Jump to content

Do you carry self protection ?


OZ2CPU

Recommended Posts

As a geocacher, or any other active person how go out alot,

we go into unknown areas with wild life, or other threads.

a stick can be used to handle a crasy dog, or a snake.

if you are Bruce Lee I guess you just use your hand and leg skils.

bigger weapons could be needed to self protect against a bear or aligators or a group of hippies, I dont know..

 

I think it is when you least expect it, you find your self in a situation where some sort of protection

could make you feel safer.

I try to avoid danger, so I dont carry any weapons at all, and it is also not legal where I live.

But I must admit a few times it came to my mind.

like oh darn what if this and that happens, what can I do to get out and away unharmed.

 

we tried to grap our kids and run to the car as fast as we could,

we really felt they could end their life as a snack for a big angry dog,

just put outside where we where searching for a cache,

the fence was almost non existing,

that was along time ago..

yesterday I was out alone looking for a cache (offcourse)

and some how got very close to a house with a big garden, again a very badly made fence,

and suttently 3-4 very big and angry dogs came out, barking and jumping up the fence..

man I got scared, and ran away, I could not have done anything to protect my self if they got out.

 

---

Anyway..

The questions are:

do you carry self protection ?

what kind ?

what is it you are most affraight of out there ?

what is the chance for it to actually happen ?

Link to comment

When caching in the woods I carry bear spray. Beyond that? I depend on being aware of my surroundings and knowing if hunting for a cache makes me uncomfortable I'll get out of the area since it's just a smiley.

 

Now, knowing what a train wreck threads on this topic ususally become there's nothing left for me to say or do other than "IBTL". :drama:

Link to comment

If it is illegal to carry weapons in your area then I suggest you don't. I see alligators nearly everyday in my local park where I take my dog to play, be aware of them and stay clear of them, but don't shoot then... you will be in jail. Same with most bears. If you are concerned about dogs, carry a stout stick. Try not to show your fear. Some dogs will act crazy behind a fence, jumping and barking, ignore them and walk away. A dangerous dog in the open is different, keep the stick between you and the dog, keep it in site, but don't make eye contact and walk slowly away. If attacked strike the dog hard to disable or kill it. Wild dog attacks are very rare in most areas and generally reported in the news. Many people are however frightened by dogs barking or jumping behind fences. The same goes for snakes, walk away or use the stick if you must.

 

Good luck, and happy cache hunting,

Wiseye

 

PS...I don't carry anything for self protection.

Link to comment

You know, I almost forgot until reading this that I came across a vicious dog while caching once. Thankfully a public fence separated he and I, and I decided the cache wasn't worth it and made my way back to my car ASAP.

 

I was driven away from the classic, highly sought after, December 2000 placed cache Stone Wall Stash in Western Pa. by a hostile, loose dog. A beagle I think, I'm not a dog person. I was by my lonesome, and this dog was running along side of the vehicle at 20 MPH, and barking at me when I stopped at the parking area. Then when I decided to throw in the towel, he chased the vehichle on the way out. There have been no other reports of this, by the way.

 

I'm American. We pack heat. We carry guns while caching. Sorry, someone had to bring it up. :laughing:

Link to comment

Best weapon is the brain, and knowing how to use it.

 

There are other 'tools' of course, but the true weapon is still the brain.

Just remember that whatever 'tool' you have, can be taken away by another.

 

As far as animals go, the best defense is to let them know you are there, long before you happen onto them and spook 'em.

Sure, there are animals (a cougar, a grizzly bear and a few others) that occasionally go against the grain, but mostly they leave, knowing you are coming.

 

Somebody 'having' to kill a snake has always sort of set me back on my heels. I know that there are aggressive snakes out there, but just how many are truly aggressive enough to attack offensively as opposed to defensively? Then, just what are your chances of actually encountering one of them? There are simple ways to avert (most) snake attacks. I am not a snake-lover, but I just don't understand why killing of the critter is so foremost in many people's minds.

 

I am a licensed carrier, have been for 40+ years, and a firearms instructor. I rarely carry.

I have a 5½ ft. staff, that beats any weapon outside of a firearm; given the proper circumstances, it also beats a firearm. It has been a trusted companion for nearly the time I have been licensed to carry. It is ironwood (eastern U.S.) and nearly indestructible.

Practice for its' use is absolutely necessary. If you don't practice, don't rely on it.

SIDE-NOTE: It would not fend off the aforementioned cougar or grizzly. :( It does wonders on a human 'animal' and most all others.

Link to comment

Best weapon is the brain, and knowing how to use it.

 

There are other 'tools' of course, but the true weapon is still the brain.

Just remember that whatever 'tool' you have, can be taken away by another.

 

As far as animals go, the best defense is to let them know you are there, long before you happen onto them and spook 'em.

Sure, there are animals (a cougar, a grizzly bear and a few others) that occasionally go against the grain, but mostly they leave, knowing you are coming.

