Why do you carry a pistol when you are out in the woods?

Why do you carry a pistol when you are out in the woods?

  • Predator – Bear

    Votes: 75 24.4%

  • Predator – Human

    Votes: 206 66.9%

  • Predator - Other

    Votes: 129 41.9%

  • I use it to Hunt

    Votes: 51 16.6%

  • I use it as a “finishing” tool when I hunt

    Votes: 36 11.7%

  • Plinking

    Votes: 69 22.4%
  • Total voters
    308
  • Poll closed .
I carry a pistol in the woods for the same reason I carry one elsewhere; because you never know when you'll need it.

I also carry one when hunting but have never had to use it for the coup de grace.
 
Predator - Any
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Yep. I live in the southeast, for me the 2 legged predators are the ones I'm most likely to run into. 2nd would be feral hogs, tied with wild dogs. A 300 lb feral hog showed up in my sister's neighborhood in the middle of a small town a few years ago. She said the ignorant hippies across the street were trying to get their small children outside to see the pig :eek: . My father was there as well, his frantic waving jestures encouraged them to get back in the house. A few days later, it showed up in a back yard 1/2 mile away. That big hog charged the responding officer, who put it down with a single blast of 12 guage 00 buck. I bet the PD and FD had a feast that evening :p .

There are black bears in my area, but I really am not much concerned with them. Most times they are easily frightened creatures.

Mountain Lions are very low on my list of threats, but I was stalked by one for nearly a mile, about 12 years ago. Warm fuzzies, it did not give.
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:eek:

The only thing that kept that Mtn Lion from jumping you was likely the fact that you were aware of its presence. You are quite fortunate. Most people who are attacked and survive to tell the tale report the ML came out of nowhere, completely taking them by surprise.
 
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All of the above.

Also, it's easier for me to unholster my pistol if a deer (or anything else) crosses my path on the way to my blind or tree stand.
 
All of the above

"Never go into the wild without a gun" -RJR (my father)

I usaully carry a longarm (shotgun/rifle) But when checking stands, line fences, cutting wood, etc. It's just alot easier to carry a pistol.
 
I guess my question is, why would a person NOT carry a firearm (whether rifle, handgun, or both) while in the outdoors?

My answer to the OP's question is "all of the above, plus some other reasons".

I can remember once in Colorado when my dad got "misplaced". He'd been dropped off at a distant location, and was supposed to work his way back to camp within a few hours before dark. We were hunting elk, and he started following a group, and got twisted around a bit. We finally found him about 8 miles PAST camp from where he'd been dropped off. He'd actually circled camp while following the elk. Him having a firearm made finding him a lot easier.

His firearm that night was a rifle, but if he wasn't hunting, a handgun would have served the same purpose.

So a firearm can act as a signal device if you're lost, injured, or are otherwise in trouble.

If I had a dollar for every critter I've turned into camp meat with a handgun, I'd be some better off.

So...

A handgun is a useful tool that can save your life, or at least make your living in the outdoors easier and better. Like a good knife, I carry a handgun with me pretty much always. Their uses are many, and I'd not be without either.

Daryl
 
Wildalaska said:
"Lions and Tigers and Bears O my!
Lions and Tigers and Bears O my!
Lions and Tigers and Bears O my!
Lions and Tigers and Bears O my!
Lions and Tigers and Bears O my!

WildmyrealnameisdorothyAlaska ™©2002-2010"
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Heh :D

Having spent much time in the outdoors, I'm aware that many folks harbor unreasonable fears about animals who live in the wilderness that might pose a threat. By a huge margin, the most dangerous threats people face in the wilderness are other people.

Still, just because animal attacks are statistically rare events doesn't mean someone is paranoid for considering the plausibility that they may occur. The fatality below happened near my hometown quite recently. A hiker was gored by a goat in a remote national park, and bled out before assistance could be provided. One contributing factor is that the mountain goat stood over the body of the hiker and refused to allow any other humans to approach.

While it's sad rather than amusing, humans trying to assist the wounded hiker were reduced to waving a space blanket and throwing stones to attempt to drive off the creature, because of course none of them were armed:

(Seattle/Tacoma area is about as liberal a enclave as you'll find anywhere. The concept of carrying a firearm while hiking would reduce many of them to hyperventilation and the vapors.)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/428578_hiker17.html?source=mypi


http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/10/28/1228386/no-sign-of-illness-in-goat-that.html


http://www.ktvb.com/news/regional/M...ath-of-Olympic-Natl-Park-hiker-105186459.html


In a very real sense, this hiker died primarily because no one was in any position to stop him from dying. He bled out because no first aid could be applied. The reason no one could apply first aid was simple - none of them were armed, and no one could approach him without risking being attacked by the goat.

"Conveniens vitae mors fuit ista suae"
That was a death conformable to his life. (Ovid)
 
The way I look at it, pretty much if you run into another person out in the woods they either enjoy the outdoors as much as me, or they are out there doing something they don't want anyone else to see. And the consequences are potentially much more serious getting into an unknown situation out in a remote area.

Note: I am not talking about an urban park or something here, I'm more talking about rural woods, especially when it is private property. Where if you run into anyone out there they would be trespassing, so that is a bad mark against their intentions already.
 
Heck, guys; I once started our campfire using a .357 mag when out camping. Our matches had gotten wet, we needed a fire to cook on, and it was fairly cold.

I finally poured a bit of Coleman fuel on the wood, and lit it with the muzzle blast from my revolver.

There are LOTS of uses for a handgun in the outdoors.

;)

Daryl
 
Words of my father; "It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it". You never know what or who you will run inot in the woods, so why not be prepared?
 
I carry in the woods in the hopes that someone will have mercy, unchain Wildalaska/Ken and let him wander out into the glorious Alaskan wilderness from which he first appeared.

Then we can have a long and serious discussion on topics ranging from "Hello Kitty" shower caps as concealment holsters, why his choice of red ruby slippers, to his personal opinion on the firearms which I am carrying (in the hopes that he will share his well deserved wisdom on said firearms); without the distractions of the females which, at present, constantly surround him.

Ah, one can always dream...
 
Well, I've recently had to put down a rabid fox and a racoon that was stalking chickens at noon. (He was probably rabid as well.) There have been wolf, bear, bobcat, and coyote sightings in the last two years.

I was out walking the power lines near my house about a month ago and ran across drug accessories. There were pipes, papers, bent (and scorched)aluminum cans, and broken beer bottles. I don't want to walk in to that group unarmed.
 
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