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Concealed Carry


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#31 Luckytibbs

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Posted 10 January 2020 - 01:13 AM

Life can be funny sometime! This morning I got my latest issue of "Strategy&Tactics Magazine. As I was flipping through it I stopped at an article about Ceasar and his famous Roman 10th Legion and right there as a part of the article was a picture of Ben Franklin with the following caption, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." I think that comment sort of sums up in essence the point of this discussion about "to carry or not carry" and in general, the many discussions we have here on how to survive and maybe even thrive out in the back country. As stated above (and in other threads found here on WTW) practicing "situational awareness" based on both training and experience and good dose of common sense (good old BenF here) may mean you have a chance to make it through that time you prepared for when something goes wrong!

Like allot of people on this site, i have spent a large part of my time both at play and work in the back country. I grew up in the country and my family loved to play in the woods and learned about guns. I was in the Army along time ago and very lucky in getting a job with the BLM where I got to work in the woods and back country. A large part of my job meant dealing with the "Public" Over the years I watched more and more of these "Public (some law abiding-some not)" invade the back country; most of them apparently having no knowledge or ethics of the ways of the wild. All that time, I never carried a gun, I just had my experience and trusty field dog (I was again lucky because good dogs were allowed to go with us where I worked) to help me deal with the public and any natural resource problems like getting stuck or dealing with unhappy bulls, miners, lost hunters or a herd of wild horses trying to protect a new fold. When I camped in the back country by myself, for BLM, I did have a 22. Mag pistol that I brought out and loaded at night when I was done for the day-more to make me feel good than anything else. I also carried it when I was back packing or playing on my own time.

For maybe the last 20 years of my time in BLM, I worked closely with BLM Law Enforcement as the government finally realized that we needed someone to deal with the many new problems bought by the influx of all these new people. I learned from them and saw how the better ones worked with and interacted with the public (sort of how I and many others did). Many of our new LEO's didn't know much about the woods or BLM-so it became a two way street. Situational awareness, experience, common sense --today you need them for a successful day in the woods. So do I need a gun to survive out there today as a retired gentlemen? Maybe! Sometimes.

I have a plan!! Firstly, I use all of my experience, all that knowledge I hope I gained over the years not to get into trouble("situational awareness") with nature or people. It is sort of like driving in the Bay Area or down I-5 -know where you are going and what to do if that idiot in front of you hits hits brakes. Once I found a place to pop the top and camp, I have my faithful hound. If I'm walking in the woods or sleeping on my bunk, she'll alert to anyone or thing near by (including birds and lizards and once a bull who thought I camped in his spot) and maybe give me time to climb that tree or pull out that can of bear spay. or just run to the camper. Yep, over the years I have started carrying it, maybe it will stop that bear or dog or person! In a lot of places we have to camp these days (meaning more uneducated people,state laws) a can of bear spay is more acceptable than wearing my 357 on my hip! Bear spay-heard allot about the good and bad about it, figure it can't hurt! Again it may give me that time to do something else.

So yep I do have a gun---a camp rifle, a 22 Mag I also have a pistol that is usually locked away, and it is sort of a thing of last resort for me because unlike my law enforcement friends I have not had the right fire arms training and experience to deal with a drunk camper with a gun like they have. Again trying to avoid the situation in the first place is always the best plan. Sometimes in the back country the situation (usually because of animals) may dictate that I keep my gun close-just in case. If a bad guy or that bear comes into my camper one night , he has to go through my dog, then the bear spay, and by then, my gun should be ready! Maybe this plan isn't the best one, but it has worked for me so far and luckily for me, I have never had to implement it completely.

Smoke

Smoke



Excellent commentary! You just explained it all!!
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#32 AWG_Pics

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Posted 10 January 2020 - 01:30 AM

Excellent commentary! You just explained it all!!

Agree. Smoke, smoked it! Maybe nuff said.


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#33 JaSAn

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Posted 10 January 2020 - 02:34 AM

Questions from two situations that I have encountered in my 55+ years camping in the woods.

   from those of you that have used (and practiced with) bear spray:

 

1.  How does bear spray work in a headwind?

2.  How does bear spray work on rabid critters?

 

jim


Edited by JaSAn, 10 January 2020 - 02:35 AM.

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#34 Smokecreek1

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Posted 10 January 2020 - 04:02 AM

Wow Jim-what good questions and I don't know the answers. I'm trying to remember what the presentations  put out by the makers say about things like that! I know that when you do a test shot as they suggest you do when you first get one, that the spray stream feels strong and at 30 feet I just wonder how the wind would effect it.  The only rabid animal I ever saw was a dog and it was in bad shape-other than messing up the vision of it , I don't know -but stopping it for a couple seconds may be all you need to get away from it. It might be worth a phone call or e-mail to the manufacturers to get an answer. Again all I'm looking for with these things is a few seconds/minutes so I can do something smart! Something else to think about!

 

Smoke

 

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#35 jmnielsen

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Posted 10 January 2020 - 12:59 PM

Questions from two situations that I have encountered in my 55+ years camping in the woods.
from those of you that have used (and practiced with) bear spray:

1. How does bear spray work in a headwind?
2. How does bear spray work on rabid critters?

jim


1. It will hurt your more than whatever you’re spraying at - I tested this out personally.
2. It won’t deter something/someone that is determined to do harm.

I am a firm believer in concealed carry and proper firearm training. I’m a larger person, and I still carry everywhere I legally can. Why? There doesn’t need to be a level playing field when someone/something is trying to harm my family or myself, I’ll take every advantage that I can.
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