"Two Legged Predator" Encounters?

[Murdy]

I've never encountered anything in the woods that made me wish I was carrying; for that matter, I've never run into anything in down town Chicago either. Nevertheless, I do carry now, whenever it's legal. Same reason I wear a seat belt I suppose.

 

[ChrisAU]

Took a pistol in my chest holster this year on my DIY 2nd rifle hunt in CO. By the 2nd day it was a burden as I worried about it getting stolen from camp because I wasn't carrying any extra weight for something so useless when I had a rifle in hand. I also hunt with other people, if I was solo I may think different.

 

[Beendare]

I've had many cases but it was always bumping into Pot Growing operations. I've had that happen in Nor Cal, on the big island- Hilo side and on Kauai. I've been held at gunpoint in Norcal out of Gualala...that was on a private ranch we had permission to hunt! The ranch owner [80 yr old woman] had no idea the ranch Forman had a huge growing operation in there...we didn't either.

Besides that...no encounters where I would need a firearm for 2 legged critters.

The threat in some cities is real....but I think a guy is well served to get thorough knowledge of 1) deadly force encounters and the repercussions, 2) and getting expert training...before or along with the purchasing a handgun.

 

[silverbullet555]

Sasquatch is out there. He gets mighty upset with you when you bump him.

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I should add, I sometimes do carry a sidearm while bug game hunting on my own. It's on my hip or thigh so even if I set my rifle down, I have it. Don't know that it is necessary and I don't do it every time. But, it provides some level of comfort and adds some weight.

I don't do it for 2 legged encounters though. If I hunted in areas where there were pot grows, perhaps I would carry for that reason.


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[Antarctica]

Per my comment in a similar thread, I've never carried or been in a real situation where I wish I had.

That said, weird people get weirder when they think they're in a situation where they can get away with something. I've definitely run around in the mountains and wondered WTF I would do if I crossed paths with someone who had or developed bad intentions. And if I'm walking around in the middle of nowhere and meet someone, you can bet your ass I'm casing and gauging their intent based on their demeanor, posture, proximity, etc. There's been events in my in my life outdoors that have definitely given me cause for pause. In the 90's, several unsolved murders in Shenandoah, remote areas around Virginia Tech (where I stomped round a lot), etc.

If carrying laws were more universal and there weren't such a hassle, I definitely would.

 

[SunShine]

In Connecticut I encountered Yale students with garbage bags of human hair trying to shoo deer away from deer stands on farms we hunted.

Had 1 heated encounter with 2, but I was shotgun hunting and after calling me a few choice names then me asking if they wanted to push it further, they headed to their car. As I followed them out, got their tag number and turned it in.

No cell phones in those days, like early 80’s.

I carry a Colt Delta Elite 10mm in Florida now. I’m getting old, been “treed” before by charging boar hogs and can’t run nor jump as before. Really more concerned in flooded areas of alligators and dry areas with Diamond back rattlers then I am of boar and black bear . Sow bears ain’t no joke with cubs involved.

As for poachers ? Yeah, there’s always an issue in the early morning or late nite travels in and out. Hopefully those encounters stay reasonable.


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[MIKEYB]

There's this. . .

Police Identify 'Cookie Bandit'

This happened this year. .. . I believe it has been discussed on the forum.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ice-say/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9815786feda2

I'm sure I could find more. Many missing persons unsolved.


So it does happen. . .probably more likely to get hit by lighting in the back country. If you're saying you haven't heard, you're not looking.

 

[RLK3]

Run into quite a few of them hunting in South Texas.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Ran into poachers several years ago during the rifle elk season. No blaze orange. Rural accents. Very sketchy behavior. One nervously talked to me and said "Oh, we were just looking for elk. We have tags for a neighboring unit. But we aren't poaching!" Carrying rifles at the ready of course. I deal with such people by smiling, saying "hello," asking how their "hike" is going. I'll blissfully ignore the obvious if it results in a good outcome.

I've only ran into two truly scary people over the years. One while fly fishing a remote creek in the Gore Range. The other in the Presidentials. Strange non-talkative dudes. Flat affect. Not property equipped for the location. One was trying to build a shelter with willows in the wet flood zone of a creek. Very odd and wouldn't answer my "hello!" Just glared until I left. The other was way out in the Presidentials and he wouldn't respond at all. He looked gaunt and there was a ramshackle little wooden shelter behind him. I was bushwhacking to a remote section of creek to fly fish so I was well off trail. When I departed I looped back on my own trail to see if he was following.

