Should Backpackers Carry Handguns - A Backpacker Magazine "Question of the Month."

['01 GSR]

Now, dispersed drive-in campgrounds in the National Forest and BLM land are another matter. The vast majority of criminals will never get far from a road.

Tell that to the creep who spent his summer vacation raping and murdering young couples backpacking the Appalachian Trail some years back. Again, watch the Discovery channel long enough and they'll show it again.

Frequency of criminal activity in the boonies is no indicator of intensity.
I'd be willing to bet the lethality rate for the victim when being attacked by a violent armed criminal in the wilderness is over 90% (number pulled out of the air).

I fail to see how much trouble a S&W airweight would be to carry.

Big enough to give a black bear second thoughts, even if less than lethal, and certainly big enough to give bipedal varmints a nasty shock.

 

[t-man]

I took a 2 week backpacking trip in Denali National Park last year, and of course, the big rule is "no firearms allowed" and they have you watch this 'bear safety' stuff. Most of which I agree with (i.e. stow your food in these bear containers, cook away from your tentsite, etc). But then when they get to the 'firearm' subject, all logic goes out the window. The rangers all tell you that you that 'guns don't work against bears' blah blah blah. But 7 out of 10 of them had .45's strapped to thier hip.

I came to 2 conclusions:

a. They can write me a ticket. - A pistol may not work against a bear, but I'll take my chances.
b. Stay out of National parks. I came away after the trip with this feeling like I had been on an amusement park ride instead of a backpacking trip. Even though we never saw another person after we got off the 'bus' at our 'allocated' spot. There is plenty of Alaska to see without being subjet to the 'National Park System"

t-man

 

[corsair]

Having been up to Denali and lived in California all my life, the NPS rules are pretty assinine. Of course their dealing with idiots who believe feeding coyotes and squirrels is harmless, and think they can just pull over to Tenya Lake and drink right out of it. The park service has become a circus due to their beuracracy and belief that everyone should be able to enjoy natures beauty. To a point. Tourests take heed.

Having backpacked all over the Sierras, I never carried. Now, that the world is a more complex place than it was 5 or 10yrs ago, much more complex problems are becoming apparent. Particularly, all the nuts,weirdos and out-right predetory humans. Should I ever go backpacking in the lower-48, yeah, I'm bringing a lead launcher. Alaska or Canada I have a folding stock 870 with Breneke magnum slugs.

 

[Oleg Volk]

Personally, I would recommend carrying the same way you always do. In my case, it would be a medium handgun because that's what I am used to. Anything which tries to eat me or molest me would have to be shot until it desists. And, since I'd never initiate aggression against anyone, there'd be no cause for any ranger to try to frisk me. Any that would do so without a provocation would be subject to the same consequences as others under the general catogory of "molesting". Fortunately, that's a theoretical and improbable situation.

I am not saying that everyone should carry out int he boonies, only that those who carry daily shouldn't change their habits.

 

[IvyGroves]

I wouldn't go to the grocery store without a firearm - of course I'd pack in the woods! We've had a number of people out here attached on jogging trails that pass through wooded areas. Not that I'm known to jog around very much, but I think going anywhere unprepared is looking for trouble!

 

[TexasVet]

I had a friend who was a gold camp guard in Alaska in the 70's. He always carried a 12ga pump (with slugs) and a 44 mag. The 12 for griz and the 44 for "feral hippies". Used them both twice in a year.

 

[Roadrunner]

The Sept. 2002 issue of Backpacker magazine printed three responses to their poll, "Should Solo Backpackers Carry Weapons for Protection? Here's What You Had To Say..."

"Black bears, wild dogs, psychopaths, and not a cop around for miles to protect me? Hmmmm, let me think. Yup, I'm bringing a gun backpacking. If not to protect me, then to protect my wife and three little kids." PRP, Nashua, NH.

"I'm just as opposed to handguns in the backcountry as I am in the city. Trying to stop violence using violence only perpetuates the cycle." MK, Minneapolis, MN.

"A firearm's a useless hunk of iron on most trips. There are things I would rather do on a hike than break down and oil a heavy piece of gear that I never use. And, concealed, it's probably illegal most places you'd want to hike. Carried openly, you look like a paranoid gun-nut. (Which I think would be pretty accurate in most cases.)" JR, via email.

 

[GunsnRovers]

email sent

I sent in my reply a while back. curious to see what their response in to the initial question will be.

You must have posted the follow ups as I was making my post. Thanks for the update. Not surprised at all.

Jeff

(edited to add 2nd line)

 

[spacemanspiff]

t-man... the laws about firearms in the federal parks (denali being one of them) is that CONCEALED firearms are prohibited. you can carry openly for your own protection. i had to call the state troopers office to get a difinitive answer.
and your ccw is now recognized in alaska for all your other travel needs.

 

[Guyon]

Oleg, I think that's pretty good advice on the whole (keeping one's habits the same).

But I might suggest that, in certain locales, you might need new habits. If you hike a lot in bear country, then a medium handgun might not cut it. Bears have been shot with pretty powerful centerfire cartridges only to keep on coming and maul the unlucky shooter. If it were legal where I was hiking, I think I'd prefer something in the order of a .375. The old expression "load for bear" isn't a wive's tale.

Here in TN, people DO actually get killed by bears from time to time.

