What gun for hiking in SE Wisconsin?

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The bad news is that with the number of people fleeing Illinois and moving to SE Wisconsin I had to spend more money than anticipated for the house in WI and am selling my house for a little less than I thought. My gun budget is gone for a while. The good news is that I already own a Mountain Gun chambered in 45LC and a Model 60 in .357, so I'm set if I need those.

Housing prices across the state are getting quite nuts, be happy you aren't trying to move near Madison, insane.
 
The bad news is that with the number of people fleeing Illinois and moving to SE Wisconsin I had to spend more money than anticipated for the house in WI and am selling my house for a little less than I thought. My gun budget is gone for a while. The good news is that I already own a Mountain Gun chambered in 45LC and a Model 60 in .357, so I'm set if I need those.
You are set!!!
As I mentioned in my first post the Shield will work nicely. I would just carry defense ammo. Once you are north to Adams and Juneau counties meeting up with bears and wolves increase. Make sure you explore Meadow Valley and the Necedah Refuge. I saw my first wolf in Meadow Valley in the late seventies. Wolves are at a population level that they need to be controlled now.
I crashed a lot of brush in Wisconsin and never carried a handgun until they started offering CCW permits.

Enjoy your move! Maybe I will see you in November when I'm heading home for hunting season :thumbup:
 
Ya, from a Wisconsin resident, avoid Madison, but not necessarily because of housing prices ...

Heh, yeah. Grew up near there and my family and most of my buddies are still there. The ones who live in the city are getting crazier every passing year. Still a fun bar scene though, if you're into hipster college kids...
 
Heh, yeah. Grew up near there and my family and most of my buddies are still there. The ones who live in the city are getting crazier every passing year. Still a fun bar scene though, if you're into hipster college kids...
Is the Nitty Gritty birthday bar still openo_O
 
I still like going to Madison for a football game. It has been 7-8 years since I have been.

Yeah, I do that with the boys for a game a season or so as well. Wells not this past season but hopefully next one. Saw them thump Michigan a few years ago, good times.
 
.22 revolver is my woods preference assuming it’s a known place. You can load with a couple cylinders of shot for snakes, and the remainder stingers or mini mags if there’s something that needs to be put out of its misery. I’ve never had to defend myself from anything 2 legged or 4 in the woods but a 22 would do well enough for the purpose if you had to. Maybe not the best cartridge for a large rabid or feral dog, but you could always upgrade to .38spl if that was a concern.

In reality I reckon a 9mm is plenty effective and covers you well. I just like revolvers for the ability to choose your load on the spot, and if you do shoot something you don’t have to police your brass. (But I admit that’s a pretty minor consideration in self defense circumstances.)
 
Housing in Beloit is pretty cheap, complete with bullet holes and dime bags.

Dane county is just stupid expensive. I work for the electric company, they have a hard time getting spots filled in the Verona and Windsor branches simply because of housing.
The Elkhorn area is popular with Illinois residents buying weekend homes.
Am just hoping I can get back to Iowa.

Any ways...I've been to pretty much every gun store within a 1.5hr radius of beloit, you won't find a better one than Top Pack out in Sun Prairie.
 
Housing in Beloit is pretty cheap, complete with bullet holes and dime bags.

Dane county is just stupid expensive. I work for the electric company, they have a hard time getting spots filled in the Verona and Windsor branches simply because of housing.
The Elkhorn area is popular with Illinois residents buying weekend homes.
Am just hoping I can get back to Iowa.

Any ways...I've been to pretty much every gun store within a 1.5hr radius of beloit, you won't find a better one than Top Pack out in Sun Prairie.

Top Pack, I don't recall that one. Is Ammo Box still around?
 
I've been there once within the last two years.
Top pack is not the place to go if you are looking for a deer rifle. They are more of a tactical/higher end shop. You want CZ, they got it, you want a Wilson combat edc, they got 3 of em, Sig P210, yep got that too.
Tony the owner is a stand up guy, I've lived in 5 states and his store is hands down the best I've been to.
 
