you want. But if you a going someplace where you really really think you are gonna die without em you are going someplace you shouldn't be. Time in the woods is one of the safest places to be for Lords sake.

And I don't need to talk myself into anything, the voices do it for me.

LK
 
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Any good 4-6" 357 or 44 mag. If you handload, add the 41 mag. If you have a Ruger and handload, add the 45 Colt. In the woods, I only use an autoloader as a BUG.
 
629 Mountain Gun

This is my choice of field gun. In non black bear country it is stoked with 250gr hard cast Keith .44 Specials at 950 fps. In blacky country it carries the same 250gr hard cast bullet loaded at 1200 fps out of the four inch barrel.

DSCN0891.jpg
 
Not because of some deep routed fear of ghost, goblins, big foot or the boogie man. I never say not to carry. Carry all you want and how ever many you want. Make it is big as you want. But if you a going someplace where you really really think you are gonna die without em you are going someplace you shouldn't be. Time in the woods is one of the safest places to be for Lords sake.
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Obvioulsy you never saw Deliverance.;)
 
We have had about 14 people attacked and I believe 2 or three killed in the last month alone. Yup, safe to an extent, but it seems some folks are in denial about those critters with fangs and claws. There are about 400,000 black bears in North America from Mexico to Canada and Alaska. The number of encounters with bears is increasing due to loss of habitat, increased bear numbers as well as a lot more people out in the woods than there used to be. In addition, because people today have the attitude that the woods are safe, they are becoming cavalier about real risks as the news of the last month should tell all.

I have sent my son all the reports on bear attacks I come across over the last couple of years. Here is a sample I have sent in the last month:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...-attack-after-dog-leads-bruin-straight-to-her

http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/revelstoketimesreview/news/126089238.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/24/teens-mauled-by-bear-in-alaska/?test=latestnews

http://www.9news.com/news/article/206432/188/Bear-attack-in-South-Lake-Tahoe


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaRk0kRtGg&feature=player_embedded

For myself, I am not going to lie to someone and belittle the dangers of bears and other animals in North America's woods. This is only part of the news in the last month alone. You tell me whether there are no dangers in the woods. People are lulled into a false sense of security because the attacks are relatively rare compared to the number of people in the woods. Yet for those that do become the person in these articles, better preparation would have been a bright idea before they were attacked.

Unfortunately, several have died in the last month alone. Yup, it is a low likelihood, but carrying a handgun is minor inconvenience which I find to be no inconvenience myself. Since carrying is such an easy option, why not.
 
Here is a new article. The title tells the whole story.

Bear attacks on the rise

Wetmore rancher loses llama; teenage camper bit.
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Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2011 12:00 am
By TRACY HARMON | tharmon@chieftain.com | 0 comments
The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife warns Southern Colorado residents that hungry bears are causing problems in the region.
A Wetmore rancher lost a llama this week — the third animal lost to bear attacks on the ranch this summer. On July 15, a bear bit the leg of a teenager camping near Leadville.

As a result, wildlife officials are asking residents and vacationers to take extra care to avoid attracting hungry bears to homes, cabins, campgrounds and picnic areas.
"Within the past few weeks, wildlife officers have responded to a higher than normal level of calls about bears entering homes, garages, sheds, tents, chicken coops and damaging beehives," said Michael Seraphin, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife "Officials also had to kill the bear that injured the teen camper — it had apparently ransacked a cooler outside a tent in an adjacent area of the camp prior to the incident."
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http://www.chieftain.com/news/local...cle_cd4da7c6-ba66-11e0-b500-001cc4c002e0.html
 
If I had the choice of any hand gun caliber it would be the 41 mag... that said I think a 357 will due especially if you use good ammo like Buffalo Bore
 
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LKilkenny, my lady is from Story County, Iowa. Generally speaking, you don't have the same issues there as we do in some other parts of the country.

For instance, in the southeast, in addition to 4-legged predators we also have an abundance of marijuana fields and meth labs. Their proprietors can be rather unfriendly.

A friend of mine in NC has problems with armed trespassers poaching ginseng, of all things. (Yup, perfectly legal herb, but more expensize by the ounce than saffron...)

In Georgia, we made headlines not too long ago when a drifter in the woods murdered a hiker named Meredith Emerson. Turns out the same guy is a suspect in several other murders, all of hikers in the woods between Georgia and Florida.

In Florida, at least several years ago, game wardens had a higher fatality rate than other law enorcement types, due to a mix of poachers and drug growers.

So, while I agree time in the woods should be a time for peace and safe reflection, I don't agree that it always is.
 
some answers and 1 question

RE the "who's got a 10mm", .....I've got one, had it for 10-12 years or so now, a Glock 20. As a "woods pistol" it carries easy, flat and compact, much more so than a revolver of equal power. I suspect it is much more durable than my 629 Mtn/.44, and possibly my Ruger Black Hawk /.357, both of which serve the same role. I feel certain that the Glock carries easier than the revolvers, no hammers or sight blades to gouge or get hung on, or ding.

RE guns in national parks..pro or con, the firearms laws in NP's changed about 2 years ago and possesion of same in many circumstances in NP's is not illegal.

I would rather be armed, anywhere, than unarmed.

Regards the OP, you SURE you got mtn. lions in NC?
 
Glock is known for long barrel life, but Ruger is the king of the hill as far as being the most rugged hand gun around. The joke is if it doesn't fire, you can always beat the bear to death with it as a club.
 
Wow, I didn't suspect that a simple question would cause such argumentative responses. I am not in fear of any critter getting me or the boogy man hiding behind the next tree. I asked the question to know which gun and caliber would be best suited to down any of the aforementioned animals without having to carry a rifle or hand cannon.

I grew up in western NC and know that the likelihood of getting attacked in the woods is slim to none. However, it would be completely naive to ignore the fact that situations can and do arise in which you may have to defend your life or the life of your family from a predator four legged or two.

Regards the OP, you SURE you got mtn. lions in NC?
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I have personally never seen one alive. A few years ago my uncle shot one on his farm that was taking his calves. He thought it was coyotes but spotted the cat one winter day. Since then, no more calves have went missing. Other similar stories have surfaced over the years.
 
Seems to me that most have been in agreement on .357 magnum, .44 magnum or 10 mm as the best contenders. I have actually been surprised that there has been more agreement than disagreement on this thread. For N.C., any of these or similar powered handguns would fit the bill. There was even a man in Alaska who killed a grizzly in Denali park last year with a .45 ACP of all things.

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.co...-hikers-denali-national-park-and-preserve5943

I think a lot of folks have their own pet guns, but for the most part, a lot of good information on this thread with a great deal of general agreement. The rest comes down to personal preference.

The take home message from most is DO take a weapon and/or pepper spray while in the woods. Why take a risk, no matter how small that is preventable by carrying a handy little gun if nothing else. Just basic common sense in my opinion. Which caliber, that is just your choice in the end analysis, whatever tickles your fancy the most and that you can comfortably shoot reliably.
 
Anything that can eat me will have a minimum of .41 caliber, 200SP or Hard Cast at 1050fps on my hip. If you haven't looked at the Ruger Bisley Lipsey's Edition 44 Special, it is the perfect packing piece in a cross draw El Paso. If you don't load, go with a 44 Mag.
 
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