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

[Elk2008]

I always carry also. I see a lot of folks carrying, even in non griz country.

 

[Phaseolus]

50 plus years in western Colorado’s backcountry, not just weekends but living in it. I don’t carry

 

[JDB9818]

I carry every other day of my life, it would feel funny to me not to carry when hunting. More concerned with the two legged creatures in the woods and I’m just more comfortable having it.

Glock 23 in 40 caliber.


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[footedshaft]

I am wondering how many guys hunt in areas without grizz and do or do not carry a sidearm when scouting or hunting during archery season.

If you do, what has worked for you to make it a good system? If you don't, how do you mitigate predator (human, animal, etc.) threats? Do you use bear spray? Have you just never had a reason to carry a sidearm and feel safe without it?

I am specifically speaking in terms of solo backpack hunting in non-rifle seasons. So everything from scouting to hiking to archery to camping and so on in the backcountry. I'm leaning towards carrying a Sig P365 XL with me this season, but wanted to get some feedback on others' experiences.

Thanks!

Didn’t carry for years but have been carrying a Glock 20 the last couple of years . Mount the holster on the Waist belt molly webbing on my Kifaru pack

 

[TheGDog]

That 10mm is a beast. I remember seeing a video a while back of a guy having to kill a moose from his snowmobile. If I remember correctly he was using the 10mm Glock.

That video it was a 9mm BTW.

 

[TheGDog]

If no bears Sig P238 .380acp. If any bears G29 10mm in a Razco under my Marsupial.

I know a lot of you "country boys" scoff and laugh at us newer hunters who carry sidearms. But I tell people "I know my luck." Also... I know from experience that if you slip and fall and shatter one of your wrists... you just made that rifle (or bow) useless!

I wanted the pistol specifically so I could have it directly on my person for whenever I step away from my pack, specifically when deboning an animal in the dark under headlamp. My first deer I was deboning him solo in the dark. And there were coyotes sounding off nearby. Not close enough to cause panic. But near enough to make ya feel uneasy. Especially a first timer.

The two firearms I noted are not very obtrusive. In Bear Country I used to carry my ol' reliable Ruger Security Six 4" .357 but it's 39oz when loaded. And the place I've been going for Bear specifically it's 7 miles each way. All downhill going in. And ALL UPHILL going out! And I gotta carry all my water, can't trust that there will be any in there. So saving some weight is a good thing.

Got to liking the compactness of the Sig P238. Wanted something compact like that but stronger so no worries of "will this handle a black bear?". In SoCal a 9mm would *probably* do it fine, but if you go 10mm, you know for sure it should be able to handle a Black Bear. And the G29 really isn't all that bad to shoot. It'd probably be a smart idea to use rounds with flash-supressed powders in them though. She makes an impressive fireball out the front of that 3.78" barrel!

EDIT: Also because of a long-standing lumbar/saccral injury (that's recently gotten worse) and previous shoulder injuries and arthro surgery, I know I can't run away or climb a tree or anything like that... I HAVE to stand and fight. I'm in the 50+ age bracket now, and I have a 13yo mouth to feed. And still something like 15 years to go on a mortgage. I can't be risking being unprepared Jack, Bump that noise! Plus... I found a Bear humerus (upper arm bone) out in D13 that I brought back out with me. At it's thinnest... that bone is like freakin' 3.5" in diameter! And as a dude who used to murder himself weight-training like a beast til things started ripping apart at about 45yo... My eyes got real big when I saw how damn big that bone is! The critter that damn thing was connected to was no joke man! I don't even wanna THINK about having to deal with something that yoked without a firearm handy!

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Here in Alaska I’ll carry a Glock G27 .40 for lightweight missions where I’m not too concerned about brown bears. Otherwise, a G20, because 15 rounds of 10mm.


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[dla]

I am wondering how many guys hunt in areas without grizz and do or do not carry a sidearm when scouting or hunting during archery season.

If you do, what has worked for you to make it a good system? If you don't, how do you mitigate predator (human, animal, etc.) threats? Do you use bear spray? Have you just never had a reason to carry a sidearm and feel safe without it?

I am specifically speaking in terms of solo backpack hunting in non-rifle seasons. So everything from scouting to hiking to archery to camping and so on in the backcountry. I'm leaning towards carrying a Sig P365 XL with me this season, but wanted to get some feedback on others' experiences.

Thanks!

I always carry enough to dissuade bad human behavior.

 

[WestMOhunter]

In case of emergency it is also more effective to fire 3 rounds than it is to shoot 3 arrows to summon help.
That’s funny right there

In case of emergency it is also more effective to fire 3 rounds than it is to shoot 3 arrows to summon help.