 

Somebody 'having' to kill a snake has always sort of set me back on my heels. I know that there are aggressive snakes out there, but just how many are truly aggressive enough to attack offensively as opposed to defensively? Then, just what are your chances of actually encountering one of them? There are simple ways to avert (most) snake attacks. I am not a snake-lover, but I just don't understand why killing of the critter is so foremost in many people's minds.

 

I am a licensed carrier, have been for 40+ years, and a firearms instructor. I rarely carry.

I have a 5½ ft. staff, that beats any weapon outside of a firearm; given the proper circumstances, it also beats a firearm. It has been a trusted companion for nearly the time I have been licensed to carry. It is ironwood (eastern U.S.) and nearly indestructible.

Practice for its' use is absolutely necessary. If you don't practice, don't rely on it.

SIDE-NOTE: It would not fend off the aforementioned cougar or grizzly. :( It does wonders on a human 'animal' and most all others.

Normally, I'm not one to copy/paste an entire post, as I prefer to only address those key points that caught my eye. This post must therefor be the exception. There is so much wisdom in here that it would have been disingenuous to hack it up.

 

When I first opened this thread, and read the OP's comments about not being allowed to carry weapons, my first thought was, "If you carry your brain, you're carrying the greatest weapon Mankind has ever had". Gitchee beat me to the punch on that one, as well as several other points.

 

I've been in law enforcement since 1982, (a Seminole County Florida deputy sheriff since 1993), and a firearms instructor since 1995. If I am hunting urban caches, I'll generally keep my Glock in my Versa Pack, as I believe that the two legged variety is the only truly dangerous critter found in Florida. For woods caching, I do carry a Gerber BMF, (Basic Multi Function... Get yer mind outta the gutter!), though I've never considered it a weapon. It's just a tool, in my eyes, somewhere betwixt a hatchet and a machete. The "weapon" I carry to deal with non-two legged critters, (venomous snakes, alligators, wild hogs, feral cattle, black bears, panthers, etc), is a bamboo staff. I can't even envision having to use a gun against a critter. My presence is usually sufficient to convince the critter to leave me alone. Failing that, my staff can keep them at a safe distance until I can leave them alone.

 

There are not many things in life which offend me, but killing snakes is one of them. Especially when that snake is an apex predator. Several years ago I was on patrol in the northeast part of my county, when a call came out about a 5' eastern diamondback rattlesnake on an elementary school playground on the other side of the county. I told the primary unit to just maintain a visual on the snake till I got there, and I would relocate it. His reply? "I resolved the incident with my 12 gauge". What a mook.

 

Thanx Gitchee, for an awesome post!

Link to comment

Thanks for alot of honost reply's allready,

yes my brain keept me alive and well so far :-)

Funny Clan you mention FL, this is my favorite vacation and cache location,

only once we found a little snake, we just left it alone,

we heard an aligator close to a cache site while walking on tiny trails in a swamp,

we just run out of there, no need to check it out in detail....

once we got into a kind of "special" area, I dont like to mention where,

but we did not feel safe to leave the car and look for the cache, so we let it be.

other than that, all was PERFECT !

oh sorry to mention, now you are in law enforcement, I made one of them pay roads pay stations alarm ring :-)

maybe I forgot to exit the correct lane, I am just a turist..

 

so people with a carry licence, do bring their gun sometimes, just for self protection,

to feel safe, I am perfectly fine with this, I would have done the same.

Link to comment

Best weapon is the brain, and knowing how to use it.

 

There are other 'tools' of course, but the true weapon is still the brain.

Just remember that whatever 'tool' you have, can be taken away by another.

 

As far as animals go, the best defense is to let them know you are there, long before you happen onto them and spook 'em.

Sure, there are animals (a cougar, a grizzly bear and a few others) that occasionally go against the grain, but mostly they leave, knowing you are coming.

Somebody 'having' to kill a snake has always sort of set me back on my heels. I know that there are aggressive snakes out there, but just how many are truly aggressive enough to attack offensively as opposed to defensively? Then, just what are your chances of actually encountering one of them? There are simple ways to avert (most) snake attacks. I am not a snake-lover, but I just don't understand why killing of the critter is so foremost in many people's minds.

 

I am a licensed carrier, have been for 40+ years, and a firearms instructor. I rarely carry.

I have a 5½ ft. staff, that beats any weapon outside of a firearm; given the proper circumstances, it also beats a firearm. It has been a trusted companion for nearly the time I have been licensed to carry. It is ironwood (eastern U.S.) and nearly indestructible.

Practice for its' use is absolutely necessary. If you don't practice, don't rely on it.

SIDE-NOTE: It would not fend off the aforementioned cougar or grizzly. :( It does wonders on a human 'animal' and most all others.

+ 1

 

You said better than I could.

 

I hike in cougar and snake country all the time. I have seen evidence a cougars before only twice have I encountered them. Both times they knew I was there before I saw them. They picked the encounter. Even then it was just look and see and then walk away. Of course this was in remote areas where they had a lot more prey to choose from.

 

Snakes, rattlesnakes included, I never harm. They do the wild a lot more good than they get credit for. If they are in an area where contact with humans is likely, I'll move them for their own good.

