Why you should always carry a gun in the back country.

[5MilesBack]

That is why I don't even approach people out in the woods. But maybe i am anti social. ha

I'm the same way. As soon as I saw any evidence of a camp, I would have veered off on another course far away from the camp.

 

[Browtine]

Funny story. But, if you would have really trusted your gut, you probably shouldn't have went hunting, had a cup of coffee the next day and then had some elk and potatos with the guy????

I carry a pistol pretty much 24/7 when in civilization, but don't want to carry the xtra weight when hunting CO.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Funny story. But, if you would have really trusted your gut, you probably shouldn't have went hunting, had a cup of coffee the next day and then had some elk and potatos with the guy????

I carry a pistol pretty much 24/7 when in civilization, but don't want to carry the xtra weight when hunting CO.

You are correct but we got caught up in the moment of the 5×5 elk and thought well maybe we misjudged him. We were wrong. Should have listened to our instinct, especially since Richard's and mine were in agreement.

 

[Elkfitness]

Wow. I only chat with those I see on the main trail. I did find an old trappers cabin a few years ago and snooped a little bit once I saw it wasn't in use.

 

[Schleppy]

Nothing wrong with being prepared. I chose not to bring the gun on my trip this year, and every person I encountered in the mountains in Colorado had one. Plenty of people enjoy being prepared to defend themselves and dont mind carrying the extra weight. There are some crazy mofo's out there. I was in law-enforcement for ten years and I never had to use a firearm against another person, but there are probably situations where if I hadnt had one someone might have been more willing to engage me.

 

[krueger]

Haha, I dont think your guns made any difference either. If anything it sounds like the guy was just messing with you probably because he was in a good hunting spot and didn't want you guys or anyone else sticking around for long. I think this because of the reasons below:


There was a 5x5 400 yards from his camp and your buddy saw a lone cow by his camp the day before.

He had his stuff spread out everywhere, clearly trying to take up as much room as he could so that other people hopefully wouldn't camp near him.

Being standoffish by not shaking your hand

He told some other hunters fom back east that there were already 3 guys hunting out of his camp, indicating that it was crowded hunting in this particular area

He asked you to camp on the other side of the creek.

He purposely was making weird/homophobe comments and mountain man challenges to make you guys feel uncomfortable and jabbing you in the ribs too

Sounds like he was smoking alot herb to make you guys feel out of place because he knew you guys wouldn't partake and/or didnt have alot of experience around it

He was probably asking for your personal information to make you guys feel uncomfortable


Sounds like his plan worked and he ran you guys off without you guys knowing what he was really trying to accomplish. People will do weird things to protect their hunting spots. haha I may have to adopt some of these tactics for my hunting spots if someone finds them. lol

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

That's a plausible scenario I suppose but it wasn't exactly some out of the way honey hole. That lake was reasonably close to the trail head and he was staying in a very well used camp site. Also he tried to get us to stay and keep hunting with him.

 

[ARod2000]

Proof there's oddballs everywhere! Maybe carry condoms for protection??? (sorry, bad joke)

I considered carrying after drug dealers planted hundreds of pot plants on my friends land in Kansas. After the KBI came out and slashed all the plants there appeared a random pit bull in the woods. It was gone quick enough but everyone got the message. Before then I only hunted with my bow and still do. Just takes away from the experience to feel like I need a gun. But I understand for sure! I'm in Georgia and we don't have badgers. My scariest moment in the woods was walking out at night with a very dim flashlight and encountering two badgers. I knew they were small from how close their eyes were to the ground but damn the noise they made! Anyway, I carry a better flashlight now!

 

[KHNC]

Good thing about my ccwp is I can carry whenever and wherever I choose too, IN any of the states ill be hunting in. If I decide to carry it, ill have little regard for anyone elses opinion on whether I should or not. If I had been with yall, I would have agreed 100%. I generally avoid people in the woods when I can as well tho. People would be the primary reason I would ever have my sidearm as I don't hunt in griz country.

 

[Rizzy]

Funny story. Did his horses look scared?

 

[orionsbrother]

All I know is that from now on, if I'm into a good hunting spot and anyone comes along, I'm introducing myself as Jeff's brother.

