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Just bring a can of bear-spray. It's way lighter anyway.
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Mar 21, 2014 05:26
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 21:12 |
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Guns are fun and all, and you're within you legal rights to OC one, but do be aware that the reactions of people you meet on the trail may be similar to the people in the thread. There's a very good chance you'll be "that guy" to other hikers; and interactions may be awkward, passive aggressive, or even verbally hostile depending on who you run into.
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Mar 21, 2014 05:36
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If you're such a military trained operator of all things gun why do you need to come to an internet comedy forum hiking thread to ask how to walk around with a pistol?
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Mar 21, 2014 06:01
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It's incredible how firearms can be so polarizing and nobody can see either side. Firearms have their place but for most people they wind up being heavy unused piece of gear. It makes some people feel better to carry and sleep better sure night. Most people who carry for non hunting reasons are usually in places where brown bears are common like Alaska or Montana. Black bears aren't very aggressive and can easily be scared off. If they do act aggressively you should make yourself big loud and stand your ground. If it attacks you fight back. Cougars are stalkers. Most of the time you will have no idea if a cougar is nearby or stalking you.They move quietly and quickly and attacks come without warning making it next to impossible to defend yourself with a gun. Your best chances are to stand your ground, get big/loud and fight back if it attacks. They rarely attack groups though and their kills are usually small animals. As other people have said a sidearm is rarely going to be very effective against a charging animal. A lot of people actually prefer bear spray because it tends to be more effective against charging animals and is easier to deploy effectively. A pistol needs to be drawn, gripped, aimed, safety off and get shots on a small and fast moving target. Missing is highly likely and if you simply injure the animal without killing it, it might do more harm than good. If you're a good shot you have about 20 yards of effective range if your nerves don't get to you. Bear spray requires drawing and aiming in a general direction and has been proven very effective. The spread means that aiming isn't as crucial as a firearm. It's also effective against meth tweakers if that's the people factor you're worried about. In all honesty there are better ways to defend yourself but if that's the only way you can sleep and it's legal then go for it. It sounds like you know your way around a firearm so as long as you don't have unreal expectations or weird hero fantasies then you're doing nothing wrong.
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Mar 21, 2014 06:02
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Verman posted:
He's talking about Open Carry, of course he has weirdo fantasies.
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Mar 21, 2014 06:19
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Or maybe it's just kind of a pain in the rear end to keep 100% concealed while tromping around the woods especially if you want your firearm to be even remotely accessible? Maybe?
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Mar 21, 2014 06:25
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Bear spray is proven to be much more effective than guns, especially pistols. I hunt, hike, and mountain bike in Montana and sometimes I bring bear spray. If I was going to bring a second camp gun for bears it would be a short barreled 12 gauge with slugs.
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Mar 21, 2014 06:36
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People who hike with guns seem just as silly as people who hike with giant knives. You aren't gonna need it except in very special circumstances, like maybe a polar bear attack. Also guns are heavy. The best things you can do for your personal safety while hiking are 1. take a wilderness first aid class and 2. tell friends and family where you're going and 3. wear some bright orange so hunters don't mistake you for a deer and shoot you. I've run into people hiking with guns and I didn't really care, but I didn't try to make friends with them the way I do with other hikers. I leave them alone with their guns. I guess if you're really really into solitude a gun can help enforce that.
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Mar 21, 2014 06:52
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:No one is going to attack you while backpacking. It's less likely then than it is in some other cowardly fantasy when you get to defend grandma in the supermarket. You're going to do nothing other than make other people uncomfortable and suspicious of you, or worse, get trigger happy when you think someone is approaching you at night. Carry a knife or something if you want to engage in some macho fantasy. Or just knock that poo poo off. You deserve to be mocked. Looks like someone has never stumbled upon a meth lab or a grow op in the great outdoors. Scottw330 posted:Just bring a can of bear-spray. It's way lighter anyway. They really shouldn't be brought along for the same purpose. Bear spray is for protection against animals. A gun is for protection against people. Ain't no way I want to be trying to down a bear or cougar with a pistol. Never mind the fact that you are likely killing an endangered animal that is rearing young. Though I do loving hate having to buy/rent a can of bear spray every time I fly to somewhere that has grizzlies 
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Mar 21, 2014 07:23
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jb7 posted:Looks like someone has never stumbled upon a meth lab or a grow op in the great outdoors. Realistically a pistol won't help you there, as they either will simply show up and tell you to turn around, or you'll surprise them and they'll completely outgun you. Also, if every story about a hiker bumping into a meth lab or grow-op in the forest was real, there'd be no room for the trees. I don't have a problem with a responsible gun owner* hiking around with a gun, but don't kid yourself that it'll be any more useful than a katana. *A heck of a loaded term, since every owner thinks they're responsible
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Mar 21, 2014 07:54
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jb7 posted:Looks like someone has never stumbled upon a meth lab or a grow op in the great outdoors. If this is something people are actually worried about sticking to established trails will be much safer than carrying a gun and going into the back country.
