Backcountry hiking

[jmr40]

The gun you have is fine for what you do. You probably don't even need the Buffalo Bore ammo, but it is good insurance. Remember, even in the woods your biggest threat still walks on 2 legs. Especially near trailheads as you leave or get back.

This case hits close to home because the girl was abducted from an area I've hiked a lot. I'm also involved in SAR. I didn't participate in this search but know people who were from both a search and LE perspective.

meredith emerson case - Search (bing.com)

The guy ended up being a serial killer who had abducted and murdered multiple people in GA, FL, and NC. At the time of her abduction, it wasn't legal for anyone to carry a firearm where this happened. The laws were changed shortly afterward.

 

[NorthBorder]

1. There are bears in Northern Alabama.



https://www.outdooralabama.com/black-bear/alabama-black-bears#:~:text=In recent years, black bears,that region of the state.

View attachment 1141660

There are definitely bears in my woods, no pigs though.

I carry a Glock19 and a can of UDAP.

Don't want to sound silly but...That's Alabama?

 

[AUhiker]

The 9mm should be sufficient. Personally I carry 147gr Underwood hard cast (the Cherry stuff) when in the woods if I'm packing the 9mm. In town I go with 147gr HST. Probably for a big cat either would be fine but in the event of a black bear or hog the cast would probably be better. In my mind it's not a big deal to switch back & forth especially since (presumably) you spend more time in town. I suppose you could alternate in the magazine; that was a thing we commonly did in the 70s and 80s but it's kind of fallen out of favor nowadays. Of course it wouldn't hurt to have two or three extra mags in the woods. After all, you probably have a backpack and you're a good ways away from support or resupply.

Welcome to THR!

With all the gear I carry extra mag won’t even be noticed. Most of time were several miles from the vehicle with no cell service.

The gun you have is fine for what you do. You probably don't even need the Buffalo Bore ammo, but it is good insurance. Remember, even in the woods your biggest threat still walks on 2 legs. Especially near trailheads as you leave or get back.

This case hits close to home because the girl was abducted from an area I've hiked a lot. I'm also involved in SAR. I didn't participate in this search but know people who were from both a search and LE perspective.

meredith emerson case - Search (bing.com)

The guy ended up being a serial killer who had abducted and murdered multiple people in GA, FL, and NC. At the time of her abduction, it wasn't legal for anyone to carry a firearm where this happened. The laws were changed shortly afterward.

That’s a perfect reason why national parks should’ve allowed firearms years ago. No cameras, cell service, and mostly secluded. Leaves people helpless and vulnerable.

 

[AUhiker]

OP, a 9 will be fine with a quality bullet that you can put in target. Shot placement is key in most cases. Wild pigs have that wonderful armor so you might have to pull a head shot.
Use what you are most proficient with

Reckon how tough those feral hogs are? I figured a head shot with the thickest part of its skull would be the toughest to get through. I imagine if it’s charging at you a headshot is all you’ll get a shot at anyways. That’s why I like the hardcast projectiles for

 

[The Night Rider]

Don't want to sound silly but...That's Alabama?

^This?^
No.Thats Bear Creek Cañon in Colorado. That Mountain in the background is Pikes Peak

 

[Captains1911]

I do a lot of day hiking in PA 9 months of the tear. Where I hike there are black bears, rattle snakes, copperheads, feral pigs, and coyotes, and, of course, the possibility of human predators. I open carry my pistol and hang a canister of bear spray on my pack shoulder strap. I have used bear spray on bears twice and a coyote once. It worked well. I suspect it work on a pig too. It is very effective on humans. But it is no good for snakes. I load my pistol with Underwood Extreme Penetrator because it penetrates deeply, and that is what is needed for a wild animal. It is not a self defense round in the classic use of the term, but it would do the job.

I’m curious, how did you manage to get close enough to a coyote to be able to spray it with bear spray? Every coyote encounter I’ve ever had involved them running away from me as fast as possible (same for black bears). Are the coyotes in PA less timid of people?

 

[Captains1911]

I think of Hornady XTP bullets as sort of the Jack of all trades. They kind of expand, but not like an HST, Gold dot, etc, so they tend to penetrate much more. They are what I carry for 10mm in my G20 woods gun, but I’ll admit I don’t know how this translates to the 9mm loads and what the ideal bullet weight might be.

 

[jstert]

Im carrying a Glock 43 with a mag extension and sometimes a Taurus G3. My wife carry’s a 32 acp with her. We both have our concealed carry license even though the state is constitutional carry just because we travel a bit.

not that my okay counts for much, but you are good to go!