If you spend enough time out there you will see some strange stuff. I've carried a pistol on and off over the years. Currently, I usually don't carry. But when I go with my young boys I'm always tempted to carry.

 

[KurtR]

Two places that I have run into unsavory types in the back country were western SD and NM. Both times I was glad to be carrying. Use and carry what your comfortable and proficient with. For me usually a glock 43 with a mag extension, so it 8 plus 1, then a spare mag. Weight penalty for sure, but worth it.

its amazing where you can find people cooking meth.

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

We hunt an OTC unit in CO frequently and a couple years ago a cousin and friend were up in a big high country basin and had a old timer on horseback ride up to them as they were eating lunch. They began to chit-chat and it then soon turned into the old timer talking about how all the hunters and hikers have ruined his favorite spot and according to my cousin, the guy moved his jacket off his hip and he was plainly displaying a revolver.

My cousin and his friend went on to explain that this is the first time they've been in that particular area and they see the increase in traffic as well. A couple days later, they parked their 4 wheeler at the trail head where it was allowed, came back down at dark, and it had permanent marker squiggles and profanity written all over the gas tank and seat.

 

[541hunter]

"Two Legged Predator" Encounters?

Camping right off a NF road; which I don't like to do, but had no choice in this particular situation. Around 3 in the morning my buddy in another tent yells "Get your gun!"....unzipped the tent with said gun, and ran out to a cars headlights pointed in the direction of my tent and about 20 feet away. Had one in the chamber and in the ready position as I approached the truck.....turned out to be a guy that passed us earlier in the day, drunk as a skunk, and driving back to his tent for the night. Told him he scared the shit out of us and that he was about to get shot. He apologized and that was that.

Other than that, I have never felt threatened when hiking on trails or in the backcountry, but I always bring a sidearm with me cause you just never know. What's the saying; "rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." That's my approach - especially if weight isn't an issue - and the sidearm, for me, is weight I'll always bring.

If anything, I probably am the threatening figure as I'm hiking with a loaded pack, sometimes my HPG chest rig and a gun hanging on my belt haha.

Why would you react this way to headlights on your tent when camped off a NF road? A bit overkill and unwarranted. I often drive all night to get to some of the areas I hunt. When trying to find a spot to catch some quick shut eye before hiking in I pull into a number of spots. Sometimes some have people camping already and my headlights shine in their camp. At 3am I see someone running at me with a gun, the situation gets unnecessarily complicated as I have potentially now perceived you as a threat. To even think about shooting in that situation makes me wonder. I know in Oregon you would have been going to jail in that scenario had you shot.

It would be different if someone was rummaging through your camp and there is a perceived threat to your life.


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[Trial153]

The NM deal I will refrain from since it's s small world and not as dramatic.

South Dakota. I was bowhunting mule deer and camping about a mile into National forest, I was hunting a mix of public and private like 10 miles away and this was the closest spot I had that I could camp.
Anyway the first night i slept on the ground and woke up frosted over, so I then set a tarp up in a little bit of woods about 100 feet from the truck. I was parked off the forest service road. I was a good 75 yards off the road on a cut in. surprisingly during the night something woke me up. It crystal clear out and had good moon so I could see plan as day. I first noticed a truck stoped down the forest service road like 250 yards away, it was off and had no light on. Then I saw two men walking in the direction of my truck. I got up and scurried over towards the my truck keeping the truck between me and them walking to it. I dont think they seen my tarp in the woods as they were surprised when I walked around the truck a greated them they were like 50 feet from the truck at this point
I said basicly said " hey wtf are you doing? " and one guy mumbled some bullshit about seeing if everyone ok. So I said yea I am fine why dont you two start heading out then way you came. Instead they started walking again towards me, it didnt but a split second to recognize danger and thats when they found a handgun pointed at them. They started backing up quick and now they got really talkative with excuses. They backed away a distance then turned and ran to truck and drove off.
At that point I thought it best to pack my shit and get out of there, which I did. I drove down to where I was hunting and slept a bit in my truck. In the morning I made a call to police and got a visit from a Park ranger and state Police. I told him what happened and that confirmed that there was some undesirable types and drug activity ect. Both were pretty clear that they thought it was good that I was preemptive and armed because it was obvious these guys were shitbags and who knows what they would/could have done.

