Took my family up to Helen GA...a little Suiss remake town in the North Georgia mountains last fall. My wife and daughter (4) stayed in the car parked along side the road (about 150 yards away) in a pullout area while myself and my son (8) went and threw some lines in the river. There were a couple of families 150 yards down the river from me but we were alone in the immediate area and obstructed by bushes from everyone else. The bank was flat next to the river then formed a shelf up to the roadbed level. So more or less when fishing, I had about a three foot rise right behind me that I could sit on. I sat my tacklebox on it between my son and myself.
Well, we were fishing when a pebble rolled down by my foot and I knew I didn't cause it (I thought that maybe my wife had snuck up on me). I turned around and there was a man standing less than four inches from my face (I could have headbutted him in the crotch, that's how close he was). He stopped advancing when I spun around but was continuing to advance up to that point. I instictively spun around and put myself between him and my son as I was assessing the situation. He had a buddy with him that was a few feet away with his back to us looking the other way...in my mind seeming to act as a lookout and watching the traffic. Also during the reaction, I noticed he had his right hand in his pocket near a fairly large clip on knife. I was unarmed but I immediately reached down into my tacklebox and left my hand there. I momentarily forumulated the plan that if he advanced I was going to grab my son and jump into the river and make tracks. He kind of smiled coyly and said "we're just walking around looking". I looked at him and said "well, you best keep right on walking and looking" and maintained eye contact with the closest one. They seemed to lose interest in walking and looking and immediately left.
My wife saw them park in front of her, talk for a minute or so, and get out and walk directly to me, which is odd. There was about 150 yards of river they could have walked along but they chose a direct angle to me. My wife indicated that she didn't think too much about it until they got within a few feet of me and then seemed to switch to extra quiet walking mode. She was in the back seat and couldn't get my daughter out of the way fast enough to honk the horn. She was certain something bad was about to go down.
My assessment is that these fellas were up to no good and I turned around a moment too soon. Now my wife understands why I am armed pretty much everywhere I go. Had I been carrying that day, I would have definitely had my hand on my weapon.
My fault for not being aware of my surroundings but this is a pretty safe place and I was off guard. I am not looking for a small J frame that I don't have to worry too much about....my Kimbers are too nice to possibly dunk in water.
Thoughts?
New
Well, we were fishing when a pebble rolled down by my foot and I knew I didn't cause it (I thought that maybe my wife had snuck up on me). I turned around and there was a man standing less than four inches from my face (I could have headbutted him in the crotch, that's how close he was). He stopped advancing when I spun around but was continuing to advance up to that point. I instictively spun around and put myself between him and my son as I was assessing the situation. He had a buddy with him that was a few feet away with his back to us looking the other way...in my mind seeming to act as a lookout and watching the traffic. Also during the reaction, I noticed he had his right hand in his pocket near a fairly large clip on knife. I was unarmed but I immediately reached down into my tacklebox and left my hand there. I momentarily forumulated the plan that if he advanced I was going to grab my son and jump into the river and make tracks. He kind of smiled coyly and said "we're just walking around looking". I looked at him and said "well, you best keep right on walking and looking" and maintained eye contact with the closest one. They seemed to lose interest in walking and looking and immediately left.
My wife saw them park in front of her, talk for a minute or so, and get out and walk directly to me, which is odd. There was about 150 yards of river they could have walked along but they chose a direct angle to me. My wife indicated that she didn't think too much about it until they got within a few feet of me and then seemed to switch to extra quiet walking mode. She was in the back seat and couldn't get my daughter out of the way fast enough to honk the horn. She was certain something bad was about to go down.
My assessment is that these fellas were up to no good and I turned around a moment too soon. Now my wife understands why I am armed pretty much everywhere I go. Had I been carrying that day, I would have definitely had my hand on my weapon.
My fault for not being aware of my surroundings but this is a pretty safe place and I was off guard. I am not looking for a small J frame that I don't have to worry too much about....my Kimbers are too nice to possibly dunk in water.
Thoughts?
New
_
and was having to sit and wait until a ranger could get there (it promised to be awhile). Another hunter was loading up his ATV after the morning hunt, and he came over and asked if I needed help. He had one of those gizmos you can push down into the window frame and pop the door open, and he was glad to do that for me. We talked about hunting and the forest, and at some point I had a moment of illumination. I was alone among thousands of acres with one guy that I didn't know from Adam except that I knew for sure he was armed...and I was utterly unafraid, because I knew I could take care of myself. My husband was enormously pleased when I shared that with him later, because I'd always been sort of timid and fearful in situations with strangers, and I realized I was *free*, because I knew I could take care of myself.
