Chopper/ Defense Blade?

I love morrison (willies wings :)).

I personally have found this an interesting thread, because I really haven't thought much about this possibility until now. And because of it I now have much more of an idea what I would/should do to prepare for it. I also found the link about the actual attacks really interesting, because of how many survived and how they did it.

I think I'll find some bear spray to add to my pack (not much weight), and maybe even put those little googlie eyes on the back of my hat just for the fun of it. I'll also make sure I usually go with someone, but that is something that I learned from rock crawling a while back. I think carrying a blade just for mountain lion defense wouldn't be worth it, but might find a largerish blade for camp duties that could also be used in a defensive role (aka, almost any of them) isn't a bad idea.

The question I really think you need to ask yourself, is if you want a larger knife for camp duties (mostly batoning and chopping), which is really a different question altogether.

Good luck with whatever you do :).
 
ocnLogan said:
I love morrison (willies wings :)).

I personally have found this an interesting thread, because I really haven't thought much about this possibility until now. And because of it I now have much more of an idea what I would/should do to prepare for it. I also found the link about the actual attacks really interesting, because of how many survived and how they did it.
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Oooh man I should pay better attention. For a while there I thought this was the zombie killers thread. :p
 
This is just one of those threads that will never see complete agreement. Not many, if any, of us have been attacked by a ML. So, the lack of real experience forces us to turn to studies, stories, opinion, and fantasy. Each person has to decide what to carry, and how they carry it. And everyone will still end up with different experiences
I still like hearing different viewpoints on the subject, it's better than what EDC are you wearing today threads.

This past weekend was my first pistol toting backpacking trip. I'm not against guns, but never owned a pistol till this summer. I inherited a 9mm, so I carried it on my hip, it felt heavy, but good. I've shot it a few times, but haven't practiced quick draw techniques. I still "felt" more prepared for any attack than all my unarmed trips. My ESEE 4 was wither on my shoulder strap or on my belt the whole weekend. I plan on taking a gun from now on, and maybe getting a lighter weight .45 in the future.
 
I don't think a knife would have helped this guy, and he is armed, aware and about 2x as big as the OP. It's a good thing that he had half a dozen well armed friends with arms at the ready. Now a mountain lion is bigger then this lepord, but just as fast. But even if the wounds were no more serious then we have here, it would certainly spoil your day if you are out there alone in the sticks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18LP4DH2w3g

n2s
 
I have a Tracks walking stick that has a metal spike on the end for walking on ice/snow. It is extendable and has a good weight to it. I wouldn't want to have to use it, but think it would at least be better than a blade since it gives you more reach.
I dought either would save you though.

FortyTwoBlades said:
Carry a Honey Badger. :D
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This is the only thing (short of a gun) that will work:thumbup::D
 
Ken44 said:
This is the only thing (short of a gun) that will work:thumbup::D
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honey-badger-20110303-164336.jpg


:D
 
We are the top of the foodchain. And we got here way before man made firearms. Man made it to the top with simple tools like stone spears and stone knives. so i find it hard to believe that we can no longer defend ourselves with the same technology. I know a gun is a good option but the op asked for other options. Why does everyone on a knife forum think that the knife is useless for self defense. Be it a man or a beast? After reading the post. it sounds as if everyone here thinks cougars attack so fast and kill so quickly you would never be able to draw your knife and defend. I do not live around any so if this is the case how will a gun help? hell how has anyone survied this awesome creature. I do not think you should live in fear. I also do not think you should avoid the outdoors or other things in life because you have no firearm. I am not saying do nothing I am just saying use what you can and what you feel comfortable with. Besides unless you train alot that gun could easly be taken from you and used on you
 
mworley13 said:
Besides unless you train alot that gun could easly be taken from you and used on you
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I used to carry a gun every day. Now I don't even own a gun aside from my Ruger 10/22. Other then the low...low odds of ever needing it like I stated earlier, I knew I would never spend the money for actual defensive shooting training. IMO if you're not willing to take the training on how to use the weapon you shouldn't carry it. Even trained individuals can miss the target with every bullet in the magazine. It's not like the movies.
 
