A firearm for my B
I'm considering some trips out west and in some wilderness areas here in the east/north. I've never seen the need to have a gun to protect myself from humans and I've been to some pretty rough places ...
Forum Discussion
In response to your question about needing a gun for your B, I do not consider your question stupid, but consider it a natural question for someone without a lot of hiking and camping experience in bear and/or mountain lion country.
I would like to describe a number of experinces I have had in the woods to give this issue a little different perspective.
When my three boys were in Boy Scouts, I took our troop on a 65 mile hike along the Cascade Crest trail in Washington state. Washington state has both black bears, grizzly bears and cougars. Over the seven day hiking period, we never encountered a bear or a mountain lion (cougar). Generally what attracts bears is the smell of food, especially if their natural food source of berries and fish is in short supply. On our hike we took only dehydrated and freeze dried food; consequently there was no food smell to attract bears.
Every year dozens of people attempt to hike the Cascade Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. In all the stories I have read of people hiking this trail, I have never heard of anyone mentioning an encounter with a bear or a cougar.
As a teenager, our family would camp in Glacier Park at Alvalanche campground. We had bears in our tent numerous times, all because of the smell of food. As long as the food was stored in a manner that the bears couldn't get to it, there was no trouble. Occasionally dad would have to make a lot of noise by beating a pan with something to make noise and the bears would run off. These were always black bears.
On one occasion after a day of fishing at Avalanche Lake, we were hiking back to camp and we encountered a grizzly bear on the trail. He was standing up on his hind legs and he was very large. We slowing took all the fish we had out of our pack and put it on the ground, and then backed away into the woods. The grizzly came over to our fish and had his dinner, while we circled around the bear to get downhill of it, and then we ran all the way back to camp, which was probably unnecessary.
At a later point in life, my father spent a week hiking through Glacier Park through grizzly country. He didn't fish and he didn't have any food smell and he didn't encounter a grizzly the entire week, all of which was through grizzly country.
What I am trying to illustrate by sharing these experienes is that with a little excperience and common sense, there is no need to fear bears when hiking.
If you encounter a momma bear with cubs, she will not attack a human unless she fears that her cubs are in danger. If one should ever encounter a momma bear with cubs, the best action is to retreat slowly and get away from the bears.
From my perspective I see no reason why anyone needs a gun in their RV or while hiking in the woods.
I would like to describe a number of experinces I have had in the woods to give this issue a little different perspective.
When my three boys were in Boy Scouts, I took our troop on a 65 mile hike along the Cascade Crest trail in Washington state. Washington state has both black bears, grizzly bears and cougars. Over the seven day hiking period, we never encountered a bear or a mountain lion (cougar). Generally what attracts bears is the smell of food, especially if their natural food source of berries and fish is in short supply. On our hike we took only dehydrated and freeze dried food; consequently there was no food smell to attract bears.
Every year dozens of people attempt to hike the Cascade Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. In all the stories I have read of people hiking this trail, I have never heard of anyone mentioning an encounter with a bear or a cougar.
As a teenager, our family would camp in Glacier Park at Alvalanche campground. We had bears in our tent numerous times, all because of the smell of food. As long as the food was stored in a manner that the bears couldn't get to it, there was no trouble. Occasionally dad would have to make a lot of noise by beating a pan with something to make noise and the bears would run off. These were always black bears.
On one occasion after a day of fishing at Avalanche Lake, we were hiking back to camp and we encountered a grizzly bear on the trail. He was standing up on his hind legs and he was very large. We slowing took all the fish we had out of our pack and put it on the ground, and then backed away into the woods. The grizzly came over to our fish and had his dinner, while we circled around the bear to get downhill of it, and then we ran all the way back to camp, which was probably unnecessary.
At a later point in life, my father spent a week hiking through Glacier Park through grizzly country. He didn't fish and he didn't have any food smell and he didn't encounter a grizzly the entire week, all of which was through grizzly country.
What I am trying to illustrate by sharing these experienes is that with a little excperience and common sense, there is no need to fear bears when hiking.
If you encounter a momma bear with cubs, she will not attack a human unless she fears that her cubs are in danger. If one should ever encounter a momma bear with cubs, the best action is to retreat slowly and get away from the bears.
From my perspective I see no reason why anyone needs a gun in their RV or while hiking in the woods.
