Which would you take?

B

BLS700

New member
I've been starting to hunt woods with some more dangerous game such as alot of Bear, wild hogs ( so I've heard), coyotes in bunches, bobcats, etc.. And another thread got me thinking. I've been carrying the same gun I carry for self-defense a Glock 36, which for those of you non-Glockers is chambered for .45 acp. I also have a Ruger GP100 .357 with a six inch barrel. The Glock is lighter but the .357 gives me more penetration. Which would you take? or neither. Again this is for protection from something unexpected.
 
How are you hunting? Bow, Rifle? Bow, maybe, there is nothing more scary than waiting for daylight up on the mountain and hearing a bobcat scream. All you have is a bow. But they are sighted less than bears.

Blackbears will more often than not avoid you at all costs, except for the whole mamma and cubs situation, and the curious ones that try to get into the tree with you. But as many time as we have heard about it, you're still more likely to get mugged on your way to the woods. Coyotes...Unless they are running in packs of 15-20, and are real, real hungry, I wouldn't worry about them. Wild hogs, not so much, they are just as skidish as deer, most of the time. Don't worry about it dude. If the Glock gives you peace of mind, it will more than you need.
 
Either gun would be fine.
I spent a summer in the wilderness in British Columbia, all the bush pilots carried a .45 acp for just such an occasion as you are imagining, in case they had to crash land.
The .357 mag would also be a good choice.
 
I usually hunt rifle or shotgun. I know the situation is unlikely but not unheard of. I agree that being mugged is a far more likely scenario but that's a whole different discussion.
 
I wasn't being a smarty pants, I was just saying if you are already carrying something that will take out whatever the situation calls for, why add weight and bulk. My dad carries a 9mm while bow hunting.

But when I'm muzzle loading bear, I carry my GP100 4" .357 as back-up.

I would carry the Glock in your case. It's lighter.
 
Well, the chance of a bobcat, coyote, or bear bothering you are pretty slim. The hogs, maybe more of a threat.

If I carried (I usually do), I'd carry the .357 mag.

Daryl
 
I would handload a massively overpowered cartridge for the GP100. Push the limits. Then load the rest with something more tolerable for follow ups. I don't know how effective that would be, but it would make me feel better.
 
BTW
Is is legal to carry in PA while bowhunting? It's not in NY. I assume your bowhunting otherwise I'd just use my main weapon.
 
yeah if you are carrying a rifle/shotgun anyway i wouldnt carry a handgun. if you are bow, like the guy above me said, make sure its legal where you are. maybe i'm being a bit silly here, but i dont see bobcats or coyote's as being a threat. i was blessed w/ seeing a bobcat the other day hunting, its like an over grown tom cat. we arent talking a cougar here. granted, they have been known to take down deer. but last time i checked i didnt have hoofed feet. a bear is the only thing i'd worry about, and even then they want nothing to do with you! especially in PA we arent talking browns/grizzly's here. yes blacks do attack and when they do they want to consume you usually (so i've heard) but i think your chances of breaking an ankle or leg in the woods is faaaaaar more likely. i'd carry whatever is lighter and easier to carry if it makes you feel better. either would do the job required... which i'm not exactly sure. i'd be worried more about people. if u run into hogs, those i'd consider dangerous, and would rather the .357 if it were me. plus walking in the woods w/ a revolver is more fitting IMO than a semi glock.

anyway, choose whichever u want or neither. i dont think it matters either way.
 
Bear in PN? I had no idea. Knowing that, go with a holstered 357 as back up, with the rifle or shotgun as the main gun.
 
My hunting back up is always a .357 S&W 686. I have no problem with the .45, but a .357 just feels right as a back up when hunting.
 
It would be a very hungry or more likely rabid 'yote or bobcat to attack a human. I had a PACK of yotes descend on my hog dogs who had a possum and they went to fighting over it. When I got there the yotes had given up against 4 medium size curr dogs and left out.
None of my dogs had visible wounds either.
Brent
 
No offense, but I never thought of anything on the East Coast as "dangerous game".

