"Two Legged Predator" Encounters?

[Crippledsledge64]

Thanks everyone for all the replies! I appreciate the answers, they definitely gave me quite a bit to think on. Sounds like it'd be a good idea to carry just in case and most likely never have to use it (I hope). Couple people mentioned training, since i'm new to researching and buying handguns any recommendations for training?

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Definetely get a concealed weapons permit/training.Also helps to avoid any legal matters if you have to use your weapon.

 

[matthewmt]

Thanks everyone for all the replies! I appreciate the answers, they definitely gave me quite a bit to think on. Sounds like it'd be a good idea to carry just in case and most likely never have to use it (I hope). Couple people mentioned training, since i'm new to researching and buying handguns any recommendations for training?

Any ex Navy seal will do... I have solid guys in my area but depending on yours I could make some recommendations, I'd focus on classes geared more towards an individual needs more so than some team tactics etc that stuff comes later and is very helpful tbh with the family or just your main mate.

Besides two legged foes a sidearm can provide meat to stay alive in other circumstances as well if need be.

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[Savage99]

For me it’s just part of being prepared. I carry everyday, so when I’m in the woods it’s no different. For rifle season, I make the call if I want the extra weight, but other than that it’s every day.

I do see more scenarios of the two legged variety though. Getting back to a trailhead, etc.


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[hodgeman]

All of my people problems were in close proximity to trailheads. Nothing resolved poorly, but that's always a possibility.

Once you're really in the backcountry, anyone I've seen has been as eager to avoid me as I am to avoid them.

 

[justin davis]

I don’t carry a sidearm when hunting. I’m a bowhunter but I know that my arrow will do a number if needed. I’m not afraid of animals but will say that humans do scare me. Very unpredictable and lots of random murder horror stories out there.

 

[jmden]

Was out doing some long range practice a couple of years ago and ran into some sketchy folks that seemed pretty concerned we were where we were--on private timberland. They were asking questions of my daughter like, "How often do you guys come up here?", etc., which I didn't hear until I asked my daughter what they'd said. Hmm... My normal radar didn't get up and running quite as fast as it does in town and afterwards I had the realization from several indications that these folks were likely druggies and probably were either looking for a place or had some type of operation going on up there.

Have had a couple (of many close bear encounters) spooky bear encounters over the years where you started to wonder if you were on the menu. One time it seemed pretty clear we were. Went into dense cover 3x last year after shot bears with pistol drawn in places a rifle just wouldn't fit well, etc. etc. I often have long shots that then I don't want to carry a 12-13 lb long range rifle down to the animal 600-800 vertical feet down and whatever distance, etc. and back up. A decent sidearm is nice to have--and I'm an ounce counter!

You guys that don't carry buy insurance don't you? But, you'll never need it, right?

If I'm with someone else all the time, each with a rifle, I usually don't carry while hunting (pistol back at camp), but if by myself I usually carry but mostly for the reason mentioned above of not wanting to expend the energy to pack a heavy rifle down a long ways and back up, with a full load of meat (last time I did that, I had 130 lb load and finally figured there has got to be a better way) etc. to retrieve game if I don't have to. Sometimes the retrieving and processing occurs in the dark with rifle to side...how far away?...and not immediately accessible. Will never forget one time solo back in the wilderness working on a deer in a high mountain meadow at night, shining the headlamp around and seeing several sets of eyes looking back at me from multiple angles. I'm sure they were all deer just feeding into the meadow at night, but it was a little spooky. And, my 13 lb rifle was a few feet away and I'm known bear country.

Right now, if I was to buy only one gun for combo town and woods, it would be a Glock G20 in 10mm. Most 10mm commercial self-defense loads for it are essentially .40 SW loads so use those in town, but for woods carry, you can seriously up the power factor and using 200g hardcast and 200g expanding bullets, etc. have a potent load with 15+1 capacity. Pretty versatile pistol in that regard. Glock says don't shoot hardcast in their barrels, but you can buy an aftermarket barrel where that's not an issue. I put a KKM barrel in my G40 which is my goto woods gun if hunting bears, general hiking or in griz country.

