what would you do for protection?

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andrew7978

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Mar 19, 2007
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Recently there seems to be a lot of talk about protection in the woods primarily from humans. Well I just finished watching the movie Zodiac (don't worry, I won't spoil anything) and there is a scene where two people are held at gun point in state park and then tied up. How would you react if this was you?? I know this is sort of practical and tactical, but as someone pointed out in another thread, this could happen in a camping or hiking situation (although hopefully this type of thing is rare and will never happen to any of us)
 
Violence in campgrounds and animal attacks on trails are more common in my area nowadays. I have my wife and children with me in most cases. My little ones make enough noise to scare off animal predators right now (I am trying to teach the youngest ones to be quiet and watch while hiking though). and in the campsite scenario most people pay attention to me and how I act. That has been the best deterrent so far. If we were attacked by a 2 leg, well I've always been a hands on guy. I depend alot on our readiness to defend ourselves and pay attention to others attitude and actions while out and about.
If we were attacked, I will risk myself to save my family, but not foolishly. I am familiar with team efforts in offensive and defensive efforts, and try to teach my family accordingly. Pretty vague I know, but situational scenarios can bring tons of speculation, so I just try to plan for the roughest possibilities.
 
I am very aware of my surroundings everywhere I go, I guess its the military training(never being able to have my back to a room etc..). In this age I am even more cautous when my children are around. It would be very hard to get the drop on me. I carry my glock 19 most everywhere (CCW) AND WOULD NOT HESITATE TO USE DEADLY FORCE TO PROTECT ME AND MY OWN. And my bullets come in pairs.
 
i read the book about the zodiac killer many years ago. If I recall right, the couple in question had at least a couple of minutes notice something was not right. They saw a charater in a mask sneaking around, and working his way over toward them. THAT, was the time to bug out even if they had a weapon. They acutually made it easier for the killer by sheepishly staying put and watching him come toward them.

But for your question, I think everyone has a duty first to protect themselves and thier loved ones, and worry about the law second. So if HYPOTHETICLY if you are going into secluded areas and are worried about zodiac type wacko's, I think you should carry some sort of small concealable handgun.

Hypotheticly speaking of course.
 
jackknife said:
If I recall right, the couple in question had at least a couple of minutes notice something was not right. They saw a charater in a mask sneaking around, and working his way over toward them. THAT, was the time to bug out even if they had a weapon. They acutually made it easier for the killer by sheepishly staying put and watching him come toward them.
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It's what I've told my wife often, when she sees me react to something odd, unusual or unexpected: you don't ignore clues, no matter how small. Sure, they almost always turn out to be nothing but how foolish would you feel later to have had warning and neglected to act on it? A moment now or a lifetime of regret later, I know my choice.
 
They have been trying lately to change that stupid ass law about carrying in a national park, it looks like it may go through:)
 
How would you react if this was you??
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Start slinging lead.


I've decided (for now anyway) that when going hiking in some areas out of my state (specifically, parts of the AT) that I will break state and federal laws, and carry a handgun. A small revolver will fit in my front pocket, and no one needs to know about it. If I do end up having to use it, the law will be the furthest thing from my mind.
 
One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is a dog. Even an untrained dog will usually protect it's master if a situation arises. The psycological aspect of a barking snarling dog is pretty powerfull, and if nothing else can give you a few extra seconds to act. Dogs may increase the likelyhood of problems with 4 legged critters, but I have taken my dog on a lot of hikes in black bear/cougar country and never had a problem.
I don't carry a gun (don't own anything concealable) but it has definately crossed my mind.
Nothing will help much if you are not alert and practicing good judgment.
 
It really depends on the situation, whether I'm alone, or with family, how many of them there are, etc. Where legal, I'll probably be armed. That doesn't mean I'll look to be John Wayne, but I'll have at least another option available.

Hopefully, I'll be aware enough not to let it get to that stage, but things can happen.
 
CanDo said:
Start slinging lead.


I've decided (for now anyway) that when going hiking in some areas out of my state (specifically, parts of the AT) that I will break state and federal laws, and carry a handgun. A small revolver will fit in my front pocket, and no one needs to know about it. If I do end up having to use it, the law will be the furthest thing from my mind.
Click to expand...

The AT is NOT a safe place. Between 1980 and 1990 I had two separate incidents where I belive my small J frame revolver made a difference. There are some weird charaters on that trail, and there have been murders.
 
This has been talked about several times, and a lot of good options have been tossed around. You may be able to dig up some old threads by using google to search bladeforums. . . just type your search words into google followed by "site:bladeforums.com" . I've had some pretty good luck finding info that way.

One of my favorite ideas is to always have some kind of walking stick. If something or someone threatening comes along there is no wasted time reaching for a weapon. . . you already have it in your hands. If you have some kind of training in fighting with a stick or staff so much the better. Even light weight trekking poles can be effective weapons, especially for thrusting type attacks.

