Legit need for a gun as protection in the woods?

these really do come in threes... I feel like I've answered the same question twice already this weekend. I do. I pack a little Taurus 651 .38/.357 SA/DA revolver loaded with 124 grain Federal Self Defense. It really depends on where you live, but right now Idaho is going wolf-crazy, which is encroaching on typical bear and lion territory so the natives are really getting POed. Not a good time to be a hiker that accidentally finds himself a hundred yards away from Momma Lion's den.
 
let's assume for a moment that you don't need a gun for protection in the woods.

if you''re fortunate enough to live in the same safe woods as Goldilocks and the three bears and all the other kind and gentle woodland creatures, well, perhaps you've got nothing to worry about. :rolleyes:

however, if you live in town, or the city and have to travel any distance to get too the woods, are you going to leave home with no protection, or are you going to cache the hardware before you enter the woods?
 
on_the_edge said:
Of course, everyone knows it may make you feel more comfortable to have a gun with you just in case, but are we too paranoid when it comes to such things? I know there are a lot of dangers in the world, from homicidal maniacs to rabid chipmunks, but how often do we come across something like that in the woods? Is the need for a gun about as likely as winning the lottery?
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It sounds to me that you don't want to carry a gun. If you don't that is cool. Most people don't. All the police, DPS and Sheriffs dept guys I know recommend you do. Lol, but I live in Texas and that is the mentality.

I like this article.

http://www.mwkworks.com/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

And this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1u0Byq5Qis

They both push me to carry when I can. The odds are you won't need it. If I knew I would need it...I would go wherever I knew I would need it! Right?

It is for when I don't know that I'll need it that is important. They certainly are extra weight but like Clint Smith said "carrying a gun is supposed to be comforting not comfortable."
 
I have never had to suffer through a housefire, but I have a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector. I have never suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, but I have that detector as well. Anyone that cannot see the similarities is hopeless to preach to. If folks from other countries want to conduct themselves in certain ways, that's fine. It's when they tell us how violent we are and then try to tell us how we should defend ourselves, that's when I used to draw the line.

As of late, however, I don't much care to discuss such things in-depth. I have learned through extremely bitter experience that having logical, reasonable and intelligent debates with emotional people never goes anywhere but some place bad.
 
Why do people get all pissy every time someone asks for actual examples of anything?
This reminds me of the pissiness when I asked for some examples of "Hard Use" for knives.
It was "I want to be prepared!", or "because I can!", or "I don't have to justify myself!":rolleyes:
Those aren't example though, are they?
I don't see the need for the pissy huffiness which comes about in these threads.
 
stabman said:
Why do people get all pissy every time someone asks for actual examples of anything?
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It's fatigue. For decades we have had to struggle to keep every Civil Right that is politically incorrect or considered antiquated, dangerous or unpopular.

That's precisely why some people get a bit touchy about this suject.

I mean, we have some jurisdictions down here where you can't own a damned slingshot and some where you cannot possess a snare.

People are tired of having to defend what they see as realistic life choices, that's my analysis of the dynamic you are addressing.
 
Don Rearic said:
It's fatigue. For decades we have had to struggle to keep every Civil Right that is politically incorrect or considered antiquated, dangerous or unpopular.

That's precisely why some people get a bit touchy about this suject.

I mean, we have some jurisdictions down here where you can't own a damned slingshot and some where you cannot possess a snare.

People are tired of having to defend what they see as realistic life choices, that's my analysis of the dynamic you are addressing.
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I can see being tired of having to justify one's choices. I totally get that.
If people just like something, to me that's usually enough justification.:)
However, I don't see this thread as an attempt to force people to justify their choices (at least that's not the way I read it).
To me, it feels more like the thread where I wanted some examples of "Hard Use" of knives. I didn't mean to force people to justify their knife choice (many of mine could be classified as being the sort of knife in question); I just was curious for stories of actual real life usage.
Te me, that's what this thread is aiming at.
But, I could be wrong, as it isn't my thread.
 
The answer is in your signature line if you think about it. I don't care what my neighbors do in their bedroom as long as they are consenting adults. I don't care what they have in their dresser drawers or closets. I don't care if they own an automatic weapon, suppressor or sawed off shotgun. I don't care if they have double edged knives, balisongs, switchblades, gravity knives, blowguns or slingshots. I don't care if they have a vintage Mustang with a big, fat 428 C.I. CJ in it. I don't care if they masturbate to "The Catcher In The Rye." [/joke]

I don't concern myself with what people possess but what they do with it.
 
I had an instance back behind the Palisades on the Snake river in Idaho near the Wyoming border where I thought I had the place to myself - when out of nowhere some grungy guy stepped out of the bushes and just stood there staring at me. I said hi, and he said nothing. Again I said hi, can I help you, and he said nothing. I swept my shirt back so he could see the Ruger handgun, and he stepped back into the bushes without saying a thing - a few minutes later I heard an engine start up and saw him driving away in an old beater van. It had been totally covered up in bushes...very odd behavior.

