Hiking Order with wife/kids?

[Sam Colt]

I think you probably considered this, but how useful will the 10mm be with the family between you and the bear?

Hike as a group and make normal family chattery, giggly noises! Enjoy the beauty of nature!

 

[Mosby]

Cougars/Mountain Lions are also an issue in some areas. Do not let the wife or kids walk ahead or around by themselves....not just because of bears....but cougars too. Majority of cougar attacks are on women or children.

 

[HoneyDew]

The adult in front is watching the surroundings and setting the pace. The adult in back is watching the kids and keeping the group on pace/with the leader. You decide which of you goes where.

 

[taskswap]

Teach your kids "bunch up!" If you or your spouse see anything you want to pay attention to, you say that loudly, the kids stop and the adults bunch up around them. The very last thing you want in between you and a bear is one of your kids, so practicing this gives you an alert-plus-command in one statement.

Be careful out there.

 

[TheGDog]

Put it this way, we don’t need three people staring straight ahead…if I’m in the front NO one is checking left/right/ behind…they are just talking along. My daughter is MUCH better though as she’s gotten older (she will shepherd he friends away from sketchy people they don’t see), but i still like to see everything.
...

That's gotta feel greatly reassuring as the Dad, to observe that one daughter telling you about how she's warning her friends about "rando creepers" and such. We worry about 'em enough as it is, so hearing some story like that would sure seem to help ease some of that parental tension when they're starting to venture out-and-about on their own in the coming years. Good Job, Dad!!

 

[thedutchtouch]

i'd put more time/energy into making sure you're proficient with the handgun and she's proficient with the spray, that way you don't catch a family member in the crossfire/cloud while stressed. If she might panic, it might make most sense for you to have both the pistol AND the spray, as there's a good chance that she panics and sprays the group instead of the bear.

 

[WCB]

Incredible the fear some guys have of bears and of all things Mt Lions. This is not directed at the OP at all as preparation is a good thing. Probably the #1 comment I always hear when either I was guiding in Grizzly country or people now find out I used to is..."are there Mt Lions?" ME: "yeah a bunch and wolves". THEM: " I couldn't do it, at least you'll see a bear when it attacks you. A Mt Lion will just jump out of a tree on you"

Honest question...do some of you guys really have these things as a main forefront thought while hunting/hiking? I mean I pay attention to my surroundings, practice a bunch with my firearm, practice a clean camp. But some guys make it sound like they are constantly looking for trip wires and can't even enjoy themselves without Bears or threats dictating every step.

 

[roadrunner]

A better question is; how effective are you at making 3 well placed rapid fire shots in a 3" circle from 15 yds after 2 minutes of intense cardio?

If the answer is not effective at all, then you need to hike elsewhere...

 

[Huntindog45]

dont forget your lightning rod too.. may get struck by lighting...

Incredible the fear some guys have of bears and of all things Mt Lions. This is not directed at the OP at all as preparation is a good thing. Probably the #1 comment I always here when either I was guiding in Grizzly country or people now find out I used to is..."are there Mt Lions?" ME: "yeah a bunch and wolves". THEM: " I couldn't do it, at least you'll see a bear when it attacks you. A Mt Lion will just jump out of a tree on you"

Honest question...do some of you guys really have these things as a main forefront thought while hunting/hiking? I mean I pay attention to my surroundings, practice a bunch with my firearm, practice a clean camp. But some guys make it sound like they are constantly looking for trip wires and can't even enjoy themselves without Bears or threats dictating every step.

they are forgetting heavy rubber shoes in case of lightning..

 

[Roofer1]

And lotto tickets... simply asked a question because although it's not a big concern if it were me and my buddies my Mrs. is a big chicken and my "it'll be fine" response didn't assure her. Told her I'd ask a group of people that have experience. It only took until page 2 before the bravado stuff starts. With the 10 mm even if I can't hit anything with 10 rounds I'm really good at throwing the pistol itself at targets. The rubber boots won't match any of my color coordinated hiking outfits . Joking aside, wouldn't bring the pistol if I didn't train with it and yeah, yeah... more likely to be struck by lightning .

 

[grfox92]

Incredible the fear some guys have of bears and of all things Mt Lions. This is not directed at the OP at all as preparation is a good thing. Probably the #1 comment I always hear when either I was guiding in Grizzly country or people now find out I used to is..."are there Mt Lions?" ME: "yeah a bunch and wolves". THEM: " I couldn't do it, at least you'll see a bear when it attacks you. A Mt Lion will just jump out of a tree on you"

Honest question...do some of you guys really have these things as a main forefront thought while hunting/hiking? I mean I pay attention to my surroundings, practice a bunch with my firearm, practice a clean camp. But some guys make it sound like they are constantly looking for trip wires and can't even enjoy themselves without Bears or threats dictating every step.

I agree with the mountain lion part. I can't wrap my head around the fear of mountain lions. Statistically there zero chance of getting killed by a lion. I think one death every 20 years was the average for a long time.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[TheGDog]

I agree with the mountain lion part. I can't wrap my head around the fear of mountain lions. Statistically there zero chance of getting killed by a lion. I think one death every 20 years was the average for a long time.

Well... some of us know... "if it wasn't for Bad, I'd have no luck at all." and merely plan accordingly.

 

[displacedtexan]

If you think wife will panic, might consider not going. That could turn into a bad situation. But again, if the kids pooped their pants, the bear might run from the smell.

My wife is an awesome woman. Just panicky.

Amazingly our up close grizzly encounter (10 yards) was as calm as I've ever seen her.

 

[Roofer1]

My wife is an awesome woman. Just panicky.

Amazingly our up close grizzly encounter (10 yards) was as calm as I've ever seen her.

I'v e put more thought into this. If something did go south, I wouldn't be surprised if my wife handled it like a champ because she'd think of our kids before herself.