Should Backpackers Carry Handguns - A Backpacker Magazine "Question of the Month."
- Thread starter Roadrunner
- Start date
DadOfThree
New member
DLL
So that's how you escape the problems of the real world. You just create your own reality and nothing or nobody can harm you. What has he been smokin?
illuminatus99
New member
no, backpackers shouldn't carry a handgun.........they should carry a shotgun.
Mike in VA
New member
e-mail sent-
"In response to your 'question of the month' regarding being armed in the woods I would offer that one is foolish not to be (assuming that you are properly trained and it is legal to do so where you 'pack). There's no 911 in the woods, Ranger Rick can be hours away (and may not be much help anyway), and bluntly, your safety is YOUR responsibility. Understanding that you may encounter real wild animals, many of which are losing their fear of man, not to mention that there are some not-so-nice people out there as well that you may also encounter. A gun is just another piece of safety equipment. Although we all like to go into the woods to relax, situational awareness is just as important in the boonies as it is in the city, it ain't Disneyworld. Those who can't figure it out can end up as 'food', i.e. natural selection in action.
In closing I would offer some old advise I got as a kid from my old French-Canadian uncle (he was a surveyor, hunter & trapper in upstate NY). "Before going unarmed into Paradise, you should be damned sure dat dat's where you are, eh?"
Y'all stay safe, . . . "
"In response to your 'question of the month' regarding being armed in the woods I would offer that one is foolish not to be (assuming that you are properly trained and it is legal to do so where you 'pack). There's no 911 in the woods, Ranger Rick can be hours away (and may not be much help anyway), and bluntly, your safety is YOUR responsibility. Understanding that you may encounter real wild animals, many of which are losing their fear of man, not to mention that there are some not-so-nice people out there as well that you may also encounter. A gun is just another piece of safety equipment. Although we all like to go into the woods to relax, situational awareness is just as important in the boonies as it is in the city, it ain't Disneyworld. Those who can't figure it out can end up as 'food', i.e. natural selection in action.
In closing I would offer some old advise I got as a kid from my old French-Canadian uncle (he was a surveyor, hunter & trapper in upstate NY). "Before going unarmed into Paradise, you should be damned sure dat dat's where you are, eh?"
Y'all stay safe, . . . "
Danger Dave
New member
Correia, energy is energy - whether it's positive or negative depends only on the reference you're using. Or, in this case, which end of the gun you're on.
Look at it this way.. not EVERYONE in your group needs to pack iron, and if it bothers you I'll keep it out of sight. Simple enough?
A gun is just another piece of saftey gear, like a first aid kit or "metal matches" You hope you won't need to use it, but if you need it damn well better have it with you.
As for bashing backpackers in general as hummus eating tree huggers, hummus ain't that bad.
Imagine if the blair witch came to visit a TFL camp? It would still be raining lead in Burketsville.
A gun is just another piece of saftey gear, like a first aid kit or "metal matches" You hope you won't need to use it, but if you need it damn well better have it with you.
As for bashing backpackers in general as hummus eating tree huggers, hummus ain't that bad.
Imagine if the blair witch came to visit a TFL camp? It would still be raining lead in Burketsville.
"Imagine if the blair witch came to visit a TFL camp? It would still be raining lead in Burketsville."
LOL! Good one. I thought the same thing when I watched that stupid movie. If those "enlightened" college students (or whatever they were) had only been packing, they would have slept a lot sounder. I know I do! My .44 mag is always right by my pillow when I'm in the tent. Heck, I even carry it when I'm just fishing the streams in the lowlands around here. The drummer for my band is a local fishin guide and he had some land-owner trying to take his head off with a shovel one day simply for floating by in his boat (the stream is public property and they were always below high water mark -- legal). The land owner ended up sitting in jail for a while. But if I would have been in the boat, I would have just gently and slowly placed my right hand on the top of my holstered .44 and made that motion obvious to the land-owner. No brandishing or anything, just resting my right hand. Would saved a lot of stress for him and his paying fishing clients.
