Hunters in Grizzly-Free Country - Sidearm for Archery / Scouting?

Attacks and encounters are way up in my state as well.
when I am not packing a rifle I do always carry a pistol
I have “ needed “ it 4 times. Twice a warning shot was sufficient and twice the animals had to be killed.
For anyone who carries bear spray only, I would highly recommend you buy any extra canister, take it out in the woods and use to get an idea what to expect.
 
I hunted 8 days solo in Wyoming non-grizz country. Car camped and bivy'd out a few nights. Only because I already had a 10mm, I would car camp with my pistol handy, just for problem black bears, as the area gets a lot of camping pressure--never know if there are habituated bears around. I did also take it with me when I bivy'd out, but it stayed in my pack when I was hunting, as my only concern was a bear coming into camp at night. I could have just as easily left the pistol in the truck, but there it could get stolen, too. I give no shits about black bears in the backcounty, which is probably too few shits. I would never carry spray just for black bears.
 
Dos Perros said:
I hunted 8 days solo in Wyoming non-grizz country. Car camped and bivy'd out a few nights. Only because I already had a 10mm, I would car camp with my pistol handy, just for problem black bears, as the area gets a lot of camping pressure--never know if there are habituated bears around. I did also take it with me when I bivy'd out, but it stayed in my pack when I was hunting, as my only concern was a bear coming into camp at night. I could have just as easily left the pistol in the truck, but there it could get stolen, too. I give no shits about black bears in the backcounty, which is probably too few shits. I would never carry spray just for black bears.
Click to expand...

I believe spray is much less effective on black bears as well.
 
I keep a (unchambered) Glock 43 in the mesh pocket on the back of marsupial gear harness. I've only recently figured out that it fits there and have roughly 50 miles of use on it throughout the season. Sample size is small, but I've not had an issue yet.
 
I never carry in the back country either recreating or hunting. I own handguns but I just use them for plinking and enjoy them as nice design objects, I have no practical use for them with my lifestyle. As for hunting and hiking my back country kit is dialed, I don't want the weight or complexity of handgun carry in the field. If I'm taking a weight penalty I'll put it towards a nice ribeye before that. I'm a solo hunter most of the time and a solo backpacker for my summer adventures. Most hunting is home in CO with bears, mouse and cougars and not grizzlies. I recreate in the summers a lot in WY and MT in some areas that add Grizzlies to the mix. The only thing different I do in Griz country is carry a can of seasoning. In the 45 years I've been on this earth I've bumped plenty of bear, cougar and moose. I'm convinced the best defense in any threatening situation is having your head on your shoulders.
 
Last edited:
I carry during archery because of the other two legged creatures in the woods. The front range of Colorado has seen an increase in homeless people living out in the woods as well as run ins between hikers and these people. A couple years ago a couple who were out hiking were tied up and held at gunpoint outside of Nederland Colorado by one of these people . While turkey hunting I've run in to a few encampments further back in to the woods than you would think, not about to run in to one and be at a disadvantage. I've been within 20 feet of multiple bears and other things to not be too worried about them so much.
 
I am in the woods in Oregon solo almost daily and feel absolutely zero need to carry any kind of gun to deal with animals or people. As Hoodie posted there has been one human death in the state from bear or cougar which is an extremely tiny risk.

As far as people in the woods, I can deal with them. I have nothing they would want to steal if they were so inclined. Bring a handgun into the mix and the dynamics change in ways that could be dangerous for me and/or them.
 
Rick M. said:
I mean, I get what you're saying, but the same could be said for church or the grocery store or anywhere else for that matter. The chances of being victimized are extremely low, but don't tell that to the guy who stopped that attempted church massacre a while back because he was packing. I don't really care about the odds, I just care about being prepared and having peace of mind. I don't think it adds inches to my dick to carry a sidearm. It's just something that puts me at ease because I can be a pussy when alone in the wilderness.

Also, just in the past few years in Boulder county alone here in Colorado, there has been both a bear and a cougar attack. In one case, a guy was dragged from his tent by a black bear, the other was attacked by a cougar while trail running. This stuff definitely happens. Heck, a few weeks ago a guy in Provo was being walked down by an angry momma lion on a well-used trail.

