Hiking with a handgun

[Hamour]

One of the major factors for carrying a magnum revolver is the extended range it gives you. Allmost all of the spasmatics are powered for belly rubbing distances. In the woods you never know what targets will present themselves or at what range.

THE BEST TOOL for the woods is the magnum revolver. All the arguments against it's use in the city against humans are arguments for its use in the woods against humans or animals.

Another large animal threat and one that is growing is the wild boar population explosion. Here in Texas we now have several million of these animals roaming the woods. 350 to 450 lb mean as snake hogs need some heavy lead poisoning upon ocasion.

So if you take your safety seriously in the backwoods, learn to shoot and carry a weapon that can do the job.

 

[AZAK]

OcelotZ3

Quote:
In Alaska, not one (read that again - not one) fatality when bear/pepper spray used against bears ever.

- AZAK

I don't believe the same is true for Glacier NP but I don't have a citation.

- OcelotZ3

I did supply a reference. Anchorage Daily News or www.adn.com
You can do a search and find it on TFL as I have referenced it before; and supplied the link to the article on their website. Or you can search on adn's site.

It is possible that there has been a fatality since then, but I would be surprised since I do read the paper and the news; still possible that I missed it, but doubt it.

Rough average of one bear mauling ending in death per year up here, but compared to motor vehicle fatalities in Alaska; hitting a moose while driving to where you are going hiking with any firearm would be far more likely to put an end to your day permanently than the odds of having a fatal bear encounter while hiking.

I also recommend reading any of Larry Kaniut's books for non fictional human bear encounter stories: Alaska Bear Tales, etc...

 

[TreyNC]

Lightning strikes may be more common than bear attacks, but my wife has never been hit by lightning! On the other hand she has been pawed by a blackie. We were living in an area of NC that has a lot of bears. In the yard, in the woods, in the trash(most common).

The carry question for hiking goes on and on, I am more concerned with people and dogs than bears, altho I have had one very uncomfortable incounter. Even when illegal I generally carry! Natl forest comes to mind, I have encountered things being grown there that are illegal as well and I would reather be safe and in trouble than dead or wounded and legaly safe.

I usually go for convenice of carry and capacity. I carry 9mm, my wife carries .357 snubby. It is a little heavy for her now with all the other crap we have to carry having kids and all now. She may switch to a light .38. Neither one of these are adiquite for bear but better than none. I don't want to use a gun until the attack starts. My wifes attack was while not painless was a simple attempt of a mother protecting her young, and she did it well with out going too far in our opinion.

 

[MBRinTN]

Good points, Trey. I've hiked a lot, and have had a couple of situations when I was between a mother and cubs, and felt distinctly uncomfortable. There was an incident in the Smokies a couple of years ago where a tourist got between a mother and her cubs and the bear basically ran over the person to get to her cubs. Not painless, but could have been a lot worse. In dealing with bears, awareness is a lot more important than firepower. I also agree with your comment on the interesting things growing in the forest. I've seen tripwires around fields, etc., and worry much more about those predators than the four-legged kind.