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Oh no, another weapon question!


Luckless

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My personal opinion is that you're probably a little overly worried. I've spent countless hours in the woods, many of which have been miles from civilization, and some of which have been in the dark with KNOWN populations of coyotes, black bears, wolves, and mountain lions. I've never carried a firearm, and only rarely have carried pepper spray, but I have always at least carried a big stick and/or a pocket knife. I've never had need to use any of that stuff..............

 

Gotta agree. If you have to carry all that stuff to feel secure in the woods maybe the woods isn't your cup of tea. Sort of like learning to swim.. jump in and try it. Once you get used to the water it's fine.

 

I agree with this. It is best to take little hikes. Get used to the area. Also check @ local ranger stations and see what they may have for reading material or information of the area you are planning to search.

The only thing I carry is a buck knife. I have been in some thicketts in my time and only twice in my life my inmstincts kicked in and I backed out of the area.

 

Be safe and happy trekking!

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My personal opinion is that you're probably a little overly worried. I've spent countless hours in the woods, many of which have been miles from civilization, and some of which have been in the dark with KNOWN populations of coyotes, black bears, wolves, and mountain lions. I've never carried a firearm, and only rarely have carried pepper spray, but I have always at least carried a big stick and/or a pocket knife. I've never had need to use any of that stuff..............

 

Gotta agree. If you have to carry all that stuff to feel secure in the woods maybe the woods isn't your cup of tea. Sort of like learning to swim.. jump in and try it. Once you get used to the water it's fine.

 

I agree with this. It is best to take little hikes. Get used to the area. Also check @ local ranger stations and see what they may have for reading material or information of the area you are planning to search.

The only thing I carry is a buck knife. I have been in some thicketts in my time and only twice in my life my inmstincts kicked in and I backed out of the area.

 

Be safe and happy trekking!

 

These are all great ideas that worked like a charm for Timothy Treadwell. He was "one with nature," he was also non-violent, and never carried any sort of protection. He was very comfortable in the woods, and it cost him and Amie Huguenard their lives.

 

Think what you want to think, but i'm not going to let a few "internet "survival experts," dictate my survival plan.

Edited by Kit Fox
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I doubt many people have been in a situation where they really feared for the life of themselves and worse yet, their children. We have. Have you ever been in a totally secluded area with no mobile phone service and realized that you quite possibly are not alone? (I am not talking about another hiker on the trail.) Have you ever been raped? All of these things have happened to us.

 

After becoming more aware of what is really happening my wife and I could never imagine caching without our hand guns. This is not for everyone and takes a lot of work to do. It is also a lot of responsibility.

 

I could not live with myself if something happened to my family and i could have possibly prevented it. It is my responsibility to keep them safe.

 

Of course the first thing is do whatever you can to stay out of dangerous situations. Sometimes, without knowing it, they can still arise.

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One thing I never saw mentioned here. If you have a run in with a predator, never run away, or turn your back to them. Predators will attack you out of instinct if you run or turn away.

 

Another area that should be addressed. Feral dogs. They run in packs, they know our habits and they have no fear of us. They are among the most dangerous animals for people.

 

There has only been one time I have been out in the woods without a weapon and wished I had one. I was stalked by a panther, I just happened to turn around at the right time, to see it prowling toward me. That made it stop and just look at me, I just stared it down and after several minutes, it took off the other way. This happened about 100 yards from my front door. Now I always carry a weapon.

 

It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Edited by MoonPhoenix
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Great response MoonPhoenix,

 

I actually thought about feral dogs, because more and more people are abandoning their animals due to the economic instability everyone is facing. Too many ignorant people think they can "talk nice and softly" to feral dogs, and the dog will start wagging its tail. :)

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Also need to watch for unfriendly neighborhood dogs. There have been several pit bull attacks in Dallas of late, with the victims being elderly or children.

 

We were out with our dogs (on leashes) in a local park one morning, snagging a few caches that the wife had not found yet. From out of a hedge, bounds a huge, black dog growling and barking at us. He had barked at me once before from his back yard, but apparently there is no fence between there and the park.

 

Anyhow, he got within about 25 yards, still showing aggression. I was not armed due to this being an urban family park, so my only choice was to stare him down, yell, draw my backup knife, and hope I got a good shot at him if he attacked.

 

The yelling and the sound of the knife snapping open seemed to give him second thoughts, and he retreated back into his yard. Either that or he decided I might let go of the leashes if he got closer.

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