Hey Fellas,
I did a search to get information on this illegal activity and found some truly interesting comments. But as to a specific question I have, I found nothing directly addressing it. Ergo the question: Just what kind of fine and/or jail time am I looking at if my best friend and I were to be hiking the Continental Divide Trail from Glacier to the Tetons and were forced to put a couple .475 slugs into a bear (ending it) while traversing a stretch thereof that passes through a national park? Mind you, I understand that carrying any firearm is strictly verboten in our National Parks. But as fellow member 'Gunsmith' pointed out at a related thread, the bears aren't forbidden from carrying their claws and teeth. Consequently, I just wouldn't go into bear country, national park or not, without something a little more reliable at stopping a 1200 lb grizzly than pepper spray. So withstanding not getting into a confrontation with a pissed off, scared, or just confused grizzly, the point of carrying a firearm in a national park is moot as far as I'm concerned (the authorities would never know I had it). And I would do everything short of using deadly force against such a predator in the first place (as long as the circumstances permitted). After all, I've always had an aversion to the idea of hunting large predators (e.g. bears, lions, sharks, wolves, crocodiles). I want something that will contribute to my collection of exotic game recipes.
But consider a worst-case scenario, gentlemen: my buddy and I are diddly-boppin' down a stretch of the CDT that falls within the confines of Glacier or Yellowstone, talkin' and laughin' about our wives, kids, hobbies, and escatological things when suddenly ole' Teddy appears, guarding an elk or sheep carcass or something. We slowly back away. Uh-oh, Teddy's charging. Left hand goes right for the chest holstered .475 Linebaugh and out of mortal fear ole' Teddy gets the first one in the face and then a second wherever I can get it into him. Then, not more than 30 minutes later and maybe a mile-and-a-half down the trail, we suddenly find ourselves surrounded by park rangers on horseback with guns drawn!
I did a search to get information on this illegal activity and found some truly interesting comments. But as to a specific question I have, I found nothing directly addressing it. Ergo the question: Just what kind of fine and/or jail time am I looking at if my best friend and I were to be hiking the Continental Divide Trail from Glacier to the Tetons and were forced to put a couple .475 slugs into a bear (ending it) while traversing a stretch thereof that passes through a national park? Mind you, I understand that carrying any firearm is strictly verboten in our National Parks. But as fellow member 'Gunsmith' pointed out at a related thread, the bears aren't forbidden from carrying their claws and teeth. Consequently, I just wouldn't go into bear country, national park or not, without something a little more reliable at stopping a 1200 lb grizzly than pepper spray. So withstanding not getting into a confrontation with a pissed off, scared, or just confused grizzly, the point of carrying a firearm in a national park is moot as far as I'm concerned (the authorities would never know I had it). And I would do everything short of using deadly force against such a predator in the first place (as long as the circumstances permitted). After all, I've always had an aversion to the idea of hunting large predators (e.g. bears, lions, sharks, wolves, crocodiles). I want something that will contribute to my collection of exotic game recipes.
But consider a worst-case scenario, gentlemen: my buddy and I are diddly-boppin' down a stretch of the CDT that falls within the confines of Glacier or Yellowstone, talkin' and laughin' about our wives, kids, hobbies, and escatological things when suddenly ole' Teddy appears, guarding an elk or sheep carcass or something. We slowly back away. Uh-oh, Teddy's charging. Left hand goes right for the chest holstered .475 Linebaugh and out of mortal fear ole' Teddy gets the first one in the face and then a second wherever I can get it into him. Then, not more than 30 minutes later and maybe a mile-and-a-half down the trail, we suddenly find ourselves surrounded by park rangers on horseback with guns drawn!