canadians, and aussies, and whoever else can't have guns

collecter said:
In addition to the fal you would probably need to have a hunting license in order to be legal with a rifle in the woods. Check the regulations for your provice.

If you never owned a rifle before the 45-70 could be intimidating. A 30-30 would be milder recoiling and still plenty powerfull for stopping a black bear. I use the 30-30 on moose at distances up to about 100 yards. A 12ga with slug thru 000 buck shot is also very relaible bear stopper and a 12 ga pump such as an 870 is less expensive that a even a Marlin 30-30.

Here in the USA, most people I know carry a gun in the woods more because there is a healthy gun culture than a real need. I like the rights Americans have with respect to guns and I wish Canada had similar rights for it's citizens.

It's very comforting to have a handgun with your in the woods. I've become used to it and I like having one. Even if I'm hunting with a high power rifle or 12 ga I still carry +P 38 sp Airweight...I love that little gun. When I go back to Canada for a visit I get to carry a whistle...makes me sad.
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Thanks for the advice! The biggest rifle I've fired is an old .303 Lee Enfield when I was in cadets. I've also been looking at a shotgun which would be a much cheaper solution, and perfectly capable at the short ranges I'd be looking at.
 
Well it really depends on where I go and what I'm doing. Day walk it'd just be a multitool or SAK. Something more remote or for a few days would be that and a small fixed blade. Possibly a Fiskar hatchet or my machete if firewood was going to be required. That's it as far as sharp things go.

I'd also take a small FAK and pocket kit for a day walk. A multiday walk would see me take a larger FAK and probably a walking stick. Car camping would probably see a full size axe, saw and shovel added.
 
I will add a note from my little country - firearmr are illegal generally - you need a license before you can buy a rifle, then if you want to buy anything like a pistol, you have to jump through hoops, get inspected by police, join a club, and then it can only be used at a range.

If you are out in the woods hunting then firearms are fine (as long as you have your license etc), usually though that woould be a multi day trip, not a walk in the woods.

Knives are even worse - anyone can buy a knife, but you can not carry it-unless you have a reason, so farmers or dock workers, or fishermen etc may be able to get away with one-but not normal everyday people in suits or civies.

However if you went hunting/camping then again no one would worry about you having a knife.

If you were on a bush walk though you might get told off if you openly carried a knife or a big knife, a pocket knife would be ok, and in our Search and Rescue manual it says to carry a pocket knife in a survival kit...

I usually carry a leaterman wave or micro, if I am going bush, along with a bigger blade - these have ranged from a small loveless/gerber dagger that i used to butcher a wild boar, to a tanto, and a mark II gerber...or a big folder.

However recently I have sold all my knives except for my Leathermans and am looking at buying a good fixed blade and a good folder.

besides this I usually take a leadlamp and a LED torch, spare batteries, some food, water, survial bag or sheet, fire starting kit, tools, basic first aid kit, and some extra clothes, whistle and signaling device.

Then add to that for more days (tent, sleeping bag, etc).

We have no wild animals or people to worry about in the bush really, boars are very rare, deer a re scared of you and people are usually hunters or trampers...maybe once in a blue moon you might get a bad person, one or two murders that i can think of in the last 30 odd years in the bush...
 
I own a lot of guns. I take them with me for fun, often. I essentially NEVER worry about defense in the bush. It is quite rare for me to see anyone, at all, ever, in the back country, so I would think that if on a normal day I see a hundred people and I can get through years and years and years without anyone trying to harm me, then the odds of encountering a person in the bush who wants to harm me would be astronomical!

I also think that people tend to overestimate "cool" threats and underestimate "boring" ones.

For instance, a friend of mine who is a military doctor with a couple of decades of experience was recently telling me that my odds of getting sick from giardia or other water contamination pale in comparison to my odds of getting sick from not washing my hands well enough after I go to the bathroom. I assume he is correct, but how many people put as much thought in to washing their hands as into buying a cool Katadyn filter that lasts for 50,000 liters?

How many people put as much thought into where they step while hiking as into what gun they will take? I would guess odds of a defensive weapon deployment are much smaller than odds of stubbing your toe so hard you can barely walk. But how much cooler is it to imagine yourself as the target of gun-toting meth cooks? Clearly the meth cooks are WAY more exciting!

Anyway as anyone who reads my posts knows, I like guns, and I support CCW, and I campaign for CCW in my country. But I also think there is a real paranoia about the threat level the average person faces and consequently, I only take guns for the fun of shooting, not because I think I will realistically need one to defend myself.

Of course I support the right to carry, and the right to drive without a seatbelt, ride without a helmet, shoot heroin and marry three men and five women as long as you aren't hurting anyone, so I am not the kind of guy who is much interested in what others are doing as long as they leave me alone!
 
misanthopist - good summary - totally agree

In my understanding the real things to carry (especially in urban areas) to save lives are
1. Mobile phone
2. Bandage or Bandanna for gushing wounds
3. Asprin direct - reduces the damage from heart attack, apply only when emegency operator endorses. Thins the blood, but need to be sure that they are not taking other blood thinners like wolfren
4. Ventolin - The largest preventable cause of death in adults is from Asthma attack

All except the last takes no space or would carry anyway

My car has these plus the some other more traditonal items - including no water handwash and antibacterial hand wipes. having young childresn also makes this very useful

I agree .303 has been a good calibre most of us overhere who have anything to do with rifles have used/owned one and it would be safe to say that anything in this country that runs swims crawls or slthers has felt the effects of rule 303 multiple times. Just be careful of cheap corrosive ex military ammunition - I destroyed a good HB Lithgow Mk 4 by not cleaning out the corrosive materail (water soluable)
 
watch out with the asprin , some folk can get serious problems from it .
 
misanthropist, I agree 100%. "Better to have and not need, than to need and not have", and yet you rarely see anyone wearing a helmet, angle supports , steel cap shoes etc. in the woods, even though those pieces of equipment might well save one's life.

This is a difficult subject, since I too like guns... I just can't rationalize carrying one here for other than recreational or hunting purposes.
 
Davyd said:
2. Bandage or Bandanna for gushing wounds
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I carry, in addition to a bandana, a flat business card size roll of duct tape. Fits nicely in my back pocket. Great stuff for emergencies... I once patched up a pretty nasty wound with a paper towel and some duct tape, and Ive used it to make DIY butterfly bandages etc.
 
You foreigners sound pretty sensible! For the most part I feel the same but I prefer to not give up my Airweight because its a really cool gun that doesn't weigh anything. Its a model 642 and fits in my pocket! Who wouldn't love a gun that carries in a front pocket?

Funny thing, I still carry my whistle!
 
misanthropist said:
But I also think there is a real paranoia about the threat level the average person faces and consequently, I only take guns for the fun of shooting, not because I think I will realistically need one to defend myself.
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Well put misanthropist, and I do agree. Fortunately for me, paranoia is my hobby, so as much as I enjoy carrying and using knives, I enjoy carrying and using (plinking, hunting) a firearm...self defense is just a by-product of "my" choice and hobby to carry. A firearm is just another tool in the tool box and for many, it's just not an option (legally), but you have other tools...snares for getting game and a walking stick for self-defense, etc. It's more about being prepared and having situational awareness than getting into debates on "needs". I've only seen a couple of rattlers down here in TX when out hiking, and the best defense is being alert and a good walking stick to "shoo" them out of the way if need be...but my Bulldog Pug .44 SPL with snake-shot is a comfortable backup:D

ROCK6
 
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