Geewizard wrote:
covered wagon wrote:
When camping as the lone camper with miles of wilderness around, do you feel safer with a loaded firearm handy? Or is having the magazine ready to slide in a better option? Thank you for any thoughts. I need to learn as I start investing time/ money in gun safety. Please no politics. Thank you again
Please tell me where you plan to camp alone with miles and miles of wilderness around? Give me an example, please.
How many of you who responded to the OP have EVER had to shoot an animal in when camping "with miles and miles of wilderness around"?
How many of you have EVER had to even get your firearm out in response to an animal?
I'd really like to know. No political agenda here at all whatsoever.
And in case you are wondering, I was an NRA instructor for many years (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Home Firearm Safety, Range Safety Officer) as well as a Federal Firearms Instructor for Backcountry Firearms Skills. I have attended Gunsite Academy. I worked in remote parts of Alaska for 23 years and carried a 12ga shotgun and a revolver during that time. Not once did I have to fire them for personal defense. I've camped in Alaska, Canada, Idaho, Washington, and Montana and in remote places.
I think you are far better off using bear spray than a firearm. I suggest you also buy one or more of the practice bear spray (inert) and learn how it disperses, how long it lasts, and how important being upwind is when you shoot it.
I've had to use my firearm twice in defense of myself and my family, only once pulling a trigger.
The first time I needed one, I was tent camping with my family in the woods, not on an established campground, and miles and miles of wilderness, with just ATV/jeep trails to get there. Some drunken rednecks in jeeps started doing donuts around our campsite and going in close circles around our tents. My children (young early elementary age at the time) were asleep in their tent. One of the jeeps started heading right toward the tent slowly, revving his engine, laughing. I don't believe he saw the tent, or maybe he did see it and just didn't know there were kids inside, or maybe he was a psychopath, I don't know. I waved my arms and yelled, and he didn't stop. I then pulled my gun and pointed it at the driver, and he immediately stopped, put it in reverse, and they all drove away. Thank god I had my gun with me and on my person. If I didn't, I shudder to think what would have happened. Thankfully I never had to pull the trigger.
The second time I needed my gun was at my house. It had just turned dark and I needed to get something out of my shed in my backyard. I walked out of my front door, around the house, and maybe 10-15 feet from me was a big black bear eating my trash. I immediately pulled my gun and started backing up, hoping to just quietly get back inside. However, he then got low and opened his mouth and growled. I fired one shot, he turned around and made it a few feet and fell dead. Turns out when he opened his mouth and growled, I shot him in the back of the throat through his open mouth. I'd love to say it was all skill, and although I do credit lots of reflexive shooting practice, it was much more luck. It took me forever to figure out how I killed him. No blood. No bullet holes (including no exit hole). It wasn't until I opened his mouth that I figured it out. And FYI, I built a trash enclosure after that, so bears have not been an issue since then.
I hope to god I never have to use a gun defensively again... But I've got it just in case, and always loaded if I'm carrying it.