 

[huntaholic123]

Mark me down as one who errs to the side of caution and carries when out hunting or hiking. I know deep down 99.9% of the time I won't ever need to use my sidearm but that one time I do, I want to be darn sure I am prepared for the worse. Lots of nut jobs out there. Whether or not Jeff was messing with you or just one odd dude, it never hurts to have that piece of mind. I am one who does tend to take the long way around if it means not having to confront others.

 

[PA 5-0]

Nah it didn't really....however if I was being buttraped at any point by a weed smoking lunatic 47 miles from the nearest help I can kinda stretch it to believe that a gun may do me some good.

For you I have no idea, you may have ripped him apart with your hands or bent over and took it like a champ. I'm glad we had guns

That clear enough?

Crystal clear Brother. From what I've read, you were definitely in the presence of a shady cat. When the hair stands up on ur neck, plz listen to what it is telling you. Thousands of stories of wanted felons hanging out on public land where the camping is free and the people are few. One story that was fairly local for me:

A couple years back, a guy is bowhunting state game lands in the Poconos in Pa. Mountains but not Colorado mntns. He was parked on a open highway in the game lands parking lot. He comes out at dark and is met at his truck by two asswipes that robbed a couple banks in Ohio and were trying to get to NY I think. They beat him down, tied him up and stole the truck. They could have easily killed him. It rang a bell with me because I had hunted there many times and parked in that exact parking lot.

Now insert myself, or any gun toting US citizen, into that scenario and it goes in a very different direction. Fact is you may never need it, and I hope you don't, but when in wild places where law enforcement is a long way off, I ALWAYS wear a gun. Victim=Volunteer and I will not volunteer.

 

[ffparamedic]

Very well said! I think I remember you've been there done that with criminals before as well,...that has some to do with though process

 

[ndbwhunter]

What also adds to the uneasiness of the situation is that he invited us to hunt with him next year, then asked for my address (which I provided a false address, phone number, and name) and I wrote it on a magazine of his (no not Playgirl) and I got his name/address from the label..he had given us a false name.

That magazine probably belonged to "the other guys". Hopefully you wrote that name down in case someone files a missing persons report! I've never had an encounter like that, but I can't say I would have done anything different.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Next time you have an encounter like that, don't wait for them to make a move. Just drop trow and grab your ankles. Nine times out of ten they'll turn and run the other way! Then you'll have all the elk to yourself

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Crystal clear Brother. From what I've read, you were definitely in the presence of a shady cat. When the hair stands up on ur neck, plz listen to what it is telling you. Thousands of stories of wanted felons hanging out on public land where the camping is free and the people are few. One story that was fairly local for me:

A couple years back, a guy is bowhunting state game lands in the Poconos in Pa. Mountains but not Colorado mntns. He was parked on a open highway in the game lands parking lot. He comes out at dark and is met at his truck by two asswipes that robbed a couple banks in Ohio and were trying to get to NY I think. They beat him down, tied him up and stole the truck. They could have easily killed him. It rang a bell with me because I had hunted there many times and parked in that exact parking lot.

Now insert myself, or any gun toting US citizen, into that scenario and it goes in a very different direction. Fact is you may never need it, and I hope you don't, but when in wild places where law enforcement is a long way off, I ALWAYS wear a gun. Victim=Volunteer and I will not volunteer.

Better watch it, around here you police officers will be labeled as sissies because you carry weapons into situations where you outnumber the criminals. Thanks for your input, it means a bit more coming from someone who deals with unscrupulous people as a job on a far more regular basis than the rest of us.

 

[Manosteel]

If you could pack a side arm into the bush in Canada I would. Whether you needed one or not I, like you, would have been more comfortable with one if I were in you shoes. Now, I just avoid people I see in the bush, doesn't happen very often and usually only where ever I am parked.

 

[oct71]

Crazy story! I've ran into some weird dudes in the hills, but nothing like that. I've never packed heat hunting, but after reading this story, I might.

 

[Murdy]

Next time you have an encounter like that, don't wait for them to make a move. Just drop trow and grab your ankles. Nine times out of ten they'll turn and run the other way! Then you'll have all the elk to yourself

yah, but that 10th time is a sonfa-biatch