Living In The Wild

Codger your L:O:E sounds something like a subsistance(sp)Hunter exception .
They have them here for people who hunt to live . I have been told :good luck getting one unless you are an aboringinal: .

There is a difference in which they do not follow a hunting season per se . I guess hunger doesn,t take a summer vacation .
 
Vivi said:
I do have a small Co2 cartridge BB / Pellet gun. I've thought about taking that out and shooting rabbits and squirrels. I don't think you need any type of license for those, but I could be wrong. Anyone know? Man, the window in my room makes an excellent perch above our backyard....
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In general, CO2 air rifles are not great for hunting (there are highly modified and/or expensive ones that are). Temperature affects the amount of pressure the CO2 cartridge provides - differing pressure will affect your shot placement. Sight your rifle in on a warm day and go hunting on a cold day - well, you're probably not going to hit what you are aiming at. Since air rifles are barely adequate in terms of stopping power, shot placement is absolutely critical to ensure a clean kill.

If you are going to hunt with an air rifle, use a multi-pump or a spring piston.

Or better yet, get that .22 rifle everyone is recommending... :thumbup:

You might want to consider the AR-7 - it breaks down and fits in a pack. They are not anywhere near as rugged as a Ruger 10/22 - but they function well enough and are very lightweight. Be sure you get a Henry Repeating Arms model - other brands have jamming and multiple-fire issues:

http://henryrepeating.com/survival.cfm

The Marlin Papoose is another break-down .22 that would be more rugged than the AR-7.

Sometimes it's nice to keep your rifle out-of-sight when your hiking around. ;)
 
CZ scout is at the top of the list for compact accurate 22s IMO.

If I were in Vivi's shoes I would be going to local pawn shops looking for a used marlin or savage bolt gun, around here you can find them in decent shape for anywhere from 65 to 100 dollars depending on shape. Remember even a beat up looking POS 22 rifle might shoot great if the bore is still in good shape, very few 22s are shot enough to wear the bore. I have an old Remington single shot 22 that someone gave me that looks like it wouldn't even fire and it is a tack driver. Chris
 
runningboar said:
CZ scout is at the top of the list for compact accurate 22s IMO.

If I were in Vivi's shoes I would be going to local pawn shops looking for a used marlin or savage bolt gun, around here you can find them in decent shape for anywhere from 65 to 100 dollars depending on shape. Remember even a beat up looking POS 22 rifle might shoot great if the bore is still in good shape, very few 22s are shot enough to wear the bore. I have an old Remington single shot 22 that someone gave me that looks like it wouldn't even fire and it is a tack driver. Chris
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Very good advice Vivi... Listen to Boar... Hey boar, i have this exact same rifle man. i love it.. i can go through a box of .22s at the range just sitting there plinking away the day... my papaw gave it to me before he died back in 1992.:(
 
You know, I'm probably going to get beat up for this, but I've read that a good .22 semi-auto pistol with a decent scope is preferred over the .22 rifle for taking small game when in a backpacking situation. It's smaller and lighter than the rifle and just as accurate over the distances that you're likely to want to shoot game.

Of course, I am not a hunter so I could be all wet here. But I read this on a website for an outfit that specializes in training US military personnel in survival situations, so I assume they know what they're talking about. (Unfortunately, I can't find that link back.)

So my question is, why the focus on the .22 rifle? Is it a price thing? Or is it a skill handling issue (since handguns take more skill than rifles, on average)? Or is there something that I'm not seeing here that makes the rifle preferable over the handgun for hunting?
 
Even with a scope or a red dot sight pistols take more time to master than a rifle and any given person will always be more accurate with a rifle than he is with a pistol. There are also many more laws regulating handguns than rifles, for example you have to be 21 to buy a pistol you can buy a rifle at 18, and don't forget without a permit concealed weapons, a pistol in your pack, is illegal. Chris
 
Chris, that depends on your local too. In Idaho, you can't have a concealed weapon in a town, mining camp, logging camp, or public highway without a concealed carry permit, but on public land you can, so a pistol in your pack is legal.