Also, I wrote in another thread here recently about that big young fellow that had been hitting on my late wife up in Yosemite, and then tried to crawl into our tent around two am - I beaned him in the forehead with a 1911 SA. Him and his buddies broke camp and took off after I yelled out for someone to go get the ranger.

Another time, my friend Ron Rios and I were camped on the Virgin River headwaters just outside of Zion NP when some guys rolled up in a beater truck, said they'd driven in from Colorado, that we were in their yearly Elk hunting camp and we'd have to leave. We tried to explain that we were (all) on public land, that we'd gotten there first but were leaving in the morning. Further, that they could stay and join us if they'd like, but that we weren't leaving just yet.

After a few heated words from them, one of 'em got out a rifle as a show of force; Ron and I then both showed that we had handguns - it was evening, they were drunk and cussing, and as they drove off into the distance one of 'em fired a shot from the rifle. We didn't sleep well that night.

Guns - better to have and not need, than need and not have.
 
Late 1980's
My one brother-in-law and his best friend canoed across a lake the day before opening day of deer season.
They had about a 4 to 5 hour hike to where they were going to set up camp for their 5 day hunt.
Due to the fact that there was bear sign all over (they had tags just in case and bears were open) they both loaded their rifles.
About 1 to 1 1/2 hours into the hike a momma blackie explodes from the bush onto the forest service road they were walking.
They each ended up putting 3 shots into her, and she did get close enough that she was between them for part of the time. She then ran off the road and died, they soon found the cubs.
They hiked back out, called the CO, who came out to investigate (the CO ended up putting the cubs down)
 
Don Rearic said:
I don't concern myself with what people possess but what they do with it.
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You're preaching to the choir on this one to be sure.:)
I just don't see people asking for examples as questioning the right to possess what you want, unless they are in a position to make it so that you cannot own the items in question. THEN I'd be suspicious as to why they were wanting examples of usage.
 
I have shot two animals in the woods in self defence .both times dogs. Once I went with the dog warden to track dogs killing live stock. we got a light snow and a fresh kill was reported. We tracked them down to the river to a collapsed shed. As I got close to the sheds a big male dog came out at a dead run with bad intentions I doubt if his head was 5' from me when it met the #4 buck I tried to roll out of the way but he hit a glancing blow to my right shoulder. I didn't knock me down but did covered me with blood scared the hell out of the dog warden he thought the dog had got me. it was a hound female and 4 of her year old pups we killed the 4 young dogs at this time . I killed the mom the next day with a varmit rifle.
The second time I was running coon hounds in late summer . I carried a 22. revolver, we were on a farm road a big doberman came charging down the trail like it was mad, the gun was mainly carried for snakes so the first 3 rounds were birdshot.I fired the birdshot double action first solid he stumbled second one rolled him the third I put in his head from 3 foot as he tried to to get up to continue the attack. there wasn't a house with in a mile and he had no collar.
Roy
 
When I was in Nevada I used to take my dogs hiking with me out in the desert SW of Reno, its known as a party place and sometimes a place that people use to go plinking. Well in the desert heat we passed all that up and hiked the ridges for about five miles, during which I saw no signs of people. So I let the dogs off the leash and continued on. The dogs caught wind of a Jack and took off through a gulley and up over a ridge when I heard all hell break loose. People started shooting, I could hear the shots echoing through the breaks, so I cut down into one and came up over a small saddleback behind where the shots were centered, or so I hoped. After popping my head up there was a primered Bronco, lined up with beer cans and guns and two fella's on the other side shooting at my dogs. I don't really know what came over me but I saw RED, low crawled so I could use their vehicle to stalk up on them then pulled my nickel plated Model 29 4" taking cover between the hood and windshield not 5 feet from the two. I yelled in my best cop impression lay down your weapons and put your hands on your heads. I was scared with too much adrenaline and some hate pumping through my head. They turned and saw I had the jump on them. They put down there rifles and complied. I called my dogs to me, neither had been hit but the rabbit was dead. The men immediately started telling me they were just having fun, they weren't going to hurt my dogs. I said nothing as I kneeled and clipped each dog back to their leash, one hand still pointing a pistol at the two men. As I started backing up to ridge, I said you two should leave here and don't come back, do you me, do not come back here as we back pedaled over the ridge and out of sight. Once over, we ran the breaks and got as much distance between us and them as possible.

That was 13 years ago and while there has been some SHTF moments since then, there was nothing that tense, thank god.
 
stabman said:
You're preaching to the choir on this one to be sure.:)
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Makes me happy! :D

I just don't see people asking for examples as questioning the right to possess what you want, unless they are in a position to make it so that you cannot own the items in question. THEN I'd be suspicious as to why they were wanting examples of usage.
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I think it's because people like myself have encountered every segue you can imagine and generally when you start speaking to the "legitimacy" of something like firearms there are ulterior motives involved. We have heard every euphemism you can imagine down here. Even gun control is a euphemism for possible gun ban and/or gun confiscation.
 