 

[ethan]

About 12 years ago my wife and along with a friend and his wife hiked in to a remote area for an overnighter by a cave. This is not a visited area or well known and you just sort of have to know where it is to find it. We spent the night and had an uneventful trip. That was in August. A few months later my friend hikes back in to hunt for a couple of days and walks up the mountain maybe 200 yards from where we were and finds the remains of a camp with clothes lines strung up, empty food cans, etc... He hikes out and calls the ranger over the area and apparently there had been some guys with a pretty large pot operation back there that had been arrested a few weeks prior to this. The repanfer told my friend that if we were there in August they almost certainly would have been there and probably decided to lay low in order to keep their operation secret. It was pretty unnerving to realize we put our wives in that situation with no way to protect ourselves if things had gone south. I don’t always carry, but when I do carry it is absolutely for two legged’s and not critters.

 

[JWP58]

Well when you have to deal with folks that lead a life most here dont see too often, youd be surprised how many strike up conversations like "go hunting this year?" And mention trailheads and areas you're pretty familiar with. Do I want to bump into some of those folks in the middle of nowhere without a defensive weapon? No, no I do not.

 

[Whitetoptom]

Natural instinct aggressive behavior in wild animals and evil oftentimes drug fueled ill intent in humans bear a close resemblance to one another. Being equipped to deal with those situations is necessary in my opinion. Whether that be in your home, community, abroad or the backcountry. Just remember that being ignorant of the laws that surround those choices could put you on the wrong side of the law.

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[Drop Bear]

I've found some weird stuff wandering around out bush; rough camps, a 6' by 2' by 4' freshly dug hole, folks shooting heroine, shot out cars, areas where people have 'crops', poachers trying intimidation tactics. In Australia though, other than my bow there isn't much you can have as protection.

 

[matthewmt]

My SOP is a pocket pistol 24/7, I do prefer aiwb with a G19 but with tool bags and a achy back that doesn't always work. Bow season is G20/pocket 380 with hard cast wad cutters.
Rifle season is pocket 380, been thinking of grabbing a hammerless j frame in 357 for daily chores etc.

No real sketchy experiences in the wild but my employer is a chief of a large volunteer fd, he lives in the foothills of a popular mountain range to bike, horse back, hike, hunt and shoot up or smoke meth or just drive roads and do what ppl do outside the realm of normal operating hours. I here stories all the time of scumbaggery going on.
Archery season before last me and a buddy did encounter a sketchy cat in full camo with a rifle the day before archery opened bugling and cow calling. He was of Hmong dissent I believe and was clearly hunting. He was vague with broken English, the more we discussed it we called it in once we had service. The warden tied up on wild fires didn't make it up until a couple days later. He explained they've been a problem and will dress out game in a flash and be outta there before they ever had a chance. His words were where they come from "when the fishing is good, the fishing is good" in regards to seasons and quotas etc.

Have heard first hand of mushroom and huckleberry pickers as well being armed and not friendly in my A.O

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[Crippledsledge64]

My SOP is a pocket pistol 24/7, I do prefer aiwb with a G19 but with tool bags and a achy back that doesn't always work. Bow season is G20/pocket 380 with hard cast wad cutters.
Rifle season is pocket 380, been thinking of grabbing a hammerless j frame in 357 for daily chores etc.

No real sketchy experiences in the wild but my employer is a chief of a large volunteer fd, he lives in the foothills of a popular mountain range to bike, horse back, hike, hunt and shoot up or smoke meth or just drive roads and do what ppl do outside the realm of normal operating hours. I here stories all the time of scumbaggery going on.
Archery season before last me and a buddy did encounter a sketchy cat in full camo with a rifle the day before archery opened bugling and cow calling. He was of Hmong dissent I believe and was clearly hunting. He was vague with broken English, the more we discussed it we called it in once we had service. The warden tied up on wild fires didn't make it up until a couple days later. He explained they've been a problem and will dress out game in a flash and be outta there before they ever had a chance. His words were where they come from "when the fishing is good, the fishing is good" in regards to seasons and quotas etc.

Have heard first hand of mushroom and huckleberry pickers as well being armed and not friendly in my A.O

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I understand the mushroom and huckleberry pickers. Some of those folks guard their spots more than the pot farmers!

 

[mtmuley]

Never any issues in the mountains. Yet. Had to explain to a couple tweakers in a Home Depot parking lot of all places that I could offload my own cart. Pretty funny the reaction when the 6 gun came out. I carry alot anymore. mtmuley