Shotgun said:
I used to carry a gun every day. Now I don't even own a gun aside from my Ruger 10/22. Other then the low...low odds of ever needing it like I stated earlier, I knew I would never spend the money for actual defensive shooting training. IMO if you're not willing to take the training on how to use the weapon you shouldn't carry it. Even trained individuals can miss the target with every bullet in the magazine. It's not like the movies.
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Yes, bullets don't go were you wish them too go, they go were you aim them.

High Stress shooting is different than target practice.

Buck Fever is the old term for it.
 
mworley13 said:
We are the top of the foodchain. And we got here way before man made firearms. Man made it to the top with simple tools like stone spears and stone knives. so i find it hard to believe that we can no longer defend ourselves with the same technology. I know a gun is a good option but the op asked for other options. Why does everyone on a knife forum think that the knife is useless for self defense. Be it a man or a beast? After reading the post. it sounds as if everyone here thinks cougars attack so fast and kill so quickly you would never be able to draw your knife and defend. I do not live around any so if this is the case how will a gun help? hell how has anyone survied this awesome creature. I do not think you should live in fear. I also do not think you should avoid the outdoors or other things in life because you have no firearm. I am not saying do nothing I am just saying use what you can and what you feel comfortable with. Besides unless you train alot that gun could easly be taken from you and used on you
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I think we are, and have been, at the top of the food chain only due to technology and numbers. A single naked person in the woods is the "babe in the woods", well most of us. Humans are social, we live and travel in groups, not as single individuals, like other predators. A single person can only do so much, where a group or team can accomplish much more. I may not be able to grab my gun in time to shoot a ML, but maybe my friend can shoot it, or stab it, or help however he can. Either way, I'm grabbing my gun, knife, rock, or whatever I can get my hands on, I'm fighting it one way or another.
I agree, we should not live in fear, I went backpacking alone, with no gun for 1/2 my life. Now that I own a pistol, I will carry it in the wilderness, why not? And as usual, a fixed blade knife is at the ready.
 
Shotgun said:
I used to carry a gun every day. Now I don't even own a gun aside from my Ruger 10/22. Other then the low...low odds of ever needing it like I stated earlier, I knew I would never spend the money for actual defensive shooting training. IMO if you're not willing to take the training on how to use the weapon you shouldn't carry it. Even trained individuals can miss the target with every bullet in the magazine. It's not like the movies.
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Training only goes so far and can even be counterproductive; most of it is whether you can keep your composure under stress, and that is something that cannot be determined or trained in. It comes down to the individual's emotional and mental state at the onset of the crisis, and that can simply mean whether someone is having a bad day. The weapon itself is basic and easy to use, provided you have the ability to focus on the task of hitting the target, and your target is realistic under the circumstances, you will hit the target. Now if you overtrain to the point where you have a set of expectations, and those expectations fail to occur, it might be a distraction.

n2s
 
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OP, this is a discussion forum, so it's all good. I think it's a legitimate topic. But, it sounds like you're taking a fatalistic approach. In that case, better pull that spare tire out of your Prius. That will also let you rid yourself of that bothersome jack and tiretool. Free space! It just wastes fuel/energy anyway and AAA is right around the corner:) I'm just funnin' ya. Humans prepare for unlikely events all the time. Sometimes it comes in handy and sometimes it's just fun/interesting. I think a solid belt knife would be mandatory gear for most here. An ESEE 4 is a great companion. It also gives you some level of help if'n it really goes south. Ken's post about a hiking stick is right on too. A good stick has been solving disputes for thousands of years AND helping people walk safely. When I worked in really remote areas, I carried a Cold Steel extra stout rattan cane with a metal tip. It came in handy for all sorts of stuff, but really helped the day I fell in a draw and cracked my fibula forcing me to walk two hours back to my truck with said injury. It was on a Rio Grande River vega thick with mesquite and assorted brush. Cane in one hand and CS LTC kukri in the other, I made it out. No radio or cell coms in the area. I'd still be waiting for help were it not for those items;) So, I err on the side of caution. A 14 oz. .38 revolver or an 8 oz. knife might not make you battle ready, but it's better than fingernails. As has been said, animal attacks are very old while firearms are relatively new, in the grand scheme of things. Carry what you will tolerate, but carry something. Take care.
 