However, if I went with a pistol, it would be a revolver and not a semi-auto. Too many things to go wrong with a semi-auto when you need it the most. They also work better with the shot cartridges (very good for close in game) and the CBs (very good for low-noise). Also, with a revolver, you can keep the first cock on a shot shell, and the next a normal shell, so if you want a longer shot, just cock twice, but you are prepared for a short shot (grouse?).

However, even with that, and the fact I am a good shot with my .22 revolver, I would put a Henry lever or pump in a pack for survival first, cheap, accurate, and allows for a faster followup than the single shot bolt. I also prefer a pump or lever to a semi-auto rifle.

--Carl
 
I think you have to weigh what you would rather have, as compact and light as possible, a pistol, or greater range and more accuracy with less portability, a rifle. I always have a pistol with me, I have a custom ruger 22/45 with an aluminum upper reciever that is amazingly light and very accurate. The rear sight is built into the scope rail so I can change from optical sights to irons without losing my zero. I carry it in the map pocket of my ruck virtually every where I take my ruck, I also have a ccw for the state I live in. I have killed lots and lots of squirrels and rabbits with this gun and trust it and my ability with it. I do see the logic in a revolver but I know ruger semis very well and they are dead reliable. I also shoot longs, shot, and super colibris out of my auto I just have to manually cycle the bolt for each shot. I will include a bad picture, I was actually taking a picture of the stock, and yes I know my pistol is purple.:(

 
Chris, I have an auto .22 that I like too, very accurate and hasn't given me any problems, but if I was going to depend on it for a year in the woods, the revolver is a simpler mechanism less likely to cause me problems.

Agreed however, use what you are most comfortable with.

--Carl
 
runningboar said:
Even with a scope or a red dot sight pistols take more time to master than a rifle and any given person will always be more accurate with a rifle than he is with a pistol. There are also many more laws regulating handguns than rifles, for example you have to be 21 to buy a pistol you can buy a rifle at 18, and don't forget without a permit concealed weapons, a pistol in your pack, is illegal. Chris
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Chris is correct for the most part. However, in some states, a CCW permit is not required to carry... Those states are lucky as hell and very few and far between... But boar is right when he suggests checking with local/state laws when going into the woods with a pistol...

Ad for hunting with them, it takes a DAMNED good shot to be successful with a pistol, red dot scope or not, the shooter is who has to be stellar when hunting with a pistol.
 
pricecw said:
Chris, that depends on your local too. In Idaho, you can't have a concealed weapon in a town, mining camp, logging camp, or public highway without a concealed carry permit, but on public land you can, so a pistol in your pack is legal.

However, if I went with a pistol, it would be a revolver and not a semi-auto. Too many things to go wrong with a semi-auto when you need it the most. They also work better with the shot cartridges (very good for close in game) and the CBs (very good for low-noise). Also, with a revolver, you can keep the first cock on a shot shell, and the next a normal shell, so if you want a longer shot, just cock twice, but you are prepared for a short shot (grouse?).

However, even with that, and the fact I am a good shot with my .22 revolver, I would put a Henry lever or pump in a pack for survival first, cheap, accurate, and allows for a faster followup than the single shot bolt. I also prefer a pump or lever to a semi-auto rifle.

--Carl
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Ok, that is just out and out bullshit. Well, maybe not, do you shoot a Jimenez? or Jennings? or Lorcin or Cobra?

Trust me, revolvers can fail too... if the spring in the hammer fails you, you might as well throw the revolver... Get a glock, sig, hk.... all semi auto... there are less failures among those three gun companies than you would ever know.
 
Wassa matta, you no likea da Ruger? :D

There is no mystique to hunting with a pistol. It takes practice and familiarity with the firearm and it's ballistics is all. I've hunted whitetails with my .357 quite successfully, and I am no Wayatt Earp. And yes, it is a 6" DA revolver. I prefer a revolver over a semi-auto just because. Never had any sort of failure with it, nor accident. I carry it in open carry, not concealed. But I also follow the early 1900's automobile law "Don't frighten the horses", or rather the sheeple.

Semi's are more prone to malfunction in some environments. Dirty cartridges, and grit in the action can gum them up big time unless you are proficient at field striping and cleaning them. They do have an advantage in wider cartridge selection and capacity, but my DA fires as fast as I can accurately aim it, so autoloading is no boon for me. And in hunting situations, a single shot is usually suficient if the hunter does his part.