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Mar 21, 2014 10:42
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gently caress My rear end posted:Does anyone ITT carry while they go hiking/backpacking? Florida allows for Open Carry when hunting/fishing/camping. Bears aren't a huge problem, depending on what part of the state you're in. I've ran into a couple of cougars though (which if you shoot one your life better have been in real danger because a game warden will gently caress you with charges). I OC a Glock 20, but this is also on private property that my friend owns. Why exactly did you come into this thread and ask that and then get all defensive and "well I don't give a poo poo what anyone says I'm going to carry" when people reacted? What was the purpose of posting unless you were trolling?  No one's going to stop you from carrying unless you're on someone elses property, or try to open carry into a NP visitor center or something, but probably most people who are strictly into this for backpacking aren't interested in carrying and look at people who do as paranoid. Also apparently it's still illegal to discharge a firearm in a national park even though it's legal to carry them. Wonder how that'd work out...
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Mar 21, 2014 11:03
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We talked about guns a few months ago
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Mar 21, 2014 11:11
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Gun chat aside, I'm now pretty curious about what the chances are for running into dangerous wildlife. I've done a great deal of hiking in the northeast and never had any encounters, and have never felt the need for bringing something like bear spray. Not saying that there isn't a chance it could happen though. When it comes down to it, I'm way more afraid of encountering a moose than any other animal in my area. I'm guessing that there are a number of you who stand a greater chance for encounters because of your location.
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Mar 21, 2014 13:15
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Between a bear and a moose I'll take the former every time. Moose are strong, territorial in the mating season and above all, dumb as loving bricks.
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Mar 21, 2014 13:41
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gently caress My rear end posted:Does anyone ITT carry while they go hiking/backpacking? Florida allows for Open Carry when hunting/fishing/camping. Bears aren't a huge problem, depending on what part of the state you're in. I've ran into a couple of cougars though (which if you shoot one your life better have been in real danger because a game warden will gently caress you with charges). I OC a Glock 20, but this is also on private property that my friend owns. It depends on where you are hiking. When I lived in Western Alaska I absolutely carried a large caliber handgun with me. And despite what some people say it did come in handy and quite possibly saved my rear end at least once. Myself and a group of friends were canoeing and had gotten out to walk the canoe over a shallow sandbar when we came across a calf and its mother moose. My friend got charged by one and had to empty a clip into it feet from where we were standing. As others have said I would rather come across a bear then a moose which are flighty and unpredictable. It was also comforting to know I had one when walking through grizzly country although I never encountered a situation where I was forced to use my gun against a bear. Generally they would run away if they caught wind of you or heard you. That said there were other people in the region who had to shoot bears in self defense so it wasnt totally unheard of. Now saying all of that, there is no way in hell that I would carry one on any established trail or park system. To many people, the risk is just so low and could be mitigated easily. Maybe if I was up in Northern Minnesota, Maine, or backcountry areas of Montana, Wyoming, etc. Still I doubt I would bring one even there, better off storing your food appropriately and making your presence known.
