Carrying a self-defense gun while hunting

[X-Rap]

I'll carry a sidearm (G32) while primitive weapons hunting for personal protection but generally believe I'm as well or better equipped to defend myself with a modern centerfire rifle in bolt, lever, or semi auto.
I'm of a view that when hunting well off the road out west one is better to have some extra survival supplies than an inferior redundant weapon.
I try to be aware of my surroundings and paying attention to vehicle sounds on access roads, tracks in snow or mud, noticing other people in the woods and their behavior as well as scoping out my truck prior to approaching adds additional security.
To me it is much like backpacking with a axe or saw, the extra weight is just not worth it when there are viable alternatives.
I suppose there could be exceptions due to known dangers or just shorter walk through the back 40 but even then, in the case of a dangerous area, I would opt for an armed hunting partner or probably just hunt somewhere else.

 

[chipcom]

When a man with a pistol meets a man with a rifle, the man with a pistol is a dead man.

Uh, no. Your most lethal weapon resides between your ears...if you are unarmed there, I don't care what kind of firearm you have, you're probably gonna have a bad day.

Back to the subject at hand...when hunting I carry a sidearm. One is none and two is one.

 

[chipcom]

I agree with Jim in Anchorage. I would trust my 30-06 to handle any hunting situation. I have a friend who carries a pistol, he always sits with his back against the wall in a restaurant and facing the door, and the outside of his house at night is lighted up like a cruise ship. I make jokes with my wife about him because he is far too concerned about security. Rather than carrying a pistol I would rather have something useful like an extra flashlight.

I don't believe it is an either-or proposition. Besides a sidearm, I usually have two flashlights and at least 3 knives and other essentials for not only the hunt...but for unexpected visits from Murphy.

 

[X-Rap]

One is none and two is one.

Another quote credited to Smith is "use your pistol to fight your way to a rifle"
While I've always questioned taking that too literally since there are certainly many situations that will be settled with a pistol long before one makes it to a rifle, the general statement stands as true given there are few things that the rifle can't do.
The military arms thousands with few carrying a side arm, CQB is part of their scope, handguns are the exception rather than the rule, can't see hunting needs as much different.

 

[chipcom]

Another quote credited to Smith is "use your pistol to fight your way to a rifle"
While I've always questioned taking that too literally since there are certainly many situations that will be settled with a pistol long before one makes it to a rifle, the general statement stands as true given there are few things that the rifle can't do.
The military arms thousands with few carrying a side arm, CQB is part of their scope, handguns are the exception rather than the rule, can't see hunting needs as much different.

That was the point...if something happens to the rifle, I may need the pistol to fight my way back to another rifle...or at least safety.

There are also situations one can run into when in the field where a rifle isn't the right tool for the job.

Finally...what you think I need and what I think I need are two different things...so forgive me if I give myself the benefit of the doubt, as I am sure you give yourself concerning your own needs. ;-)

 

[buck460XVR]

To me it is much like backpacking with a axe or saw, the extra weight is just not worth it when there are viable alternatives.

...and what is that viable alternative when I'm hunting deer with a bow or Woodcock with my SxS 20 ga. loaded with light #8s? My 30-06 bolt?

It's easy to see there are many folks here that either don't hunt, don't hunt much or only hunt with a larger caliber long gun. In those scenarios, then yep, no BUG is needed. But for other folks in different scenarios, carrying a BUG while hunting is no different than CWC while at the store. Besides, shooting at 'yotes with my .38 or .45 that are outta range of the bow or birdgun is a lot of fun and worth the weight.


BTW...I always carry a folding saw in my backback. Very little weight and is the most used item in there. I suppose tho, I could use a karate chop as a viable alternative instead.

 

[X-Rap]

Alternative I've always used was picking dead wood from the ground. Unless you are in a heavily used area there's always wood on the ground. As far as a sidearm while archery hunting, I carry and if I still lived down on the border I'd carry while dove and quail hunting as well.

 

[Panfisher]

As the old saying goes, "it depends". Some situations I will carry a handgun, others I dont. The most used item in my pack is a roll of electrical tape oddly emough.

 

[Stony]

I recently had an instance where I had 3 pit bulls running deer on the property. The first time I saw them, I left them alone and hoped they were just passing through, but another day they came through chasing 3 does. I really hate to do something like that, but I shot one with the muzzleloader I had with me. By the time I got it loaded again, another one came back to check out the dead one, and I shot it too...but it managed to get back into the cover of the woods. I went into the woods to try to find the injured one and took my Sig 226 with me, just in case. I never did locate it, but in an instance like this I felt better knowing I had some firepower with me.
Not all instances hunting necessarily involve interaction with other people.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Man, I love hunting private land......

Because poachers will respect property boundaries, right

This season I'm out with my Remington 11-48 loaded up with slugs and a few rounds of buckshot in my vest.

First few days, I was wearing my S&W 469 on my belt. Yesterday, since I was back to work, I had my Kel Tec P11 in my pocket.

So yep, I carry my SD pistol while out hunting.

Not that it would make a lot of difference if I happened upon a group of poachers willing to use lethal force to cover their crime.


Not far from where I was sitting in my blind, a group of hunters shot a very large coy-dog hybrid. A co-worker killed one from his tree stand while bow hunting, too. They've become more and more abundant, and big, and don't have the same fear of people that regular yotes do. a couple 12 gauge slugs would drop one easy, but so would a few 9mm hollow points.

A few years ago, I stumbled across an abandoned (thankfully) meth trailer out in the woods. Just another reason to have something more than a muzzle loader, bow, or manual repeater with low round count.

 

[Art Eatman]

USAF Vet, it's generally the case in central and western Texas that poachers are pretty-much night time road hunters. They feel much safer.

 

[MCgunner]

Yeah, and I keep the meth trailers out of my property.