I've been there once within the last two years.
Top pack is not the place to go if you are looking for a deer rifle. They are more of a tactical/higher end shop. You want CZ, they got it, you want a Wilson combat edc, they got 3 of em, Sig P210, yep got that too.
Tony the owner is a stand up guy, I've lived in 5 states and his store is hands down the best I've been to.

I'll have to check it out next time I'm down that way, thanks.
 
I'm in MI and our "wildlife" would be similar to yours in WI I'd guess. I travel all over the state and I've come to the conclusion that your "woods" gun can be the same as your carry weapon if you want it to be. Most of the time I when I carry while in the woods it's my Shield 9MM, once in a while my Ruger SR9c I could choose anything from .22 to .45 Colt and 99.9% of the time its a 9mm.

Now if you want an excuse to get something that's a different discussion :)

-Jeff
 
I used to think that a woods gun had to be a revolver that starts with a 4 but lately my thinking has changed if I'm out hiking that means that I'm pretty much bye myself and help will take a while to get so for me it's a bottom feeder
And I'm really not too concerned about 4 legged Threats rather 2 legged more likely so my woods gun is my carry gun
 
I've been in Beloit for 3 years now the only wildlife you have to worry about travels North every friday.

Hey now, up here in Northwestern Wisconsin we don't have anybody burning buildings down. We do have wolves and bears, and even a few two-legged skunks:

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We did have one sighting of a "BIGFOOT" a few years back, but it turned out to be a campers mother-in-law from Lake Geneva who got lost lookin' for the outhouse.
 
Had a humorous few minutes driving up highway 34 from Wisconsin Rapids one Saturday morning when both lanes had to stop and wait for a big ol black bear to meander across the highway.
 
Had a humorous few minutes driving up highway 34 from Wisconsin Rapids one Saturday morning when both lanes had to stop and wait for a big ol black bear to meander across the highway.
I think many people don't realize how many black bears are in central WI. Years ago i watched one in Port Edwards along the river as I headed to work in Wisconsin Rapids.
 
We have friends living on the east side of Lake Winnebago. I find that area unique to what I’m used to here in Missouri. We love visiting there but refuse to go near it in winter. Every crossroads has 3 bars and a supper club, a very enjoyable place to be. I own 357s and 9MMs but see little use for them in my woods. I carry a Rossi 22 revolver, if it won’t kill um it usually scares the off. I have a shoulder rig for it. View attachment 991874
That pistol is enormous!
 
I live in an area of west central Wisconsin where bears and wolves are common and we have the occasional wandering cougars. Yet, when out hiking, if and when I do carry, it's more for protection from two legged predators and aggressive domestic dogs. Thus what I carry either reflects that or is for ships and giggles and popping off at those scary knots on tree trunks. Seems those on the east coast of the state would be no different.
 
I used to live in Monroe, WI. Great little town and the high school team was known as the "Cheesemakers." Augsburger used to be brewed there before it was bought out and subsequently shut down. Went through police certification in Beloit at Blackhawk Tech. Got a 4" S&W 27-3 for that academy at a place in Monroe called "Boots and Guns." I do recall the Wisconsin State Patrol and Chicago PD really didn't care for each other.
 
I'm a Life long resident of Wisconsin, not much to be skeert of , unless you are in Madison , or Milwaukee. There the Meth Heads are a hazard , in rural areas you might find coyotes and a wolf possibly a bear or cougar, but for the most pare those critters will avoid people.If you go on a stroll you are more likely to run into an aggressive raccoon . Im thinking If im carrying something it'll be a .22 or .22Mag pistol that would be good for almost everything you'll run across
 
i imagine that wisconsin is similar to new england regarding outdoors handgun advice. in the southern parts main threats are feral or rabid two or smaller four legged mammals, the large apex four legged predators are saner and encountered way up north, if at all. my hikes are in southern n.e. so my usual hiking pieces are revolvers in 22lr on flat terrain and 38sp on when i am occasionally on hilly trails further out.
 

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