 

[pacoalcracker]

I carry a G19 full time and the situation dictates the ammo. Ive never archery hunted in griz/BB areas but if I did I would be trading the G19 in for my G40 10mm Longslide with 200gr hardcast. The slightly longer sighting length and extra weight helps keep it on point.

A sidearm is like a parachute. If you need one and don't have one, you will likely never need one again.

 

[dreamingbig]

I have never archery hunted with a handgun. I do carry bear spray when in grizzly areas.

A handgun probably has its place. I have thought about it for the random close quarter wolf interaction.


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[marshland_max]

I had a Glock 40 in 10 mm I used to carry. Didn't end up keeping it. Now a days all I worry about it People and dogs. I carry an Air weight Smith in 38 sp most of the time. otherwise its my GP100 3" barrel 357 mag. Sometimes I have my 22 lr browning buckmark camp pistol.

In bear country with inland grizz and coastal browns i m either packing the 12 ga or the 375 H&H and spray. We do watch for big bear sign to try and avoid them at all costs.

 

[chindits]

I’ve discharged a side arm at humans twice stateside, both times in the front country and both times I’d rather of had a rifle or been somewhere else like the backcountry.

I don’t carry in the backcountry and now that I’m retired I don’t carry in the front country. I’m entirely comfortable in the woods and haven’t felt undue alarm with cat and bear encounters. These encounters are rare for me with maybe only 50 days a year backpacking/scouting/hunting per year and another 30 or so day trips. Since I am only on trails for approach and exit, my interaction with humans is pretty rare and in general the CO population is pretty beat down and service oriented. Not at all like some folks in other parts of the country or overseas.

l do have a small can of pepper but I’m always trying to take pictures of critters rather than spray them.

 

[coloradoan]

This book is worth checking out if it hasn't been mentioned: Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance.

The author is a big time advocate of bear spray, but it's hard to read the book from cover to cover and not be convinced that a firearm is an important defensive tool in grizzly bear country (if you are willing to train with it).

The book is mostly about grizzlies, however. I am infinitely more concerned about human beings in the woods than I am about black bears. There is certainly a risk of predatory black bear behavior - the book I linked to above has some pretty horrific examples - but it is very, very small.

 

[mtwarden]

I had an interaction with a predatory black bear working for the USFS (in the middle of grizzly country- the Bob Marshall Wilderness) that was really unnerving. It was before bear spray was common place. I related the incident to my boss and he told me to purchase a handgun to carry ( but that he didn’t know anything about it ). Next day off a short barrel S&W 629 was in my possession

 

[Rick M.]

This book is worth checking out if it hasn't been mentioned: Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance.

The author is a big time advocate of bear spray, but it's hard to read the book from cover to cover and not be convinced that a firearm is an important defensive tool in grizzly bear country (if you are willing to train with it).

The book is mostly about grizzlies, however. I am infinitely more concerned about human beings in the woods than I am about black bears. There is certainly a risk of predatory black bear behavior - the book I linked to above has some pretty horrific examples - but it is very, very small.

I own this as well as Night of the Grizzlies on Audible. Both are very good. Night of the Grizzlies is rather harrowing. I was up until 4am because I couldn't stop listening to it. I ended up emotional at some point. Maybe it was the time, maybe I was delirious, or maybe I'm a pussy.

 

[FLAK]

Glock 30SF in .45 Super. (Any bear country, black or grizz).
SW 442 38+p (where there are no bears, but snakes)
Ruger LCP 380 (this gets carried everywhere, like my wallet).

 

[Wassid82]

9mm Glock, Beretta PX4, have been my go to options lately

 

[tomatz]

Smith 429PD or Glock 20. I carry pretty much everyday I’m in the woods.

 

[Ry_Harr_81]

All, this thread seems to be a little bit old but I wanted to follow up on this topic. I am aware that you are allowed to carry a sidearm for protection, and protection only. I'm going out to Colorado for archery elk / deer. If this question was already answered in the five pages that have been on this thread, I'm sorry that I perused past the answer, but I'm interested on what happens if you actually do shoot a bear or another predator for protection, and how the back and forth goes with a game warden and having to prove that it was in self-defense. I assume that if you call the game warden, say, 'hey I had to shoot a bear out of self-defense, it was charging toward me and wouldn't stop and I wasn't going to wait until mauled before shooting... here is the location of where the carcass lies' hopefully the game warden comes out and inspects it, and good for you for doing the right thing by notifying them, and that is what it is and nothing more. But I'm curious, is there some sort of drawn out investigation process? On the other side of the coin, I would assume that there has also been instances where somebody that legitimately doesn't care about the rules and wants to harvest a bear and keep its fur, would call the warden, and give the same blurb I mentioned above and lie about shooting one in self-defense, to give the guise that they are trying to do the right thing....and then says, 'well I would hate to have this animal go to waste, do you mind if I salvage the meat and take it to a taxidermist?' Any wardens in this thread?