 

[austinphps]

Why would you react this way to headlights on your tent when camped off a NF road? A bit overkill and unwarranted. I often drive all night to get to some of the areas I hunt. When trying to find a spot to catch some quick shut eye before hiking in I pull into a number of spots. Sometimes some have people camping already and my headlights shine in their camp. At 3am I see someone running at me with a gun, the situation gets unnecessarily complicated as I have potentially now perceived you as a threat. To even think about shooting in that situation makes me wonder. I know in Oregon you would have been going to jail in that scenario had you shot.

It would be different if someone was rummaging through your camp and there is a perceived threat to your life.


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I don't have to justify my actions to you about how I handled the situation. When it's 3 am and a car is creeping closer and closer to my tent - about to actually run it over before he backed up according to my buddy, because of how drunk this guy ended up being - I handled it how I handled it. This wasn't during hunting season - and no real trailhead close by.

And in colorado there is a little law called the castle doctrine or "Make my Day" law: meaning your camp is essentially your home and you can use deadly force to protect said home. I didn't just wake up and start pulling the trigger. Also - if someone is in a camp off a NF road you should keep on moving - esp at 3am. If it's daylight and you ask "hey can I camp here as well"; ok, but they established their spot - typically it's first come first serve. This wasn't a designated campground, just a little pull off enough for a couple tents.

 

[541hunter]

I don't have to justify my actions to you about how I handled the situation. When it's 3 am and a car is creeping closer and closer to my tent - about to actually run it over before he backed up according to my buddy, because of how drunk this guy ended up being - I handled it how I handled it. This wasn't during hunting season - and no real trailhead close by.

And in colorado there is a little law called the castle doctrine or "Make my Day" law: meaning your camp is essentially your home and you can use deadly force to protect said home. I didn't just wake up and start pulling the trigger. Also - if someone is in a camp off a NF road you should keep on moving - esp at 3am. If it's daylight and you ask "hey can I camp here as well"; ok, but they established their spot - typically it's first come first serve. This wasn't a designated campground, just a little pull off enough for a couple tents.

You are right, if you can see the camp from the road don’t pull into it. The problem is many campsites are a hundred feet or so off the main road and in the timber. You can not see if they are occupied from the main road and have to pull into them to look.




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[dano626]

I live near the Mexico border so we have alot of traffic in some of our local spots. There are tons of people who carry out here for that reason alone. Fortunately I have never ran into an issue with illegal immigrants or any other people Ive felt uncomfortable around during my hunts.

 

[austinphps]

You are right, if you can see the camp from the road don’t pull into it. The problem is many campsites are a hundred feet or so off the main road and in the timber. You can not see if they are occupied from the main road and have to pull into them to look.
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Fair enough and that's true about a lot of sites; I didn't give full context on to how we were camped at the time. Might not have been how you handled it, and that's fine. At the time, being flustered awake at 3am, it's how I handled it and thankfully it didn't escalate from there.

 

[541hunter]

"Two Legged Predator" Encounters?

Fair enough and that's true about a lot of sites; I didn't give full context on to how we were camped at the time. Might not have been how you handled it, and that's fine. At the time, being flustered awake at 3am, it's how I handled it and thankfully it didn't escalate from there.

Copy that. And I’m glad it worked out for you in the end. I know how that feeling goes. This season after pulling in at 3 am and setting up my tent, I had someone walking though camp at about 430. I unzipped the tent slightly and fortunately caught sight of the guys bow so I went back to sleep. That night I met the guy and it turned out to be one of my old forestry professors. I never would have pegged him a hunter.


