Do you take a backup rifle on hunts?

[Yaremkiv]

Every time I see a Grouse or Ptarmigan fly off on the way up, I wish I brought a little .410 but that wish quickly disappears at the thought of adding 1 more damn pound to the pack.

 

[Boarmaster]

Yes. I’m a Southeastern deer and hog hunter and I always bring a back up rifle. For my basic deer hunting my back up rifle has always been my primary rifle in the past. That way I am very familiar with the rifle . Its not unusual for me to swap back and forth every few years. In 40 years I only felt I needed to use my back up once. I dropped my primary scope down on the rocks while I was loading it on my atv for a morning hunt. So I just grabbed my back up. Later that day I shot the rifle that i dropped and turned out it was still holding zero.
I might add I hunt 9 to 23 hrs drive time from home so I‘m not running home for a replacement.

 

[TN VOL]

If I'm going out of state hunting, yes. Deer hunting near home, no. If I'm going small game hunting I'll take a 22 and a shotgun, pick one for the morning and switch at lunchtime.

 

[PlumberED]

I don’t take a backup rifle since (now don’t laugh) I’m usually hunting within walking distance of my home. However, if I were to hunt more than an hour or so away from I would be inclined to take a backup.

 

[UpTop]

Never if I’m having to leave it in the truck. Saw someone say “that’s what insurance is for”. Some things can’t be replaced, though I do get that way of thinking, I’m just more sentimental about my rifles to shrug off one of them getting stole. I personally know a few folks who had their stuff stolen from their trucks. One had to watch it happen from his binos while he was up on the mountain cleaning an elk. Insurance was no help to him unfortunately. I also have no faith in insurance to be overly helpful in a situation like that. I did have a situation on a waterfowl hunt where the person I was with somehow managed to grab a case with the wrong gun that has me taking a backup shotgun on those type of hunts. But I don’t leave any firearms in my vehicle if I’m leaving it for a considerable amount of time.

 

[PlumberED]

Never if I’m having to leave it in the truck. Saw someone say “that’s what insurance is for”. Some things can’t be replaced, though I do get that way of thinking, I’m just more sentimental about my rifles to shrug off one of them getting stole. I personally know a few folks who had their stuff stolen from their trucks. One had to watch it happen from his binos while he was up on the mountain cleaning an elk. Insurance was no help to him unfortunately. I also have no faith in insurance to be overly helpful in a situation like that. I did have a situation on a waterfowl hunt where the person I was with somehow managed to grab a case with the wrong gun that has me taking a backup shotgun on those type of hunts. But I don’t leave any firearms in my vehicle if I’m leaving it for a considerable amount of time.

Good point about not leaving a firearm in your vehicle.

 

[Jim813]

I do. I was on a hunt with my brother last year where his scope screws worked their way loose after several days of hiking. It effectively lost him the chance at being successful during the rest of his hunt, as he missed the deer he had been hunting for several days. There was not enough time to sight the gun in after re-tightening as he had the next morning to hunt then was headed home.

 

[Jack321]

Yup, I def bring a backup if I'm traveling. If I'm paying for a hunt, and something happens, I don't want to ruin my hunt. I also spend hard earned money that i dont want to be disappointed. Same with all my buddies. We all have backups.

I usually bring a lesser gun as a backup.

Now if I'm close to home on the weekends hunting my normal spots, no, I don't bring a backup.

I'm also the type of guy who needs a backup gun for all my "primary" guns. I do the same with gear, camo, etc.

Last year my all my waterfowl gear and gun was in my brothers truck and a buddy called to go goose hunting after work. So I had to pull out my old Cabelas Camo, my Rem 1187, an old plastic flute goose call and some old 3 inch BB ammo. I made it work! Wouldn't have been able to hunt with out it!

 

[LightFoot]

If I’m not flying, the yes to a second rifle since weight and space is usually not an issue when driving.

If I’m flying, I usually can trust my hunting partner’s rifle if mine has a problem… and vice versa.


>>>——JAKE——>

 

[Novashooter]

I always bring a backup, and a lot of times I'll bring a third short range gun too. For example I will take two rifles, and a shotgun a lot of the time. That's along with always carrying a handgun. This weekend for a relatively short trip I'll be bringing a scoped rifle, a peep sight rifle, and a revolver. I'll also be bringing a bow, but that's just incase I tag out first day, and can go after some deer with a bow.

 

[JeffRaines]

I would bring a backup rifle if I'm more than 4 hours from the house. Anything less(I.E. a day hunt) and its not a big deal if something went down. It might tank my hunt for the day, but to be quite frank I have low expectations on day hunts anyway.

 

[FDme]

Not worried about ammo availability, but a backup scope is a great idea. Some fart smellers around here. Obviously I’m not one of them since that didn’t occur to me.

 

[eoperator]

I once forgot the ammo for my 257roy at home, that was a long 5hr drive to get back home opening morning. A 2nd rifle or commonly available cartridge would have been nice.

 

[hunt1up]

I do when driving, generally not when flying. Seems like it should be the other way around, lol.

 

[buffybr]

Basically no.

In over 50 years of big game hunting mainly in Colorado and Montana, including at least 20 years of horseback hunting in Montana wildernesses, and a dozen international hunts, I've never had a rifle or scope failure.

On one African hunt I did take two rifles, my .375 RUM mainly for a Cape Buffalo, and a 7 mm RM for plains game. On all of my other hunting trips I've only taken one rifle, and maybe a shotgun for birds on eastern Montana antelope hunts.

 

[go_deep]

Yes, as identical gun as possible too, the same caliber shooting the same ammo.

 

[buffybr]

I once forgot the ammo for my 257roy at home, that was a long 5hr drive to get back home opening morning. A 2nd rifle or commonly available cartridge would have been nice.

On one Montana antelope hunt that was about 3 hours from my home, 20 minutes into my drive I remembered that I had forgotten any ammo for my .257 Ackley, so after turning around and going back home for ammo, I was about an hour late getting to my hunting area.

Didn't matter, I hiked 5 miles (4 section fences) to where I shot a buck, then I field dressed him, tied him onto my pack frame and walked back to my car. Less than 1/4 mile from where I had parked my car, and not 200 yafds from me, another buck about the same size as the one on my back just atood there and watched me walk by.

 

[Ripnbst]

Absolutely yes.

 

[TaperPin]

Be careful out there - just this morning on a walk I noticed a newish out of state pickup with a nice 8’ enclosed trailer parked at a local nicer hotel, clear at the back of the lot, pulled up against the walking path. The plates said, “LUVTOHUNT,” or something like that. The odds are quite high that they are going big game hunting and where they are staying doesn’t allow firearms of any kind - that trailer says steal me, or at least, “chop a hole in me on the side hidden from view and take the guns and gear down the dark walking path 100 yards to the hidden residential parking area without cameras.” In parts of Boise someone would simply steal the trailer, about as fast as cutting a cat off the underside. I’m glad they were lucky - that walking path has had 4 shootings and a dead body in the last 6 months - stealing would be no big deal.

Keeping a backup gun in the truck at the trailhead is riskier nowadays, for the same reasons.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Keeping a backup gun in the truck at the trailhead is riskier nowadays, for the same reasons.

It absolutely tweaks me to leave anything of value, but especially firearms in the truck. The last thing I want a thief to have are guns.