Handgun Carry in the woods - what is your driver?

[Fisherdave10]

Motivation: (additional) protection from things that want to hurt me.  If I were knocked down or in close quarters, a handgun will be much easier to point and shoot than a long gun.

I have never had to actually use my handgun, but I have drawn once while on a hunting trip.

Okay... now the story: A couple of Octobers ago I was invited to hunt with a family friend.  He drew a big horned sheep tag in the Tieton B(?) area.  It was getting dark and we finishing up looking around the area for the day.  We were somewhere above Bear Canyon and we wanted to see if we could drive down into it or somewhere nearby.  Eventually, it was pitch black and I was alone after running about 1/4" down a steep hill to see where the ugly, muddy hill was going to.

A day or two earlier, a Muzzleloader Elk hunter told us about how there are bear and cougar in the Bear Canyon area so my situational awareness was elevated to say the least. I reached the end of the road where it was badly washed out by flooding some years earlier and overgrown with vegetation.  I was looking around with my small headlamp and about to turn back around after determining we don't want to drive down here, when a few rocks on the hillside above me started tumbling down.
This is when I drew my handgun, analyzed the situation and calmly returned to the truck in a very non-running fashion.   

[TwoSixFourWins]

I carry out in the woods a lot Especially when I'm back in Maine.

I don't worry about bears, Mt Lions, pot farmers, coyotes, wolves, etc.....I worry about the stupid Moose. That's why a carry a Blackhawk in 45 colt with loads that make a 44 Mag look anemic.

Here in WA....I carry one because I can and like others have said...better safe than sorry.

[Shooter]

I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, in all environments.

[HighlandLofts]

I carry a handgun every day from the minute I put my pants on, until I take them off at night. Depending on where I'm going, what I'll be doing and how long I'll be there depends on what type of handgun I choose to carry.
 If I'm going to Everett, Seattle, Tacoma or any other busy place I'll carry a 357 mag revolver on the belt and a S&W 642airweight 38spl in the pocket.
 My other option is my Colt Combat Commander 1911 45acp in the waist band holster and a Kahr PM9 in the pocket.

Hanging close to home I just have one of the pocket pistols in my pocket, besides the PM9 and the S&W 642 I have a Bond Derringer 45LC/410 that I use occasionally.
The best load in the Bond is 00-Buckshot, Like the Taurus Judge you need to patern the gun and see what the limits are at various distances with the various loads available in 410, The 410 PDX load isn't one I'd use because of the spead on the BBs, Shot loads are not defence loads so I don't carry any shot shells in my shell pouch, the 410 slug and 45LC you are limited to twp projectiles, I prefer the 00-buchshot.

I never needed a gun for defence purposes in the woods, but my shooting buddy did once out in the woods up in Lyman. There was a Tweaker out in the middle of nowhere with a shotgun, the guy was really paranoid and talking some weird s**t. He rolled up his window and got the hell out of there, he said that encounter changed the way he makes his handgun available at all times. Access to your gun at all times is the key to defensive carry, If you need it NOW, seconds count. If it's not easily available you could be on the recieving end of the stick.

In the city I pulled my gun out twice, once here in Arlington at the Chace Bank ATM down on Olympic and once at a 7/11 in Fort Meyrs Floridia. Once the perpetrator seen the gun they put their tail between their legs and ran off like the little POS they are. The guy in Ft. Meyers is lucky to be alive, one step close he would of been a has been.

I never go anywhere with out my personal protection tool, And I practice regularly and Know what the limits are on each of my personal conceal carry handguns are.

[dawei]

I will be 63 in about three weeks and am a disabled hunter. I move slower than most because of.....
• A Compromised Pulmonary System (Asthma & two Pulmonary Embolisms).
• Bilateral Total Knee Replacements.
• Require the use of a cane to walk.
• I CAN NOT RUN!
• Am on Rx Blood Thinners

In the course of my life I've been shot three times; and stabbed four times. Those are not experiences I care not to repeat. So..........
• I ALWAYS CARRY; a minimum of two handguns - every waking moment of every day.
• In and about town and home it's a 357 Magnum as primary & a 38 Special BUG.
• In the woods it's a 41 Remington Magnum on my hip, open carry; for critter defense; with a 357 Magnum snub nose as a BUG & for people defense.

ANY QUESTIONS?

[HighlandLofts]

Dawei
 I carry for the same reason you do, You never know when the minute will come and you'll need your equalizer!
I don't look for trouble, but will take care of it if it ever comes a knocking.
 In last Thursdays Everett Harold in the Local Section on the first page was the article about a burgular in a garage and the home owner held him at bay with a rifle, the thief is a convicted child molester. The home owner is a good friend of mine.
 Things happen every day, its not If, it's when.

[furiouzgeorge]

I carry every second I'm hunting / scouting, or hiking. I'm mostly concerned with two legged predators! I've run into some strange birds in the woods (one who was ACTUALLY WEARING A POINTY HAT!!!!). I prefer to be prepared...more prepared than the bad guy. I tend to be pretty well on guard when meeting folks in the wood whether they're fellow hunters or not, I'm really not out there to make friends. I also enjoy the added benefit of using the pistol to signal my location...but I do have a really good whistle for that too. Oh yah and a ton of calls! Redundancy is a good thing!

Have I ever needed it? We had something spooky make it's way into camp and I did fire some shots to scare it off...yelling or smelling more human probably would have accomplished the same goal so I'm not sure I can really say I needed it but I was happy to have it! When that crazy pointy hatted tweaker stopped me on a forest-service rd. (I was on foot...he was in a truck) I was sure glad to have a 1911 proudly displayed on my hip. He did eye it a few times! So there ya go! 

[KFhunter]

ya'll just worried about being "that" guy

[Rob]

...
In the course of my life I've been shot three times; and stabbed four times. Those are not experiences I care not to repeat. So..........
• I ALWAYS CARRY; a minimum of two handguns - every waking moment of every day.
• In and about town and home it's a 357 Magnum as primary & a 38 Special BUG.
• In the woods it's a 41 Remington Magnum on my hip, open carry; for critter defense; with a 357 Magnum snub nose as a BUG & for people defense.

ANY QUESTIONS?

Several questions!  would love to hear the stories behind your life experiences!

Thanks all for the replies.  Much food for thought there.

My personal thoughts (not knocking other reasons, just giving mine).
-90% of the reason I carry while hunting/hiking is for personal defense against people.  I have zero fear of any animals here in North America.  I figure Snakes can be walked around faster than drawing and shooting.  I shot a bunch of rattlers when I lived in NM and got that out of my system.  I kinda like them now.  I figure the 4 legged predators have had hundreds of chances to take me out and have not made a move yet-and heck, if the guys in Africa who hunt among some of the most dangerous predators in the world don't carry, then I figure can wander around in North America without too many worries.
-5% is to have it available for a signaling device.
-5% would be as a tool


One side note:  I have seen several folks say that they use their handgun to dispatch big game.  I too have done this, but make sure your gun is a legal weapon for this task.  There are caliber and barrel length restrictions in place by WDFW, and using a firearm to dispatch after an archer hunt is not approved, nor is using smokeless powder during ML season.  Using a 22 LR for big game is probably never legal.

It would suck to legally harvest an animal, then get cited for finishing it with a 2 inch barreled 357...