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Mar 21, 2014 13:55
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evil_bunnY posted:Between a bear and a moose I'll take the former every time. Moose are strong, territorial in the mating season and above all, dumb as loving bricks. I was backpacking around Gilbert Lakes in the Uintas (I believe, it was a long time ago) and there was basically a herd of moose just traversing the lakes for the several days we were up there. One big bull moose and a younger male as well and several cows. Thankfully they didn't cause is any trouble but it was a little nervewracking at times when they would start to wander closer. Also cool to see them wade out into the middle of the lake to eat the aquatic plants
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Mar 21, 2014 14:31
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Anyone stayed at the Wawona campground in Yosemite? I'm going to be staying in the park for five or six days in August. I would prefer one of the campgrounds that doesn't allow RVs but those are all first-come and I'm not sure I want to risk ending up without a spot the first day.
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Mar 21, 2014 15:08
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What do you want to know about it? My uncle was a park ranger out of Wawona for a number of years, I can ask him.
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Mar 21, 2014 15:17
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Speleothing posted:He's talking about Open Carry, of course he has weirdo fantasies.
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Mar 21, 2014 15:38
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It's trivially easy to set up a chest strap rig. If I can have my camera out in literally a second, a sidearm can't be more of a hassle.
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Mar 21, 2014 16:57
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Officer Sandvich posted:If this is something people are actually worried about sticking to established trails will be much safer than carrying a gun and going into the back country. The meth "lab" was actually right at the trail head. Lab is probably the wrong term, it was more the remnants of someone's previous night's mobile cook. I may or may have not also just missed the cooks, since I saw a truck leaving just as I pulled up. This was extremely early in the morning(Was hunting in the area), so not really any other reason to be out there at the time. I suppose they could have been dumping trash, but who the gently caress does that at 4AM? Southeast Oklahoma is such a wonderful place. jzilla fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Mar 21, 2014 |
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Mar 21, 2014 18:28
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jb7 posted:Southeast Oklahoma is such a wonderful place. Problem identified
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Mar 21, 2014 18:31
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Yiggy posted:Problem identified Oh for sure. However, the area has some really awesome hunting and hiking, especially when it's winter and I don't feel like dealing with ice and snow.
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Mar 21, 2014 18:44
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Skipping gun chat and let's do knife chat. I want to get a knife for backpacking. My wife and I stick to short day hikes on trails. Currently we have a multi-tool that we bring along but I wanted something that could take a beating. Is a ~4 inch fixed blade knife a good idea or should I stick to a folding knife? Any suggestions on brands?
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Mar 21, 2014 18:47
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Have you ever really needed to use a knife a lot? I usually take one, but I went with a very small and lightweight foldable knife and honestly most of the time I use it, it's for cutting moleskin or something. It'd work for gutting fish too though. http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Ladybug-Plain-Knife-Yellow/dp/B001RATY40 Also have this guy or something very similar (not sure if it's the exact model but it looks like it) http://www.gerbergear.com/Essentials/Knives/E-Z-Out-Skeleton_06701 And it's surprisingly light for the size of the blade, but I don't really take it backpacking anymore. Really don't end up finding a lot of use for a knife to be honest, so I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you have a specific use in mind. I think a fixed blade would be overkill (harder to carry, have to have a sheath for it, etc). Like I said, even my .6 ounce Spyderco knife could gut a fish if I needed it to. e: now what I really need is a clean, simple, tough digital watch for backpacking... Levitate fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Mar 21, 2014 |
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Mar 21, 2014 18:59
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I used to carry a knife but stopped a few years ago when I realized in my many many backpacking trips I never needed one. I think most people just have this image of a rugged mountain man with a knife and think they'll need it in some abstract way to live off the land or something, but it's really just dead weight.
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Mar 21, 2014 19:07
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Levitate posted:. Knifetalk: I use a multitool with a locking main blade, but every single time I've needed it was to fix/rig other people's lovely/broken gear evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Mar 21, 2014 |
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Mar 21, 2014 19:07
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evil_bunnY posted:Casio f91w I dunno man according to google search that's what Bin Laden wore 
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Mar 21, 2014 19:10
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Levitate posted:I dunno man according to google search that's what Bin Laden wore
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Mar 21, 2014 19:12
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jb7 posted:Though I do loving hate having to buy/rent a can of bear spray every time I fly to somewhere that has grizzlies You can fly with a gun lol...
