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 .
Once got chased into a lake by a pack of dogs while fishing. Stood there, knee-deep, in icy water at sunset watching them sniff around my gear and snarl at me. That, and the walk through the dark woods back to the car after they wandered off, left an impression. that was more than twenty years ago and I haven't fished, camped, hiked, or mountain biked unarmed since. Don't ever expect to either.
 
Tweekers. Yep, I have run into some seriously shady dudes in the woods. I have run into black bears and they don't want anything to do with people. Cougars are even more shy except in ultra rare cases. You are way more likely to run into a dangerous person or group of people than a dangerous animal in Washington state.
 
Sharpsdressed Man

Sharpsdressed Man


"Because a policeman is just too heavy."


Thank you Sir, had a crappy day and you just put a smile on my face :D
 
Well, I live within a stones throw of the San Bernardino Natl. Forrest and if you are beyond the more traveled trails you get into pot country.

I used to bring my 3" S&W 60 in .357 Mag, stoked with some Rem Golden Sabers. Now, I carry a Glock 19 with a spare mag and stoked with Fed Hydra-shoks.

I think, I'd rather carry a few more rounds, if my mutt and I find ourselvs within a pot farmers line of sight.
 
you get into pot country
Click to expand...

Saw an add for a new show about the DNR guys going after these drug people. Seems most are ileagal from mex, live in tents and are heavily armed in order to protect their crop.

Best be packing in the woods, look what happened to little red riding hood....
Hansel and Gretel....... it can be dangerous in them thar woods.
 
For me in the woods there are 3 things that warrant my carring of a side arm.
1. Dogs ferral or not I do not want to get bit. I also carry pepper spray, and from my experince while working as a cable contractor it works well. The gun is for just in case.
2. Hogs I do not want to be knocked over and disembowled by someones escaped hogs. I have been treed by one while bow hunting it was not fun.
3. Human threats. An animal control officer was murdered a while back by two meth heads retrieving a tank of amonia for use in making thier poision. They ambushed him, and took his gun then shot him with it.
While checking up on a family member's property I found some shopping bags with the empty boxes of stuff used to make meth, with an empty amonia tank. I had my hand on my gun all the way back to the truck. I know what the stuff smells like when it is being made. It carries for a long distance if I smell it I am turning around. I will call the sherriffs to check it out. For me it is just not worh it.
 
2 is better than 1

I have always carried a pistol while deer hunting because i just want to have something i can get too with ease when my rifle is slung over my shoulder. I carried a colt officer model 45 acp for years and felt protected when i was at the deer club sometimes all by my lonesome...What if you fall down a bluff and become seperated from your deer rifle? Coyotes will sense your in trouble that you cant move and will attack in a pack...
 
I carry in the woods for the same reason I carry when I'm not in the woods. The human threat.

I also am concerned about feral dogs and lately, coyotes.
 
Where I hunt there are quite a few coyotes/foxes/bears/wild dogs and once in a great while wolfs my uncle shot a deer one time and was attacked by a couple of coyotes and ever since then our whole family keeps a side arm or another person buddy system if you will.. just this past deer season we shot 2 deer opening morning and the next morning the gut piles were gone so we set up our trail cam and actually caught a bear and pack of wild dogs eating the gut pile we left out no more than 50 yards from camp. Scary stuff when ya think about I would rather not die by bear or a pack of dogs
 
Why do I carry?

http://www.rgj.com/article/20101202/NEWS07/101202040

On the street, in the home, or in the woods, people are the biggest threat. And yes, sometimes there are wild critters that can be dangerous.

And all places aren't the same. Hiking in Alaska may have different dangers than the lower 48 at a popular trailhead where returning to your car at night has risks, especially near population centers. Same with returning from fishing.:cool:
 
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where I fish there are an abundance of cotton mouths and bobcat, both who like the freshly caught red eye hanging on my stringer. So far I'm 2 Bobcats down and I don't know how many snakes.
 
A coworker of mine told me last night that a friend of his works for the MS dept of wildlife, and this man told him that years ago the state brought in bears and cougars to help control the deer population. But if you go talk to the game wardens they'll swear up and down that there are NO cougars in MS. Right....:cool:

I don't like going into woods without some kind of firearm, either handgun or long gun, I'm gonna have one on me.
 
I carry one for protection from any type of predators. Around my neck of the woods we have 2-legged predators in the form of marijuana growers and 4-legged predators in the form of coyotes and cougars. I always have my dog with me (currently 6mos) and I want to be able to keep her and myself safe.
 
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