 

[roscoe]

Hello all newbie here, me and my wife love to go backpack camping/hiking. 9mm is the only pistol caliber I own and it’s what I take into the woods as a “woods gun”. I know what most people will say 9mm is not recommended for that, but we are located in north Alabama so no bears or big game animals. All we have in my neck of the woods is maybe a rabid raccoon or coyote. Those two I’m not worried about so much it’s the two legged kind and we have an invasion or wild feral hogs. So my question is what’s a good ammo choice that will work for SD purpose and cover as a woods gun? Right now I swap my carry load critical defense out for Buffalo bore outdoorsman hardcast when I go hiking just in case I run into mr piggy. Is there a hollow point bullet out there that I could just stock up on practice with it and it serve well for both scenarios? I don’t want to use hardcast for SD in fear of over penetration and a hollow point not reaching the vitals on a charging hog. Maybe the critical duty line since it’s a “barrier blind” bullet? I just thought I would throw it out there and see what everyone else does!

I think you are doing it right. I carry hardcast 9mm in the woods as well. And for SD against humans in the woods, over-penetration is much less of an issue (no crowds), so I don't worry about it. I just swap out for the other magazine with standard hollow-points when not 'out there'.

 

[AUhiker]

I think you are doing it right. I carry hardcast 9mm in the woods as well. And for SD against humans in the woods, over-penetration is much less of an issue (no crowds), so I don't worry about it. I just swap out for the other magazine with standard hollow-points when not 'out there'.

That’s exactly how I do it, I was curious with today’s ammo technology if there’s a round that would keep me from having to swap back and forth from hardcast to hollow points. My setup im using now is working good I think I’ll just stick with it.

 

[dweis]

I’m curious, how did you manage to get close enough to a coyote to be able to spray it with bear spray? Every coyote encounter I’ve ever had involved them running away from me as fast as possible (same for black bears). Are the coyotes in PA less timid of people?

The coyotes in PA are known as coy-wolves and are a mix of wolf and coyote. While they normally get away from humans quickly there are some that have adapted to living nearer human habitat. They are less fearful of people. The incident happened near a trailhead that was only couple miles away fro a residential community. The one I sprayed just stood a stared at mm from about 25 feet away. When it started to move slowly to me I sprayed it. The spray I carry will go out to 30 feet. It was between 20 and 25 feet when I sprayed it. The wind was in my favor also.

read about the coy wolf here:
https://www.livescience.com/39184-what-is-a-coywolf.html

 

[Southerner up North]

Reckon how tough those feral hogs are? I figured a head shot with the thickest part of its skull would be the toughest to get through. I imagine if it’s charging at you a headshot is all you’ll get a shot at anyways. That’s why I like the hardcast projectiles for

The armor protecting the vitals has been called the toughest part of a wild pig. It is thick, dense and stops bullets.

 

[WisBorn]

@AUhiker welcome to the THR. As a hiker check out the following thread.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/today-i-enjoyed-the-outdoors-i-chose-to-carry.869284/

The option of carrying different loads for your carry is a good one. And don't under estimate the effectiveness of a FMJ. The 9mm is a good choice for the eastern and southern states. I hike a lot of areas that have black bears and carry 38/357 I will have hardcast loads while hiking and HPs on the nightstand or walking downtown.
Your biggest threat on the trails have 2 legs. I don't worry about over penetration. The critters that I worry about the most are Bees and venomous snakes.

If you are looking at different hardcast loads check out @beeenbag video on the thread Underwood versus Buffalo Bore.

 

[AUhiker]

The armor protecting the vitals has been called the toughest part of a wild pig. It is thick, dense and stops bullets.

Thanks for sharing, I need to do more research about wild hogs. Sounds like a headshot would be what you want to take.

 

[AUhiker]

@AUhiker welcome to the THR. As a hiker check out the following thread.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/today-i-enjoyed-the-outdoors-i-chose-to-carry.869284/

The option of carrying different loads for your carry is a good one. And don't under estimate the effectiveness of a FMJ. The 9mm is a good choice for the eastern and southern states. I hike a lot of areas that have black bears and carry 38/357 I will have hardcast loads while hiking and HPs on the nightstand or walking downtown.
Your biggest threat on the trails have 2 legs. I don't worry about over penetration. The critters that I worry about the most are Bees and venomous snakes.

If you are looking at different hardcast loads check out @beeenbag video on the thread Underwood versus Buffalo Bore.

Thanks WisBorn! Where exactly can I find that video?

 

[WisBorn]

Thanks WisBorn! Where exactly can I find that video?

Here is the thread it is a few posts down.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/underwood-vs-buffalo-bore-hardcast.915919/

@beeenbag I haven't seen the video posted on your YouTube channel yet?

 

[WisBorn]

@AUhiker if you need help deciding on a new carry addition THR can help you there!

There are a few enablers on THR also known as members
If you don't have a revolver we can help out. A new 357mag, 44mag, 45lc or the coveted 41mag we will help.
If you want to stay with a semiautomatic buying a woods carry 10mm for a western hiking vacation we will also help you out

 

[halfmoonclip]

The OP's original plan is the best one. Lately, I've been leaving a magazine of 'hiking ammo' in the Jeep; for the 365. Top two are snakeshot, and the following 8 are FMJ. Easy enough to swap, and that mag has the FDE baseplate; lets you know what is in the gun at a glance.
Previous hiking gun was (sometimes still is) a 340SC; first two rounds snakeshot, the final 3 those godawful Fiocchi 140 FMJs (1100'sec in a snub...).
Recently got a .44 Mountain Gun, but it seems kinda overkill here in Westsylvania.
Only time ever used a gun, hiking, was for a rabid raccoon...and it was a 9mm 3913.
Moon

 

[The Night Rider]

I’m curious, how did you manage to get close enough to a coyote to be able to spray it with bear spray? Every coyote encounter I’ve ever had involved them running away from me as fast as possible (same for black bears). Are the coyotes in PA less timid of people?

