Would a side arm be necessary? Also what caliber?

[Brooks]

You never know what’s about to happen, I’d bring it.
I’ve never been without mine since about 7 years ago...I was at a convenient store getting a bag of ice out of the icebox in the parking lot when two guys and a girl were walking by. One of the guys stopped and said what the “$@# are you looking at then pulled a long neck beer bottle out of his jacket, smashed it on the ground holding it by the neck and started walking at me with it screaming what the $&@# you looking at. His buddy and the girl stopped and started walking back our way. About that time I pulled my handgun out and pointed it at him, he came to a stop and backed off so did his buddy. I said to him.... I’m looking at you MF’er.... then he started yelling at me.... kill me, go ahead and kill me but he was still backing away. I got in my truck and left. Not so sure what the outcome of that would have been if my .45 had been at the house.

 

[87TT]

Don't need a tent until it rains.

 

[MidMtn]

Let’s hear the story!

Had a cat come into my camp at 3am and it hung around for an hour. Kept coming up to my bivy and I would have to scream and bang on the tent to get him to run away. Did it about 5 different times and made the most unforgettable noise Ive ever heard. Go to YouTube and search “mountain lion caterwauling.” I poked my head out when I knew he was far away and considered firing a round in the dirt to scare him off but he ended up leaving. I somehow fell back asleep and woke up with my 357 on my chest. Waited for the sun to rise and decided to end that hunt a bit early. Needless to say, I was a bit spooked and took a buddy up there the next weekend for some back up. If I didn’t have my sidearm I would’ve shit in my sleeping bag

 

[xziang]

I take one however have seriously considered taking the buckmark 22 instead for ptarmigan. (If it is legal to shoot them with a 22)

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

As far as caliber goes: I carry a Kel-Tec PMR30 .22 magnum in the woods. It’s not the most powerful gun, but it will get the personal protection job accomplished no problem, especially with 30 rounds in the mag. The plus side is it’s barely over one pound fully loaded so you don’t even know it’s there.

 

[DESERT ED]

As far as caliber goes: I carry a Kel-Tec PMR30 .22 magnum in the woods. It’s not the most powerful gun, but it will get the personal protection job accomplished no problem, especially with 30 rounds in the mag. The plus side is it’s barely over one pound fully loaded so you don’t even know it’s there.

Ya... I’ve been eyeballing one of those for a while. If I ever find one locally I’ll grab it.

 

[CoffeeGoat]

My wife came home from work one day and told me to go buy a hand gun to carry while hunting (yes dear!) - here's the story she got from her boss.

Her boss's son was out bow hunting in Colorado with a buddy, they were separated by about 50 yards when the buddy catches site of a mountain lion. Her son hadn't seen the lion yet and the lion started to charge him. The buddy draws - starts yelling - and has a stump picked out where if the cat makes it there he'll start shooting. The son turns and see the lion and about 5 yards before the buddy was going to start shooting the lion changes direction and bolts. The whole thing was over really quick, and they were sufficiently spooked to can the hunt at that point.

Anyways, now I carry a FNX-45 loaded with 45 super hardcast in a kenai chest harness.

 

[Buglebrush]

Let's hear some stories about a time you actually had to use your sidearm while in the woods, besides just being glad you had it. This could take a while...I'll wait.

27 fatal cougar attacks in the last 100 years in North America, more than half were chlidren.

List of fatal cougar attacks in North America - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Believe me there's a lot of stories out there. When you kill a cat or bear in self defense you don't tell the story. I'll leave it at that.

 

[mtnbiker208]

personal preference, i usually don't.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Ya... I’ve been eyeballing one of those for a while. If I ever find one locally I’ll grab it.

I have 2! They get a bad rep because they’re kind of a quirky gun, but once you get it dialed in, it’s awesome. Honestly, it’s my favorite pistol.

 

[*zap*]

A side arm may be necessary @ any point of time, anywhere. 9mm, two legged predators is all we have here to worry about.

 

[87TT]

I have a S&W 340PD, .357 mag five shot that just stays in a holster attached to my EXO K2 belt. It weighs under a lb loaded. Speed loader in the pouch.

 

[ramsdude47]

For obvious reasons there is no way to prove my hunch, but I suspect 60-75% of times a bear or mountain lion is shot in "self-defense" that it unequivocally did not have to happen for the shooter to come out unscathed...at least here in Colorado.

The same applies to far too many "2 legged predator" shootings as well.

 

[chindits]

Not needed but there are no issues with open cary here unless you have felony or DV history. I too have had cat and bear encounters but I reach for the camera.

 

[Phaseolus]

Had a cat come into my camp at 3am and it hung around for an hour. Kept coming up to my bivy and I would have to scream and bang on the tent to get him to run away. Did it about 5 different times and made the most unforgettable noise Ive ever heard. Go to YouTube and search “mountain lion caterwauling.” I poked my head out when I knew he was far away and considered firing a round in the dirt to scare him off but he ended up leaving. I somehow fell back asleep and woke up with my 357 on my chest. Waited for the sun to rise and decided to end that hunt a bit early. Needless to say, I was a bit spooked and took a buddy up there the next weekend for some back up. If I didn’t have my sidearm I would’ve shit in my sleeping bag

MidMtn, you work on Thunderhead??

 

[Roughwater]

Is a side arm necessary for Colorado?

No, not necessary.

For Montana- would be good to have.

 

[Beendare]

In 4 decades of bowhunting...its been very rare I would ever need a handgun....and I went about 3 decades and never bothered packing the extra weight.

There have been enough cases in recent times where having a pistol would have been a prudent measure...so now on most hunts I'm packing. Grizz bear areas its a given-G20 SF with underwood 200gr hardcast.

Other hog hunts or sketchy areas I've been packing my Shield 9mm with the +p hard cast loads....but I get why some don't....a bow is a formidable defensive weapon. My Co buddy shot a lion with his bow at 15 feet that came to the elk call stalking him- he said he got a creepy felling and turned around....and there was the cat ready to pounce. [of course I told him he was a pussy for not following up that wounded lion with a foot of arrow sticking out of him- grin]

______

 

[CakeEater]

Second Coffee Goat and Beendare’s recommendations. Had a G20SF with LoneWolf barrel for 10mm hardcast and an HK USP45 for 45 Super. Kept the USP so I could consolidate calibers and shoot 45ACP with the occasional 45Super.

Edit: I believe I saw a recommendation for the Bar-Sto in the USP if hardcast was more than occasional.
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[MidMtn]

MidMtn, you work on Thunderhead??

Nope but I ski there a lot. Why do you ask?


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[Sled]

never know what you may run into in the woods. a bow is not a self defense weapon and quite useless when you're cleaning/packing an animal. live and learn but i always have an lcp on me if not something bigger.

fwiw, when you're in thick cover cutting up an animal and you hear a chainsaw start up way off in the distance, that's a good time to stop what you're doing and re-evaluate your situation...cause that ain't no chainsaw and it's much closer than you thought.

yeah, 95% of the time they take off running but when you see an animal thinking about whether or not he can take you, that's a bad time to fumble around with an arrow, release and find your bow.