Three responses and 2 to 1 against handguns doesn't surprise me in this treehugging rag. What surprises me is that they printed the one pro-gun response.

 

[Drjones]

I did everthing the hiking manual said about banging pans together and picking up a big tree branch and running around like an idiot yelling and screaming. I guess the bears never received their copy of the manual.

I just about DIED of laughter reading this!!!!

Drjones

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Hmmm... Are we talking just backwoods or any camp?

Three drunk military types decided to rape and kill a young couple in a campgrounds on the Columbia just hours after my wife and I elected not to stop there.

 

[Cosmoline]

"I took a 2 week backpacking trip in Denali National Park last year, and of course, the big rule is "no firearms allowed" and they have you watch this 'bear safety' stuff. Most of which I agree with (i.e. stow your food in these bear containers, cook away from your tentsite, etc). But then when they get to the 'firearm' subject, all logic goes out the window. The rangers all tell you that you that 'guns don't work against bears' blah blah blah. But 7 out of 10 of them had .45's strapped to thier hip."

Denali Nat'l Park is OCCUPIED TERRITORY in this state. Man, I hate the National Park Service. It's wrong on every level. It's run directly from DC and strictly for the benefit of "ooo, look at that Murray!" tourists riding around in vast tour buses. Local hunters and hikers can like it or lump it. The staff isn't much better. Almost none of the rangers actually come from here. They're a twisted combination of para-military jackboots and holier-than-thou tree huggers. The upshot of this is you can have a tour group composed of people who've never seen Alaska before led by someone who's only been here two summers! I've had nothing but good experiences with Nat'l Forest Service people and BLM people. The Nat'l Park Service is a different entity all together. Best thing would be to shut down all the national parks. Save a lot of money that way, too.

 

[Beowulf_93]

Essentially, I would be more concerned with the criminal factor first, predatory wildlife second. An animal only acts according to its instincts, but man acts with malice. Yes, I carry something any time I go into the woods. It is too dangerous to be isolated without any effective means of self-defense. E-mail sent.

 

[Sergeant Bob]

Before I fired a couple rounds, I did everthing the hiking manual said about banging pans together and picking up a big tree branch and running around like an idiot yelling and screaming. I guess the bears never received their copy of the manual.

I didn't really finish the story though. When I touched off the first round, the bears took off. But, they returned about 10 minutes later. So I gathered up my belongings, which included my food hanging about 15 feet in the air from a tree. I lit off another, threw an open package of MRE beef stew out into the brush, and headed back down the mountain.
A couple weeks later the rangers had to shoot 2 garbage eating bears in Forest Falls (that's where the hiking trail originated) because they were ripping doors in residents houses to get food. I figure the bears weren't that afraid gunshots because people had probably fired off guns to scare them away from their garbage, and the bears had figured out that the loud bang really wouldn't harm them. You could hear the puppy huggers screaming all the way to L.A.

 

[MatthewM]

We had 3 families on a houseboat. At about 3am a large bear came onboard in the front of the boat and stole our trash can. The guy in the front cabin was sleeping with a 40S&W & that gave me a much more secure feeling!

I've been asking about living (living means hunting and fishing and camping!) in N. California mountains. I've heard people in some areas are so scared of pot farmers they won't go into the woods. I purposely asked a 70 year old guy who teaches marksmenship as I was wondering if those in fear were exaggerating the problem. This guy told me he is also scared to go out into many areas.

There have been several people in Calif killed by mountain lions. They have been made "endangered" and the population exploded and they even come into downtown areas.

So, legal or not, I carry every time I go into the woods. We even pack the 45 when water skiing! Why? I don't know, just do. I'm neither brazen nor chicken. It is careless to go out without extra gas in the tank, without a first aide kit, without a spare tire. When people rely on "Dad", Dad should be reliable!

 

[Gary H]

National Forrest Question:

Have any of you been at the wrong end of a ranger with regards to packing a handgun on your hip?

National Park Question:

Have any of you been tagged by a ranger, who looked the other way?

 

[Ben Shepherd]

This shouldn't even be a question.

It belongs under the famous Homer Simpson expression, "DOH!"

 

[Joe Portale]

"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."


pepper spray on a Griz'.....????????

Curl up into a ball and wait for the attack to stop!!!!.......

Who the living H are these people? Who taught them their forest craft and about bears?

Roll up into a ball to make it easier for the bear to chew through you neck and spine. It is common knowledge that bears like the crunchy parts first.

Hit a Griz with pepper spray...(first of all in an attack stance Yogi will be probably standing...does your pepper spray reach the face of a ten or twelve foot bear?) All you will have is a pi*sed off Griz intent on making your last moments as painful as possible before eating you.

This was floating around the internet awhile back. But it tells it all:

"It is recommended when hiking in Grizzly country that you tie small bells to your walking sticks. The noise from the bells will let the bears you are there and allow the bear to move away. This will keep the hiker from accidently coming up on the bear, startling it and provoking an attack. You can tell you are in Grizzly country by observing scat left by the animals. Grizzly Bear droppings can easily be identified by the little bells contained within the scat".


I hike alot. My side arm depends on what type of critters will be in the area. In bear country I carry a 45 Colt loaded with 260 grain JHP. When I'm in an area that is frequented by two legged varmints, (I live near the border) it is a 1911 with three extra mags.

 

[Joe Portale]

ps...

I did send the email to the magazine