The Coyotes in Chicago are.

 

[bearcreek]

Hello all newbie here, me and my wife love to go backpack camping/hiking. 9mm is the only pistol caliber I own and it’s what I take into the woods as a “woods gun”. I know what most people will say 9mm is not recommended for that, but we are located in north Alabama so no bears or big game animals. All we have in my neck of the woods is maybe a rabid raccoon or coyote. Those two I’m not worried about so much it’s the two legged kind and we have an invasion or wild feral hogs. So my question is what’s a good ammo choice that will work for SD purpose and cover as a woods gun? Right now I swap my carry load critical defense out for Buffalo bore outdoorsman hardcast when I go hiking just in case I run into mr piggy. Is there a hollow point bullet out there that I could just stock up on practice with it and it serve well for both scenarios? I don’t want to use hardcast for SD in fear of over penetration and a hollow point not reaching the vitals on a charging hog. Maybe the critical duty line since it’s a “barrier blind” bullet? I just thought I would throw it out there and see what everyone else does!

I live in north Idaho. Our potentially "dangerous" animals include black bears, grizzlies, moose, wolves, mountain lions and coyotes. When in the backcountry (which, by many people's standards is approximately 200 feet from my front door) I carry a 9mm, as do many other hunters and hikers in the area. Some carry hard cast lead bullets. In Alabama, I'd carry the same HP's I normally do. There's nothing there that would require more penetration.

 

[Arctic Linebaugh]

The armor protecting the vitals has been called the toughest part of a wild pig. It is thick, dense and stops bullets.

Maybe a 22/380.

I’ve seen em run a little bit with a 9mm in em, but I ain’t seen one a 9mm couldn’t kill.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I used to carry 9mm in Pennsylvania and even in Alaska for a bit.

The Underwood catalog is my favorite, they have some extreme penetrators and defenders that might do the ticket.

I've just carried +P+ flat point FMJ or hardcasts that you already do.

If you believe the ballistic hype, Fort Scott spun copper bullets might do the trick

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I live in north Idaho. Our potentially "dangerous" animals include black bears, grizzlies, moose, wolves, mountain lions and coyotes. When in the backcountry (which, by many people's standards is approximately 200 feet from my front door) I carry a 9mm, as do many other hunters and hikers in the area. Some carry hard cast lead bullets. In Alabama, I'd carry the same HP's I normally do. There's nothing there that would require more penetration.

When I lived in ID I usually carried a 9mm loaded with the 147gr Underwood cast and a mag of 147gr +P Federal HST as backup for to swap out for town. Shortly after moving to MT I got an HK P30 in .40 and load it with Underwood 200gr cast for the woods. The odds of running into a grizz are a little higher in SW Montana vs Idaho. Maybe I'll get a .44 Mag eventually but I'm not sure I'd use it enough to justify the purchase. The .40 is reasonably popular here as a woods gun. In theory a 10mm might be better but I have no confidence in the ability of the extant guns to reliably run 200gr which is my strong preference.

 

[WisBorn]

When I lived in ID I usually carried a 9mm loaded with the 147gr Underwood cast and a mag of 147gr +P Federal HST as backup for to swap out for town. Shortly after moving to MT I got an HK P30 in .40 and load it with Underwood 200gr cast for the woods. The odds of running into a grizz are a little higher in SW Montana vs Idaho. Maybe I'll get a .44 Mag eventually but I'm not sure I'd use it enough to justify the purchase. The .40 is reasonably popular here as a woods gun. In theory a 10mm might be better but I have no confidence in the ability of the extant guns to reliably run 200gr which is my strong preference.

I'm a little confused?
You run 200gr Underwood in your 40s&w, but you don't have confidence in running the same bullets in a 10mm. Please explain?

 

[TRACON]

Boy, lots of responses with what “I’m carrying” and some isn’t even germane to a 9mm. To the OP and answering your question, any of the below 9mm loads will be fine and in no particular order. (Except HSTs are #1 in y professional book):

1. Federal 147gr HST
2. Speer Gold dots 147gr
3. Winchester Ranger-T 147gr
4. Winchester PDX-1 147gr
5. Hornady critical duty 135gr
6. Underwood 147gr HP’s


Any of those will work splendidly on bad guys, Mt. Lions, coyotes, bobcats, pigs in the head, etc… pigs will try to run away and not attack you if you’re just hiking through. No need for Hardcast as those suck on bad guys like an FMJ. You want the bullet to dump all its energy into your target and not pass through. Hardcast is for larger tougher game animals, which from where you’re at and what you’re doing, you won’t need.