I get it that some people are too bad ass for carrying a sidearm, I'm just not one of them.
Click to expand...
I definitely didn´t mean to imply that being bad-ass had anything to do with it. I just look at it like anything else with backpack hunting or backpacking in general. If I carried everything I could possibly need in any circumstance, I would never get anywhere. I think acting right around predators can go a long way towards things going well. If not, I´ve got a bow, a fixed blade knife that serves more than one purpose to justify itś weight, and statistics to make me feel warm and fuzzy while I get eaten.

Youŕe right that it absolutely does happen. Thereś been well over ten black bear attacks in Colorado since 2000. But only one has been fatal. It was a 74 year old woman who was warned repeatedly to stop feeding bears. That was in 2009. It was the first fatality since 1993. In 2018 a five year old girl survived an attack.

I should add I´ve considered carrying bear spray for archery elk a few times, just haven´t done it yet. Itś undeniable that a guy blowing calf calls a mile from the nearest established trail at sundown has a better chance of a bad run-in than the average hiker. Same with dealing with meat at night.

And meth-heads are legitimately scary.

Iḿ sure the overwhelming majority of responses you get will be from folks who carry. This is just the rationale from someone who doesn´t. It comes down to personal risk assessment. If I bow-hunted solo in NW Montana, I would have spray and a pistol at all times. In Oregon Iĺl take my chances. If I have a bad run-in, I might change my stance on the whole weight vs usefulness deal.

I´ve been wrong before :)
 
I carry a glock 43x with shield arms 15 round mags but typically only do that when I scout. I very rarely carry on the actual hunt. Once the area becomes familiar to me I don't feel the need to have a sidearm.
 
I carry a CZ p01 in a HPG Kit bag. Its loaded with buffalo bore 9mm outdoorsman loads. they are a 147 grn flat nose bullet at about 1100 FPS. I figure it will work as well on a black bear as it will on a two legged threat. never had to use it. I like the kit bag because I can toss my odd and ends in it as well.
 
Hoodie said:
I definitely didn´t mean to imply that being bad-ass had anything to do with it. I just look at it like anything else with backpack hunting or backpacking in general. If I carried everything I could possibly need in any circumstance, I would never get anywhere. I think acting right around predators can go a long way towards things going well. If not, I´ve got a bow, a fixed blade knife that serves more than one purpose to justify itś weight, and statistics to make me feel warm and fuzzy while I get eaten.

Youŕe right that it absolutely does happen. Thereś been well over ten black bear attacks in Colorado since 2000. But only one has been fatal. It was a 74 year old woman who was warned repeatedly to stop feeding bears. That was in 2009. It was the first fatality since 1993. In 2018 a five year old girl survived an attack.

I should add I´ve considered carrying bear spray for archery elk a few times, just haven´t done it yet. Itś undeniable that a guy blowing calf calls a mile from the nearest established trail at sundown has a better chance of a bad run-in than the average hiker. Same with dealing with meat at night.

And meth-heads are legitimately scary.

Iḿ sure the overwhelming majority of responses you get will be from folks who carry. This is just the rationale from someone who doesn´t. It comes down to personal risk assessment. If I bow-hunted solo in NW Montana, I would have spray and a pistol at all times. In Oregon Iĺl take my chances. If I have a bad run-in, I might change my stance on the whole weight vs usefulness deal.

I´ve been wrong before :)
Click to expand...

I appreciate your feedback and experiences. I wasn't trying to imply that you were a badass for not carrying one, just that I don't feel brave enough to do so :) Thanks for your contribution.
 
Always, either a G20 in a paddle holster on my pack belt, that easily moves to my waist band; or a Ruger LCR in a pocket holster. The LCR carries like nothing at all but the G20 gives some extra "comfort" albeit more cumbersome.

Despite the miniscule chance of an animal attack, if it puts your mind at ease and keeps you in the woods longer, I see no downside.
 
I’ll carry a 10mm Glock with lazer/light for blood trailer wild hogs while bow hunting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

gloveglobe
Roosevelt Elk Logging Country E-Scouting Tactics
Replies
4
Views
139
hibernation
H
flanneldude
This midwesterner is hunting alone in grizzly country
2 3 4
Replies
72
Views
3K
Okie84
Okie84
L
Arizona Scouting
Replies
10
Views
572
mxgsfmdpx
mxgsfmdpx
ADub
Pre-Season Hunting District Selection & Scouting
Replies
4
Views
206
Skerhunter
Skerhunter
M
Suppressor mirage—ways to mitigate it?
Replies
18
Views
464
slm9s
S

Latest posts

Featured Video

Latest Articles

Back
Top