Don Rearic said:
I think it's because people like myself have encountered every segue you can imagine and generally when you start speaking to the "legitimacy" of something like firearms there are ulterior motives involved. We have heard every euphemism you can imagine down here. Even gun control is a euphemism for possible gun ban and/or gun confiscation.
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Well you have point there. Same thing up here, and with less camoflague as to the intent.
I doubt the OP is one of the folks trying to impose things though.:D
Maybe he just chose an unfortunate word? Perhaps "real life use" would have worked better than "legitimate use".
Some words may be too loaded with associations to be used other ways, which is something I'll try to keep in mind for my own use of words.:)

I have no real life gun usage stories to contribute, but I've run off a few dogs with a knife before. I can see the desire to have some form of implement for defensive use; things do happen from time to time.

If I lived in the States, I'd likely pack some form of revolver, probably .357 or .44 magnum. Both are controllable, and less heavy than lugging a shotgun around, and could do double duty as hunting arms for a range of game.:thumbup:

In Canada you're stuck with long guns for woods carry, and that can get ackward if you're lugging 50 pounds of gear on your back out to a campsite some miles off...I know the 12 gauge would have started getting really heavy on my last woods excursion; the Junglas was enough extra weight that time.
 
Moose season, Pink Mountain (Northern British Columbia), four of us had been hunting this area for 2 days, and one of my friends had a moose already hanging.
Three guys come up and decide to set up camp about 30 maybe 40 yards from our camp.
We had set camp up in the corner of a clearing that was at least 500 yards wide and maybe twice as deep, so we weren't impressed with them but it is public land.
After they pitch camp, they come over to chat (they set camp up while we were off hunting).
They were friendly enough, asked us what we were hunting, where we were from etc. It turned out they lived the next town over from us.
One of them asked us what we were hunting with (3 x 338 winmag, 1 x 358 winchester), they laughed and said "there are no dinosaurs up here". They were very vocal about how their 270's were all you needed for moose. I said no problem you hunt with what you want to and we'll do the same.
A couple of days latter they get a moose, they hang it away from camp and then come back to camp and proceed to celebrate (beer for dinner).
They are being loud and drunk so we decide to turn in earlier then normal, so they don't come over and bother us.
Around 3 in the morning I hear boom, boom, boom, my bed was closest to the door so I grab the shotgun by the trailer door and look out (figuring one drunk shot another).
The three of them were standing outside their tent in their underwear, with flashlights and rifles. One guy yelled "do you see it", when I yelled back what, they yelled "get your 338 a bear came through the side of our tent.
I yelled back, why there are no dinosaurs here, which one of them yelled back f$%# you get your gun.
I told them in no uncertain terms that I was not going to go out in total darkness to look for a possibly wounded bear.
They spent the night huddled in the cab of their pickup, at first light the 7 of us spent hours looking for the bear but we never found it or any signs that it had been hit.
The side of their tent was cut in a few places and had a huge muddy paw print on it so we knew they weren't making it up.
After dinner those guys tarped over the tent and placed string with empty beer cans around their camp for warning.
We awoke before first light the next day, to find that during the night they changed their minds and packed up and left.
We hunted up there for a couple of more days but didn't see any sign of the bear that tried to get in their tent.
This area is grizzly country and I can't think of a time over the last 20+ plus years that we have hunted there, when at least 1 of our group hasn't seen a grizzly
 
Don Rearic said:
I think it's because people like myself have encountered every segue you can imagine and generally when you start speaking to the "legitimacy" of something like firearms there are ulterior motives involved. We have heard every euphemism you can imagine down here. Even gun control is a euphemism for possible gun ban and/or gun confiscation.
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I agree to the Nth, no if's or buts on that one, great point.:thumbup:

The Second Amendment was confirmed in Superior Court this year and what happens, Chicago puts forward the strictest "Gun Control" ever. Ridiculous. Thats all from me on that issue...I was glad to have what I needed when the event occurred both my dogs lived and I came out alive, if it wasn't for what I had as a deterrent, chances are I would be bones in the dirt right now because I was definitely not smart at that age.
 
Moose season Pink Mountain, while hanging moose quarters in a tree, one of my friends notice very large black bear walking down the cut line towards us.
We are covered in blood from packing moose back to camp, and hanging quarters (about 500 yards away from camp)
Bear does not slow down when we start yelling at it to go even ignores a shoot put into the ground in front of him.
It tries to put the run on us, my brother shoots it, we tag it and hang it beside the moose.
None of us there like bear meat so back home my one brother-in-law was very happy with his unexpectedly full freezer
 
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