Of course if you can legally carry a handgun (or are willing to carry one illegally) it will probably be more effective than any other weapon. And as has already been said awareness and mindset are probably more important than anything else.

I'm not trained in self defense nor have I done much reading on the subject, but I think if you found yourself in a situation like you mentioned from the movie where someone had gotten the drop on you and you were already at gunpoint you would have to try to determine weather the person on the other end of the gun just wanted to take your stuff or if they were intent on hurting or killing you or a loved one. If they just wanted your stuff I'd say let 'em have it. . . it's not worth your life. If it looks like they're intent on hurting or killing then you would have try to find and take any opportunity to get them first.
 
jackknife,

Good to hear I'm not alone in my reasoning, and good to hear you made it out OK. Could you elaborate on what happened? A big gray area for me concerns displaying the firearm:

I will look pretty much like any other thru hiker, and except for my body language, don't look different from any other prey. If a guy has a weapon in his hand, I would draw, and try to defuse the situation from there (we're technically both criminals, so we may be able to go on our own ways). But I get nervous thinking about narrow parts of the trail where you have to walk past someone going the other direction one foot away. A sketchy character with his hand in his pocket for example. What if, the moment he's past me, he springs around and puts a knife to my side? A big gun out in the open would prevent this from occurring in the first place 99% of the time. I disagree with people who believe that a concealed firearm is a 'tactical advantage'. If you are at a distance staring each other down, sure, whatever.... that might not always be the case though.

Maybe I'll wear NRA and Harley Davidson t-shirts the 2200 miles - hey, do those come in synthetic? ;)
 
Salamander,

In an armed robbery where somehow or another I was completely overtaken, I'd hand over whatever I had. Something I've been pondering though for cases where you are carrying legally (this is where I cross the line of practical survival and unnecessary morals/ego) is as the guy is walking away you could take out your firearm and say something like "hey!" so he turns around surprised, and then you could shoot him in the front a few times - have yourself a legitimate SD case, and possibly save the life of his next victim.
 
I would shit my pants :eek:. LOL, I'm actually a very quiet, observative person. In an old thread that I made I used my Emerson Commander to save my ass without even having to draw it(that's actually the title of it too, "emerson commander saved my a$$....").

Usually if a potential attacker knows that you are aware of them and ready to defend yourself they will back down. Remember, most times it's easy prey they are looking for. As much as I love carrying all of my other knives, my Emerson Commander would be the one on me in any outdoor situation, or a waved endura. I can draw those knives faster than any gun and just the sudden flash and "click" sound make it appear all the more threatening.

Back to the subject, I would expect myself to react accordingly and if necessary draw my commander without any complications and be ready to defend myself. I like the hiking stick idea, good tip and something that I would have with me if backpacking a great distance. This would be my first option if I had it with me.

I still want a gun, maybe an inexpensive .22 pistol with some shot shells (snake shot). Can you imagine that being shot at an attackers face :D.
 
The snake shot at an attacker's face is a nice idea, but can you reliably pull it off. What if the guy's already on you? What if you have to shoot from the hip? I was thinking of .22, because they're so small, but probably won't be going under 32 - hopefully 357
 
Well, I rarely go out alone. If I'm not with someone else, I have my dog with me.
I also tend to carry a rifle and a 20" kukri (and a medium size blade, though I doubt anyone gets that far in assessing me). If I'm with other people they are also armed. I dunno, I guess it's a southern thing, people just to into the woods with guns and big knives.

Not really the target such people are looking for.
 
Whatever is necessary. This stops at nothing. If It takes me gouging your eyes out with my thumbs and dragging you around by the eye socket, that's what will happen if I am attacked. OH, and it doesn't hurt that I'm always packing something, heat or otherwise that can really ruin someone's day.Also, we always hike in teams. Minimum 2-3 with radios, and bats, and guns, and knives/machetes...we don't allow ourselves to be easy targets...
 
Regarding the Zodiac-victim couple having a few minutes to get the idea things weren't right, there are a few specific factors I have found are common amongst those who let themselves become victims:

1) Denial. People operate in daily mode by thinking that others automatically behave the way they do. So, if they are nice people, they misapply that and convince themselves, through denial, that the approaching stranger would NEVER do anything bad to them. Even when all the signs are blaring evidence of the opposite.

2) They think that bad things only happen to other people or in the movies.

3) One of the hardest things for many people to overcome is our upbringing. We are taught to be polite, not be rude, and not to be aggressive. Many people got spanked for it. In adulthood, the rule is (Gavin de Becker put it perfectly): "My safety first, your feelings second." It's very difficult to change this conditioning. There are times to be polite, and others to be rude and assertive to make sure you are safe. But most regular folks who never had a really bad thing happen can't snap out of it when the SHTF.
 
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