But then I am just an old

Codger
 
Maybe I am old also.

I never said I didn't like auto's, have enough to join the club. The .22 auto I have is a Beretta. Mechanically, they are more complex, harder to clean in the woods, and in a situation that I would depend on it for living (food, not combat), I would pick the revolver. I have never had a problem with my auto's either (well I did pick up a hi-point for cheap plinking, but that isn't in the same category as what we are talking about). I have put hundreds of rounds through my 40 in a day of shooting (I think just over 250 is my max for an outing) and I have never had a problem, but if I am going in knowing I have to have the pistol to live, I will still pick the revolver (and have, my woods gun is a revolver in 44Mag). So please take that as a personal preference and belief, rather than a slam to auto pistols, I like and shoot both.

I am also fairly good with my pistols, take them out in the spring and shoot ground squirrels, and can hit them out to 100yds open sight. However, if I was going into the woods, I would take a nice Henry lever or pump carbine as first choice. I can easily hit squirrel size game all day at 100yds with that. With a brick of shells and some self control, you should be able to eat whenever you find game.

--Carl
 
Don't want to hijack Vivi threads but this is outdoor survival right?

Using Ruger .22 firearms as an example, my 14 years old girl can hit many bullseye (rabbit) with :

1) 50-75 yards with a 10/22 rifle (auto) with scope.

2) 25-50 yards with a Mark III heavy barrel (auto) with scope.

3) 15-25 yards with a Single-Six (revolver) with adjustable sight

4) 7 yards with a Bearcat (revolver) with fix sight.

She love them all but for carrying/plinking she choose the Single-Six or the bearcat, able to use different ammos(even magnum), no fuss to load/unload/safety button after every shot to re-holster the gun. She love the little Bearcat the most because its cute and weight next to nothing in the pocket.

Now back to the topic. Vivi good luck on the gun purchases, lot of opinions. From your original post seem like a gun is not necessary, might even cause trouble with the Law; but for wideness you won't go wrong with a decent .22, tons of funs and cheap to practice. Best of luck to your adventure and thanks for all the good read :thumbup: :)
 
I tried something like this but, only for a long weekend and it was more to test out my skills and the Dash-1 gear I had on me. I setup a camp about 400-500 meters away from my car, so if things did not work out, I had an out.

I found that I needed to change a few things in my Dash-1 gear to be able to make do, I wish I was able to life off just having a blade alone but, I've not lived in the outback all my life, I knew it was going to be hard.

More skills and more experiance where going to be key to be able to do more in a situation like this.

Fishing gear was a real hit, I was able to feed myself for the four days but, lack of knowledge around the plant life I could use is something I'm looking to address.

It was my first attempt at trapping and I got a big fat zero, again another area to improve on.

Camping for 30 days with a support car is one thing, trying for 30 days by yourself with limited supplies is going to be a tough gig, I would go for better expectations and be happier with a realistic outcome and build on this.

In saying all of that, if I had the chance to try a 30 day stint, I would give it a go but, break it down into a few smaller time periods going back for supplies and to reflect on what I would need to have and do better next time. Start with 3 days and have a break, go to 5 days, have a break etc...

Do tell somebody you trust where you will be and try and have a communication plan, if you are alone and bust a leg, you will want somebody to you and not your body.

Good luck and good hunting.
 
That is a good link. I would probably choose a pistol over a rifle in said situation also (176lbs of standard gear, only a chance it is needed, E&E, get out as soon as possible). However, for a known trek into the woods, survival/living off the land for a month to a year, not carrying 176lbs of gear not related to survival in the wilderness sense, then I would still choose the rifle.

If I am planning a camping trip, and want a backup, just in case survival gun, the pistol would be the choice. I think it is different criteria that makes the choice for you.

--Carl
 
I have two .22 pistols, one a long barrel, the other a pocket pistol. For E&E, I would take the pocket pistol. For a more casual walk in the park, I would want the long barrel. For more serious small-game-getting, I would want a simple but accurate bolt action rifle. I'm a better rifle shooter than a pistol shooter.
 
Get some blaze orange to go with that license as well - there'll be a lot of hunters in most rural areas this time of year.
 
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