If you are hunting with a firearm, that is your best defense. If you are hunting with a bow (and it is legal to carry while doing so), I would be comfortable with either caliber with proper ammo.

I carry a .45 ACP while bow hunting only because I am afraid a mountain lion will eat me for lunch. Black bears don't scare me nearly enough to worry about.
 
I have no offense dav, But I will assure you that after you get up off your but after a 200+ pound hog hyper-extends your knees, you will assuredly proclaim them dangerous. Just because they are not predators nor commonly running down a woodsman doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. IMHO, the hog is the only animal in the USofA that has any ability to "reason". The fight or flight instinct is unusual with the hog. They have the ability to realize that damaging the predator than fleeing is sometimes advantageous to their survival. Many a hog has been released pointed away from man and dog with nothing but open ground in front of them, yet they do a 180 and try to tear up whatever they can before they flee...
Brent
 
+1 on hogdogs. As much as I criticize their sight, their smell is keen and they are damn smart and normally have a mean streak.

And that streak starts young! I had an 80# boar charge me for no reason I could figure. Just came blazing out of the palmettos during preseason scouting. Guess he didn't like having me around.

I've also had trapped pinney woods rooters that were given an option to run away stick around just to mess with us.

But for the most part, they'll leave you alone.
 
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i have lived in pa all my life, and never seen hide nore hair of a wild bore, but the bobcat thing is very unnerving when bowhunting, i usually carry a 1950's vintage S&W police .38S&W, now much umph, but enough to give me peace of mind'
ken
 
i have lived in pa all my life, and never seen hide nore hair of a wild bore, but the bobcat thing is very unnerving when bowhunting, i usually carry a 1950's vintage S&W police .38S&W, now much umph, but enough to give me peace of mind'
ken
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Arizona has one of the highest populations of bobcats in the US, and produces a high number of bobcat furs every year. I spend a LOT of time in the outdoors in bobcat country, much of the time calling predators, and have never had any trouble with them.

They just aren't normally agressive towards people. Sure, if they made up their mind to attack, they could certainly do some serious damage, but they tend to avoid people at all costs. As many as we have, casual sightings are fairly rare.

The same holds true for coyotes. I've litterally killed hundreds and hundreds of them while calling, and never had a problem.

Now foxes are another story, since I had one that scratched me up a bit about a year ago. But, it had every reason to think I was an easy meal, and foxes, once convinced of said easy meal, are sorta determined to have it.

Can't really claim the fox is dangerous when I'm out there sounding like a hurt rabbit, and a handgun wouldn't have helped a bit, since I missed it with a rifle. :D

We have a lot of mountain lions, and our share of bears in many areas I frequently call, and have never had a problem with them either.

Hogs, from my limited experience with them, would be the only one to be concerned about. There can be possible exceptions with rabid animals and the one in many million that decides it wants to bother you, but such instances are VERY rare.

IMO, trouble would be far more likely to come from a two legged varmint than any of the others.

Daryl
 
Ken22250 in respose to your not seeing a wild bore neither have I and personally I thought it was crap when people kept telling me about it. However, I've now gotten enough personal accounts from what I consider to be reliable sources to take it seriously. Also, I noticed in the pamphlet that the PGC put out for this year there is a page in the back talking about them being a problem. It's toward the end if you have one. The hogs were my biggest concern. Honestly, I only worry about the bear if I get between her and the cubs accidentally. They usually aren't aggressive and I've bumped into a few. As far as the cats and yotes I just threw those in there because any animal could do something unexpected. I have enough trouble getting coyotes to be around me when I want them there.
 
In the past I would have said to rely on your hunting rifle. But, a gentleman was killed in MT. while gutting an Elk by a grizzly sow.His rifle was leaning against a tree and the bear attacked from behind. He shouldn't have been in the wilderness by himself, but he was. I don't know that a big pistol on his side would have helped him or not. Something to think about.
 
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