Do you pack defensive heat when hunting?

[Andy54Hawken]

Andy....I'm afraid I'm unloaded! No scalp sence here, I just wounder thew the wood aimlessly

Ha...
I know that ain't true....
Robert A. Heinlein's Tunnel In The Sky...might be a good book for you.
Andy

 

[Yarome]

If I EDC why wouldn't I have a sidearm while hunting? I guess I feel a little "naked" without one but I would say that my hunting sidearm is of a lesser caliber and not especially suited for defensive purposes.

I'm going to use the rifle in my hands as a primary defense weapon while actively hunting, but that doesn't play just piddling around camp and isn't as readily available if you need to address a threat in the wee hours.

I admit though that out in the wilds I'm much less concerned about a defensive situation and the sidearm is intended more as a tool to dispatch a downed animal at close range and for signaling purposes. We use a signal shot system to "call in" others in our party. IE., With a downed animal and in need of assistance. Translated... "meat on the ground... bring the wheeled wagon, please."

Popping off cheap .22WMR makes a whole lot more sense than $2 a pop rifle rounds.

 

[Capn Jack]

YUP ! Even when using uncontrolled shooting spots.

 

[TTSX]

Popping off cheap .22WMR makes a whole lot more sense than $2 a pop rifle rounds.

I've never once taken a "real" shot and thought about what it just cost me. I could shoot 10 $2 rounds and it still wouldn't equal the cost of the tag or the fuel to get there...

 

[Tlock]

Ha...
I know that ain't true....
Robert A. Heinlein's Tunnel In The Sky...might be a good book for you.
Andy

I have a couple years experience with good ol mother nature. I would like to think I could survive in a "hatchet" type situation. (I read that multiple times in my youth)the river is good too.

 

[TTSX]

YUP ! Even when using uncontrolled shooting spots.

What's an uncontrolled shooting spot? A place that's too hard to grampa fuddy duddy to reach and give ya pointers you didn't ask for?

 

[Provincial]

Nowadays, you cannot expect that anywhere is completely secure from either two- or four-legged predators. Gates are not a dependable way to keep an area secure.

There are several ways a gate can fail to secure an area. The most common is that it (or another one that gives access) has been left open by an authorized user. Locks can be broken or picked. Gates can be physically damaged enough to give access. Enterprising trespassers can use vehicles to bypass the gate, like bicycles, trail motorcycles, or even 4WD vehicles if enough vegetation or obstructions are removed.

Very few trespassers bypass gates on foot, but it does happen. They rarely penetrate more than a mile or two. Motorized trespassers can travel an amazing distance. As time goes by, trespassers have become more "entitled" and believe that they have a "right" to access private property. Often, the excuse is that there is public property further in, and "you can't keep me from getting to the public property."

 

[RVTECH]

I've let my fair share of cougers out of leg hold traps with just a catch pole

This one got away out of my yard on it's own...

 

[bradsteen]

Heat! It's called heat! I honestly have no idea but it sounds cool I guess. The only heat I have comes from my wood stove

Why carry defensive heat when you COULD be carrying defensive YEET?!

Hi-Point® Firearms: YEET Cannon

Hi-Point® Firearms: YEET Cannon

www.hi-pointfirearms.com

 

[Nosferatu]

One would think that it would be near suicide going out in the woodline without a hand gun...rifle and a platoon of pissed off Rangers for support...

That's a bit melodramatic, but in CA, I ran across pot farms out in the backcountry on a shockingly regular basis. Those bubblegumers were armed to the teeth and don't take prisoners.

I haven't seen any in WA or MT, but I have come across some seriously sketchy types. Better to have it and not need it....

 

[Tlock]

That's a bit melodramatic, but in CA, I ran across pot farms out in the backcountry on a shockingly regular basis. Those bubblegumers were armed to the teeth and don't take prisoners.

I haven't seen any in WA or MT, but I have come across some seriously sketchy types. Better to have it and not need it....

I've come across a pile of those trapping bears on timber co ground. They don't like the government plates to much.....

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I just carry a extra box of ammo in the back pack can be used in defense, signaling or as a signal oh and you can use the powder to help start a fire

 

[Xaevian]

That's a bit melodramatic, but in CA, I ran across pot farms out in the backcountry on a shockingly regular basis. Those bubblegumers were armed to the teeth and don't take prisoners.
I haven't seen any in WA...

I have in WA, but didn't amount to anything. I did carry a sidearm in WA for people, especially if I was matsutaki picking (those sell for over $120/lb at the time at the lowest, and armed robbery was uncommon but not unheard of). Now that weed is legal and cell phones are common, probably not so much weed farms.

 

[Tlock]

I have in WA, but didn't amount to anything. I did carry a sidearm in WA for people, especially if I was matsutaki picking (those sell for over $120/lb at the time at the lowest, and armed robbery was uncommon but not unheard of). Now that weed is legal and cell phones are common, probably not so much weed farms.

