To carry a pistol in the backcountry?

[justin davis]

Nope never carry. Non needed weight in my opinion. If it really comes to it. My an arrow from my bow will do some damage. Only if I was hunting in grizzly country might I consider a firearm.

 

[Vance in AK]

Never in the woods without a firearm. When I'm hiking (scouting) it's generally my 4.5" 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk loaded with heavy (340-350gr) hardcast bullets in a Sourdough Pancake holster.
Even when hunting it's likely as not a handgun (Ruger Super Redhawk in 480 with red dot).

 

[focker34]

If I don't have my rifle, I carry my Glock.

Scouting, hiking, shed hunting, hunting, camping, berry picking, it doesn't matter.

It only takes one time of not being armed and running into a situation of needing to be, to cure you of it once and for all.

I also carry a glock for all the above mentioned activities plus fishing. However, in this great state I live, one cannot simply carry while bowhunting. So my girlfriend carries the G20 for me in August.

 

[badkneesbro]

Never in the woods without a firearm. When I'm hiking (scouting) it's generally my 4.5" 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk loaded with heavy (340-350gr) hardcast bullets in a Sourdough Pancake holster.
Even when hunting it's likely as not a handgun (Ruger Super Redhawk in 480 with red dot).

I carry the same .45 ruger & holster setup. But down here in southcentral cali, I carry a combo of snakeshot & some lightly handloaded 300 grainers. This combo on the waist belt of a kifaru pack goes unnoticed until needed. When hunting, its just my tikka .270.

 

[jjentringer3921]

Thanks for the input,

I've hunted cougars in South Dakota, hunted elk in SD and Colorado, etc., but down here it seems everybody is worried about the cougars. I've been here in NM a few weeks and made two trips to Lincoln National Forest and on the first trip within an hour came across a fairly fresh 5x5 elk kill, and on the second trip came across an old 4x4 whitetail kill. Then on the second trip we decided to pack back in the middle of the forest. My girlfriend wakes up at 0330 and goes outside to pee and all of a sudden she starts screaming and dives into the tent. As she is diving I hear a growl. Turns out a cougar was nearby and must have been a little alarmed when she went out there haha. Funny now, but little scary at the time finding myself without any weapon at all. But it got me thinking that maybe I need to invest in a sidearm.

 

[samabell]

I always carry a semi automatic in my back pack when traveling in the back country. Can anyone confirm or not if a permit is required? I have a CO concealed permit but never carry with me in the back country. I do know that I could carry the handgun visible in a holster and that would be ok with respect to CO law. Thanks

 

[husky390]

I carry a 329pd. If I didn't have that, G20 for me. I wish Springfield would come out with an XD10.

 

[Trig]

I carry the S&W 329 in 44 Mag also when I shed hunt. It weighs 25.1 oz and is as much for hoping to get lucky and bump into a lion as it is for coming back to the truck. It's light insurance.

 

[JDeanP]

The sw9ve is a good $300 insurance plan. If I was in the middle of nowhere, where even the recreational farmers wouldn't go, I wouldn't have a problem just taking my bow. I respect the dangerous critters, but I dont feel a gun is necessary (for me). As has been said, its not the bears and cats that make sure the gun is in the pack.

 

[larryschwartz]

I don't understand where some folks are talking about having the gun IN their pack. The situation you are carrying it for (sudden encounter of the two-legged or four-legged kind) isn't going to give you five minutes to drop your pack and get the handgun out. Why not carry it on your waistbelt or in a shoulder holster?

 

[JDeanP]

Semantics, really.

 

[Bughalli]

I only carry when bow hunting in other states since CA doesn't allow it. Glock 23 (.40). Why carry? It probably won't stop an attack because you usually don't see them coming. More often than not you'll see a predator ahead of time and simply avoid them. So sidearms are mainly useful to avoid getting killed "during" an attack. The one you didn't see. Bear, at best it will be a loud noise. I doubt I'll get much done with it. I may get it drawn, but doubtful. Try shooting a bouncing basketball at 10 yards and see how you do. Mountain lion, yeah you won't see that attack coming at all. They sneak up on elk and deer, which have far better senses than we do. So most likely the lion would be on my back when I realize what's going on. We'll be rolling on the ground and my best bet is to get some shots in his gut (assuming I have any sense of mind and not totally frigan panicked). People, for the overly aggressive pot growers everywhere or illegals down along the AZ border. Most likely they will just see the sidearm and decide it's something to be avoided. You're probably more likely to have an altercation with people than animals. So I guess I really carry it most for people.

 

[JWP58]

I feel naked without a gun. I carry at work, at home, when Im out and about on my days off, while Im bird hunting, while big game hunting.

Point being, you never know who or what you're going to run in to. I train on a monthly basis and feel confident in my skill set when the adrenaline dump hits.

 

[Darren Best]

Hill People Gear kit bag for concealed carry that is quick to access while carrying a backpack.

 

[unm1136]

I pretty much carry all the time. I have seen intel on forest grows, clan labs, and here in NM there are road hunters that need to have their first six pack by 0900. I know one police department close to the border that runs patrol rifles in .308 in the event the cartels get ambitious...There have already been organized crime hits there. People get real possessive over "their" plot of national forest, and some forks with State Land Leases forget that dealing with hunters comes with the lease, and coworkers of mine have had leasees nearly come to blows.

Took the kids to Quemado last summer and had to deal with a bunch of high tweakers. I have never NEEDED a pistol on public land, but it was comforting as my 12 year old daughter and I backed away from a disturbed rattlesnake, and on the same trip in a wilderness area a domestic cow got a case of the hump and bluff charged us several times. Ordinarily it wouldn't have been an issue, but the wife and four year old were not that light on their feet. There have been cattle in my hunting areas for as long as I can remember, but I have never seen one charge people like that.

That said, having a pistol and not being able to access it, or worse, not having the skill level to use it is a bigger liability than carrying it. I cringe when I see guys take their 16 hour CCW class and think that that is all they need to do and they are suddenly competent. Many of those classes don't use a timer, and the last one I took used the old federal "coke bottle" targets. Holes in tight targets and a timer don't lie. If I need a pistol, I need it REALLY badly, REALLY quickly, and I have to be good enough to deal with the threat presented, whether that threat is two legged or four legged.

pat

 

[T43]

Dito JWP58

 

[Randle]

I walked into 7 wolves feeding on a 5 pt bull a few years ago while shed hunting , I had a .357 and I sure felt a little better having it with me. I now carry while bowhunting , some how an arrow doesn't give me confidence when I hear wolves barking around us while we cow call.

 

[amp713]

I pack a weapon of some sort anytime im in the woods, if i dont have my bow i probably have my Ruger 357 superblackhawk. If you see the attack coming itll make enough noise even if you miss to give you some time to reaim hahahaa but i am working on getting my CC permit then i will pack everywhere. I actually have a .22 derringer that i pack not so legally if i dont trust the area we are going to be.....

 

[AZ Vince]

I carry
I carry in town
I carry in the wilds
I carry at home
I carry at the store
I carry to take the trash out
I carry to carry the groceries in
I carry when hiking
I carry when hunting
I carry unless I'm in the shower
In short
I carry

Instead of my usual daily carry, Sig P226 DAK, I'll carry a Glock 26 with a G 19 spare mag for those times I want to cut some weight. When I'm out scouting, shed hunting, or just day tripping through areas I hunt, but not hunting, I'll carry the Sig and my AR. Oh yeah, I'm about four miles from Ol' Mexico.

 

[MTN-LIFE]

I live in Wisconsin so no real need for one here. But I just picked up a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .44 mag I figured it would be a good woods gun.