LOL! Good one. I thought the same thing when I watched that stupid movie. If those "enlightened" college students (or whatever they were) had only been packing, they would have slept a lot sounder. I know I do! My .44 mag is always right by my pillow when I'm in the tent. Heck, I even carry it when I'm just fishing the streams in the lowlands around here. The drummer for my band is a local fishin guide and he had some land-owner trying to take his head off with a shovel one day simply for floating by in his boat (the stream is public property and they were always below high water mark -- legal). The land owner ended up sitting in jail for a while. But if I would have been in the boat, I would have just gently and slowly placed my right hand on the top of my holstered .44 and made that motion obvious to the land-owner. No brandishing or anything, just resting my right hand. Would saved a lot of stress for him and his paying fishing clients.
Hope the emails do some good. I watched a discussion on guns and hiking over on the REI forums once. The folks there were 9-1 against guns. The only sane voices in the crowd got shouted down as gun zealots.
These, of course, are the same folks that are eaten by bears every year.
These, of course, are the same folks that are eaten by bears every year.
I went to a few backpacking sites and they're pretty comical when you read the sections on bear attacks.
http://ksks.essortment.com/grizzlybeara_rtbo.htm
"If the bear charges, don’t panic and don’t run. If you do run while it’s charging, expect to be attacked. Stand still and the Grizzly may stop its charge. Grizzlies, just as black bears, will often do false charges – sometime as many as 3 or 4. After a false charge, the bear may turn and run or they may charge again and this time attack for real. If you have pepper spray then spray the charging bear as soon as it’s in the effective range. If the initial spray doesn’t deter it, continue spraying – aiming straight for its face."
***O???!!!! It's more like, if the bear starts to charge, now is not the time to guess if it's a false charge or the real deal. Draw your .44 mag Super Blackhawk and fire center mass. If the initial shot doesn't deter it, continue to fire remaining ammunition.
http://vancouverhiking.tripod.com/vancouverhiking2/id5.html
"* If you are Attacked by a black bear : Curl up into a ball and protect your neck .
If the attack persists, fight back with sticks , rocks and yelling . Black bears have
been known to make " False Charges " to scare off threats . You don't ever want to have them close enough that you have to use your pepper spray . This should be your last line of defence." They spelled defense wrong.
More crap about pepper spray. How did we make it to the top of the food chain with all the sheep among us?
OK, last one.
http://home.att.net/~jrmusgrove/attack.htm
"The use of pepper spray as a defense against a grizzly bear attack may prevent me from being seriously injured and may prevent a grizzly bear from being destroyed. After much consideration, I have decided to carry it and be prepared to use it. I would also use it if I were attacked by a mountain lion, and I would use it to repel a predatory attack by a grizzly bear or a black bear. I have hiked a lot of miles in grizzly country without pepper spray. I don't plan to go into the woods thinking: If I run into a grizzly bear, I don't have to worry because I carry pepper spray."
http://ksks.essortment.com/grizzlybeara_rtbo.htm
"If the bear charges, don’t panic and don’t run. If you do run while it’s charging, expect to be attacked. Stand still and the Grizzly may stop its charge. Grizzlies, just as black bears, will often do false charges – sometime as many as 3 or 4. After a false charge, the bear may turn and run or they may charge again and this time attack for real. If you have pepper spray then spray the charging bear as soon as it’s in the effective range. If the initial spray doesn’t deter it, continue spraying – aiming straight for its face."
***O???!!!! It's more like, if the bear starts to charge, now is not the time to guess if it's a false charge or the real deal. Draw your .44 mag Super Blackhawk and fire center mass. If the initial shot doesn't deter it, continue to fire remaining ammunition.
http://vancouverhiking.tripod.com/vancouverhiking2/id5.html
"* If you are Attacked by a black bear : Curl up into a ball and protect your neck .
If the attack persists, fight back with sticks , rocks and yelling . Black bears have
been known to make " False Charges " to scare off threats . You don't ever want to have them close enough that you have to use your pepper spray . This should be your last line of defence." They spelled defense wrong.
More crap about pepper spray. How did we make it to the top of the food chain with all the sheep among us?
OK, last one.
http://home.att.net/~jrmusgrove/attack.htm
"The use of pepper spray as a defense against a grizzly bear attack may prevent me from being seriously injured and may prevent a grizzly bear from being destroyed. After much consideration, I have decided to carry it and be prepared to use it. I would also use it if I were attacked by a mountain lion, and I would use it to repel a predatory attack by a grizzly bear or a black bear. I have hiked a lot of miles in grizzly country without pepper spray. I don't plan to go into the woods thinking: If I run into a grizzly bear, I don't have to worry because I carry pepper spray."