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[WoolyBugger]

There was a guy killed here in Iowa on public land and I have run into quite a few strange folks not out hunting or whatever a ways off the beaten path. Also while my family and I were on vacation, there was a guy found making meth on our private ground so I carry a gun when hunting there even though the house is only about 200 yards away. Things I've found on our private ground; a tool bag fully loaded with tools (score but very weird), a bottle of ether, 30-06 casings, trail cams, man made shelters, and a tree fort type thing. I also had a friend that had a trail cam picture of a guy at 3 am about a mile from the closest road on his pretty secluded piece of land.

 

[orionsbrother]

Chai Vang was arrested at the end of the two track, a hundred and some yards from where we would normally have been camped. An odd chain of events had us elsewhere. He killed six hunters and wounded two others. If we would’ve been there, we would’ve heard the shots, probably the screaming. We might’ve ended up in the thick of it.

Whenever someone talks about crazy guys in the field, I think about how close we were to being there. My buddy and I feel like the guys who missed their flight and then the plane crashed.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

Chai Vang was arrested at the end of the two track, a hundred and some yards from where we would normally have been camped. An odd chain of events had us elsewhere. He killed six hunters and wounded two others. If we would’ve been there, we would’ve heard the shots, probably the screaming. We might’ve ended up in the thick of it.

Whenever someone talks about crazy guys in the field, I think about how close we were to being there. My buddy and I feel like the guys who missed their flight and then the plane crashed.

Crazy, I remember being at deer camp in the Upper Peninsula at that time. Sounds like you had a close call.

 

[Dave0317]

As someone else mentioned, depending on the season, I may feel fine keeping the rifle only with me. I know my capabilities with a bolt action and I may leave my pistol if I'm carrying that. Coyote hunting, I carry an AR-15, and maybe even an extra mag. No worries there. Single shot rifle, or if/when I start bow hunting, the pistol will definitely be with me.

The place I hunt is public land and has had multiple body dumps over the years. We are at least a couple states away from the border, and one of these was Cartel/drug related.

Another odd encounter was an older guy sleeping in his truck where I normally park to hunt. He got out when I pulled up and I asked him (assuming he was a hunter) where he was hunting so we didn't bump into each other. He said he was just sleeping there and was about to leave. Said he was on a business trip and stopped to sleep on NF land to save the hotel money. He was more than an hour off the highway based on where he said he was going and where his tags were from. Between that story and some other details I noticed, I'm pretty sure he was a money or drug mule.

Never know what you may encounter out there. Stay alert and stay prepared. Even if you aren't looking for trouble, you could end up being a witness to something that someone may think they need to kill you for. Playing dumb can definitely help as someone else mentioned.

I like my Glock 19, I'd reccomend something similar.

Not sure where you are, but there are training schools all over these days. I would consider the state mandated CCW training to be a barely adequate minimum. Like the state DMV preparing you to be a race car driver.

Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, Tactical Response, Rob Pincus, Travis Haley, Frank Proctor. Those are the places that I would start researching if you want that pistol to be truly an asset and not a liability.

 

[HOT ROD]

I have never had any trouble any where.. But when hiking and camping I carry a Glock 40 and the wife carries a Shield 9mm.. I carry a Glock 43 every day... We have never had any sketchy events... But would be prepared if we did... Good advice to get sum training from a professional.. I am lucky to have a friend who is a ex navy seal..

 

[FLAK]

The very few times I've ever thought I was going to need some heat,
I DID NOT HAVE IT ON ME. ALWAYS CARRY.
Carry little, Carry big, just carry!!

My EDC is either a SW442 or a Ruger LCP.
In the woods, a Glock 27 or a 30SF converted to 45 Super.

 

[tracker12]

50 years and many states and never had a time when I felt I needed to carry. I was a Leo for 35 years and never had it on me in the woods. If your that concerned maybe you need another hobby. But to each there own if it makes you more comfortable

 

[dirtclod Az.]

In Az. It's OK to carry a visible firearm everyday,except for bars that show a sign saying no weapons.If theres no sign I'll carry into a bar.Lots of two legged predators in bars.Of course I only go in for the food.

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tracker12 come hunt Couse Deer in southern Az. May change your mind.It's not pretty,but problems are few and far between.