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Mar 21, 2014 19:21
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One of my all time stupidest ideas was to chase a swimming moose when I was canoeing in the boundary waters with my dad. Someone asked later what the plan was if the moose turned on us and my only answer was "probably die" My dad did the same thing when he was a kid too, but with a black bear. He really loves chasing animals.
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Mar 21, 2014 20:30
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^^ Never ever mess with a Moose. I thought Moose were responsible for more deaths in Canada than anything else?  I think even the Survivorman said that as well.I've run into more drat Rattlesnakes in California than black bears and most black bear sightings are of the "oh how adorable momma/baby cub" from 100 yds away variety, not the scary Grizzly in Montana yer hosed variety. I'd think in Florida the primary threats would be all the drat snakes, spiders and gators over bears and cougars.
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Mar 21, 2014 22:09
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I can see a small axe being much more useful than a big knife.
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Mar 21, 2014 22:41
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Last year we had a lady out walking some dogs get stomped on by a moose practically in town. Kind of her fault though- http://missoulian.com/news/local/fwp-moose-simply-protecting-calf-in-attack-near-missoula/article_a951b7a2-c49d-11e2-9bc3-001a4bcf887a.html Closest encounter I've had was being chased by a young elk while riding my bike on the highway. I was getting my phone out to take a picture and then it started running towards me so I had to speed up. Also it was hanging out with a goat for some reason.
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Mar 21, 2014 23:48
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Colonel J posted:I can see a small axe being much more useful than a big knife. Against a moose? Nah, I think that would just make it angry  A small 1.5"-2" folding knife is usually all you would need if you are just doing a day hike. I rarely use mine, when I do it's usually to cut some para-cord or in the off chance it sort of works in helping remove ticks. Anything larger would pretty much just add weight without adding usefulness.
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Mar 21, 2014 23:48
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gariig posted:Skipping gun chat and let's do knife chat. I want to get a knife for backpacking. My wife and I stick to short day hikes on trails. Currently we have a multi-tool that we bring along but I wanted something that could take a beating. Is a ~4 inch fixed blade knife a good idea or should I stick to a folding knife? Any suggestions on brands? If you find that you need something else beside the common multitool you see get recommended here look into Mora knifes. Dirt cheap awesome and pretty durable. Are you going to be able to hack it straight into a tree and jump up and down on it? No, but when is the last time you needed to do that. It'll perform %90 as good as one of those fancy dozier knifes and run you way way less. You can usually get them for around $10.
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Mar 22, 2014 00:50
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-CHA posted:Against a moose? Nah, I think that would just make it angry Yeah, I meant more for chopping small wood. My friend carries one and it's a godsend when we have trouble finding good wood for burning.
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Mar 22, 2014 02:45
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I find it hilarious how everyone here is discussing protecting themselves from wildlife and the TFR thread's consensus is "shut up and drink your Pine-Sol". Do you have a campfire often enough to need a knife? Do you skin or butcher animals in the woods? Do you relax in the evenings by woodcarving (I do!) ? Then you want some kind of fixed blade. Minimum 3", maximum 12". Full tang (some of the cheaper moras are not full-tang, so if you get one of those, don't use it as a pry bar). Keep it sharp, don't let it rust (that means stainless steel, or rust treatment, or oil). If it's for manipulating wood and not meat, think about using a folding saw instead. There's some real good ones out there, even for cheap. The Bahco Laplander is popular, but my buddies' Costco folding saw works just as well. I prefer knives or parangs or machetes to axes, because I have never needed to split large pieces of wood in half. The only splitting I've had to do was making wood shorter so it would fit in my fire pit, and boots, rocks, and strong arms are entirely adequate tools. A (sturdy!) knife works fine for small splitting, if you are trying to make a hearth board or spoon or something. Basically, knives and axes are useful if your idea of outdoors relaxation is chilling out in camp for most of the day, but pointless if you are a hiking machine (30 mi days :get in:). Besides hunting, the reason people carry weapons (yes, including big knives) in the woods is for peace of mind. Who here hasn't slept with a weapon when alone in the woods at night, at least once?
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Mar 22, 2014 06:16
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Can anyone comment on the Osprey 65 vs the Deuter Act-Lite 65 as a three day pack? I would have added in the patagucci packs but REI didn't have one on the floor.
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Mar 22, 2014 18:40
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