I've seen matzies bring way more back in the early 2000s

 

[Andy54Hawken]

That's a bit melodramatic, but in CA, I ran across pot farms out in the backcountry on a shockingly regular basis. Those bubblegumers were armed to the teeth and don't take prisoners.

I haven't seen any in WA or MT, but I have come across some seriously sketchy types. Better to have it and not need it....

Yes it is...on purpose.
However , so are a lot of the folks who over worry about being out in the woods.....
I understand about being prepared ..it is wise to be concerned about what is likely to happen...not what is unlikely to occur.

In any event...
I have come across pot growers as well as what appeared to be a tent city of some sort.....lots of "seriously sketchy" there...
Yet here I am ...alive.

At the end of the day...
I don't feel the need to carry a defensive firearm when hunting...
I'll just use what I am hunting with , in the unlikely event I actually need to defend myself with a firearm.
Defense is far more that having or using a a firearm.

If someone else does differently....
As I have said...they ain't wrong...for them.
Andy

 

[Paolung]

WTF is defensive heat?

...

 

[Paolung]

I do carry a side arm when fishing.

Why?

 

[Paolung]

I understand that times ain't what they used to be....
And that there are indeed threats out there , be they two or four legged.

I also have no issue with those who choose to carry a sidearm for defense while hunting.
You ain't "wrong" for doing so....for you that is.

However after reading more than a few posts and threads here at NWFA about this matter...
One would think that it would be near suicide going out in the woodline without a hand gun...rifle and a platoon of pissed off Rangers for support...

Again I get it...things are out there...and things happen.
Something to consider here is that self defense is much more than having a firearm.

Pay attention to your surroundings...
Cultivate a non-aggressive , but alert demeanor...
Keep a clean camp...
If push comes to shove...keep your head...and fight smartly as well as decisively...
Use what you have...not what you wish you had...

I have camped , hiked and hunted in many a wild area...
Wild as in terrain and the wildlife...counting both two and four legged beasties.
Many times this was done with what many would call a "substandard" arm...
Things like only a knife...or bow...or .22 rifle ...or Muzzle loader...or no arms at all.
Often this was done in grizzly country.....
And yet here I am...alive to tell the tale.
Luck , sure...woodcraft as well.

In any event :
"Remember though , your best weapon is between your ears and under your scalp - provided it's loaded."
Andy

No doubt. To me, it's one of those "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" things.

Odds of something going down are low - people go their whole lives without a violent 2 or 4 legged encounter these days.

But sometimes, it ain't about the odds... it's about the stakes.

YMMV

 

[Stomper]

Yes that does include the times when I am hunting with one of my .22 rifles....or flintlocks...or any other firearm.

And yes I would consider my .22 rifles as reliably useful defensive firearms...
I know and use what ammo works well with them....I also shoot very well with them.

Would they be my first choice for defensive use...No.
However ...
I ain't gonna roll over and wait to die 'cause all I have is a .22 rifle.
Defense is a Hell of a lot more than what someone is armed with.

Getting killed or harmed by a critter would be a historically correct way to go...
So again...I don't worry 'bout it none.
As for two legged threats...I have dealt with them before and I am still here to tell the tale...
Again..I don't worry 'bout coming out on top again.

In any event...
As you may have gathered...
I don't worry 'bout these things....However if you or anyone else does...
Then good for you....you ain't wrong ...for you.

The question asked was do you...meaning those who answer.
I answered what I do.
Andy

Andy ain't afraid of ANYTHING! He's so bad-a$$ he has muscles (and excellence) in his poop!









As to the thread topic, what I carry in the woods is for me to know and you to FAFO.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Andy ain't afraid of ANYTHING! He's so bad-a$$ he has muscles (and excellence) in his poop!









As to the thread topic, what I carry in the woods is for me to know and you to FAFO.

Well now....
Fear and I have met many times.
I have learned how to overcome my fear.

That said...
The times where I have known fear , real WTF fear...have indeed shaped my thinking and outlook on things.
Things such as whether or not I feel the need to carry a sidearm when hunting.
Whatever dangers and threats are out there where I hunt...they don't compare to what I have feared at times.

Fear driven thinking...ain't thinking at all.
And while I know what you said about me was in jest...a man who knows no fear can be a danger to himself or others.

Where I hunt and play in the woods , does have dangers and threats.
Those do need to be taken into account...which I have.
So at the end of the day....if I do need a firearm to defend myself....I'll rely on the one I am hunting or shooting with that day.


While others will differ on their thoughts and practices of carrying a sidearm when hunting....
It is important that one does what is best for them...and not what is best for someone else.

All of the above is a long winded way of saying :
If it comes down to a fight....I will do my best to win...and woe to those who under estimate my willingness to live.
Andy