On average in Canada and the US, there are 5.6 ML attacks per year of which there are 0.8 deaths. In the extremely unlikely case of an attack, any good sheath knife should allow you to reach behind and stab the critter. These have been an interesting 5 pages of comments, but the OP should be more concerned with driving to school than being attacked by a Puma, IMO.
 
Hey, Morrison isn't too far; less than an hours drive. I have had the occasional mountain lion encounter myself up here, and they don't regularly hunt people, especially not someone who might be a potential threat. Leopards are temperamentally a good bit different from mountain lions. With a mountain lion, if you don't behave like prey, and look like you're ready for a fight, they're probably not going to attack you.

That being said, I invite anyone that thinks we're the top of the food chain to go out and pick a fight with a mountain lion or other large predator. See how well you do without a gun (or, in most cases, WITH a gun). I think we'll pretty quickly figure out who's the top of the food chain.

Leaving that aside, it's still probably worth having a good camp knife that you can bring up with you. When I go into the mountains, I don't go anywhere without my khukuri, and anything I hit with it is at least going to know it's been kissed. Beyond that, it's a heck of a good outdoor knife. If you want to stop by and check out some of my khuks, just leave me a visitor message and we'll get in touch. Always like to meet other knife enthusiasts.
 
The poster above has a point about guns being taken away and used against their owners-Just last spring here, three coyptes jumped a turkey hunter, slapped him around, and took his 870--They've been raising hell all over the countryside since, at least till they ran put of shells. Lacking opposable thumbs, they can't reload.

I have never been attacked by a mountain lion, but that very thing happens more frequently as of late. If you saw it coming, I like the idea of a long strong pointy stick, to keep the thing off you and change its mind. Even better, top a cut pole with a Cold Steel spear head (and a sheath, when not in use for defense). (Haven't read all the threads, and I am sorry if this suggestion already made). No, not a chopper, but a lot better than a chopper for that purpose. And, if you got ambushed by a big cat, a "stabby" knife would be better than a chopper, I propose, because you do not need to build velocity to inflict significant damage.

As for fighting animals with blades and such, as mentioned above, sure, our ancestors apparently tackled cave bears with sharpened poles. Our ancestors would also die from an infection from a tooth cavity. Not me, if I can help it. I have seen pictures of folks hammered briefly by a leopard, about the same size as a cougar. They (the cat, not the person) latch on with their front paws, bite for the base of the skull with their teeth, and work their back paws like 10 razors on whatever flesh they are at. These things are faster and stronger than we can ever hope to be. For many generations, they have had to be successful killing machines to survive, following the law of tooth and nail by necessity and not by any choice. My machismo accepts that fact.

Now, I have been menaced by feral dogs ( maybe some mixed with coyotes), and you need a gun for that. Also charged by a feral hog, which are getting common in this neck of the woods, and we popped a cap on him. I know some folks dive on these porkers along with their hounds, with a long knife, and count coup, but no way I plan on even trying one on one in a fair fight with one. Too much downside. Best of luck.cwd
 
cwdotson said:
The poster above has a point about guns being taken away and used against their owners-Just last spring here, three coyptes jumped a turkey hunter, slapped him around, and took his 870--They've been raising hell all over the countryside since, at least till they ran put of shells. Lacking opposable thumbs, they can't reload.
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Heck, it got so bad here in my Valley we all had to start hunting with a bow. We didn't like it much at first, but just watching the coyotes try to shoot a bow makes it almost worth it.
 
Ken44 said:
Heck, it got so bad here in my Valley we all had to start hunting with a bow. We didn't like it much at first, but just watching the coyotes try to shoot a bow makes it almost worth it.
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Im an ER nurse in california and i've seen what mountain lions do to hikers in spite of the hiker's guns, knives, clubs, and friends. My advice is a gun (sorry hippie). Those that survive and do "better" have been the ones that have a firearm and dont hike alone. In all honesty, from what i've seen if the mountain lion wants you its going after you period.
 
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