 

Bears on the other hand are why I started to carry my .45 when I hike. While living in Alaska I often encountered coastal brown bear (that's the really big grizzlies) that had become too well aquainted with humans. They would approach you just to see what you were doing. Bear bells, bear spray and my .45 went down every trail I did.

Link to comment

On only a few occasions have I felt the need for something more than our hiking sticks....on back country trails in NM,Idaho,SD etc I pack a .44 Mag S&W designed for backpacking. I felt justified a couple of years ago when I read authorities had to kill 80 bears in NM alone that had threatened humans. We love wildlife and live among gators and snakes in south LA and the hiking sticks do quite well....wild hogs have respected the sticks as well ( I make them out of heavy gauge aluminum and they shine a bit )....I'm at a point in my life where I abhor the killing of anything except mosquitoes and roaches.

I will be getting some of those bear bells.

Link to comment

I used to carry a .22 revolver until I saw some mountain lion tracks then I traded up to a Kimber .45 auto. I open carry and conceal carry, I have a CCW, in town and out in the woods. In town it's mainly for two-legged morons and the occasional ticked off dog. Out in the Hills it's for mountain lions, coyotes, the occasional lost Yellowstone wolf, wild dogs and two-legged morons. I carry to warn the critter off not to kill it but if it goes after my daughter, then all bets are off.

 

I've taken and passed a handgun safety course and we go out plinking for practice. There's a gun self-defense course that is offered that I'm seriously thinking of taking. When my daughter turns 18 I will strongly advise her to obtain a CCW license also.

Edited by Notmykl
Link to comment

Kind of funny I run across this thread.

 

I had the following e-mailed to me today

 

THIS IS A JOKE PLEASE READ IN THE PRETENSE IT IS A JOKE !!!!!!

 

What is the smallest caliber you can trust to protect yourself?

The best answer:

 

My personal favorite defense gun has always been a Beretta Jetfire in 22 short. I have carried it for many years including while hiking. I never leave without it.

 

Of course the first rule when hiking in the wilderness is to use the "Buddy System". This it means you NEVER hike alone, you bring a friend, companion or even an in-law because if something happens there is someone to go get help.

 

I remember one time while hiking with my brother-in-law in northern Alberta out of nowhere came this huge brown bear charging us and was she mad. We must have been near one of her cubs.

Anyway, if I had not had my little Jetfire I would not be here today. Just one shot to my brother-in-law's knee cap and I was able to escape by just walking at a brisk pace.

 

That's one of the best pistols in my collection...

 

The following is a joke and no harm was done to either of my brother in laws..........

Edited by Davequal
Link to comment

I'm American. We pack heat. We carry guns while caching. Sorry, someone had to bring it up. :laughing:

 

I'm American. We don't pack heat. We don't carry guns while caching. Somebody had to counter. :P

 

I'm an American too (fifth generation) and have never owned a gun and probably never will. I carry protection...in my wallet...but I don't think that would stop a vicious dog.

Link to comment

I'm American. We pack heat. We carry guns while caching. Sorry, someone had to bring it up. :laughing:

 

I'm American. We don't pack heat. We don't carry guns while caching. Somebody had to counter. :P

 

I'm an American too (fifth generation) and have never owned a gun and probably never will. I carry protection...in my wallet...but I don't think that would stop a vicious dog.

I'm an America too (12th generation) and own many guns and always will. Most are just for sport. Amazingly I carry when I'm out here in the boonies not when I'm in the city. I've never seen it as a protection from humans things.

When I was growning up everyone of the boys in my class at school always had a gun in there truck. We were expeted to. The were tools for us. You used around the farm/ranch. Plus we all hunted.

I don't think owning/carring a gun is a American thing. I think it's a culture thing. While in the outback near Alice Spirngs most of the locals there pack as well. They were raised on raches as well. It's the culture.

 

 

Now the inner-city 'gansta' thing... well don't get me started on that.

 

Edit and before someone calls me a lair about that yes 12 genetions. Jamestown 1640 and I have proof.

Edited by Totem Clan
Link to comment

I'm licenced to carry and often do whether caching or not. I've also been through a great deal of force-on-force training. I've ran into a couple of situations caching inside the city where people appeared seemingly out of nowhere and didn't look like they had any good intentions. I've always gotten out without using anything but my head and I pray it will always be that way. But I have my Glock just in case.

Link to comment

I keep a pretty big knife in my pack. It's there for chiefly for utility/survival, but I guess I'd use it for protection if needed. That and I usually have trekking poles with me and they are pretty pointy.

 

But protection isn't really something that is on my mind when I'm in the woods. I just try to stay aware of my surroundings and if something doesn't feel right I leave the area.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment

I live in South Central Alaska and our issue is moose. Especially this winter.

I'm not worried about bears... I grew up on Afognak Island, near Kodiak & have plenty of experience dealing with bears. But the moose are a whole other thing...

So I carry a .45 semi-auto. It's a chest holster. I'd like to upgrade to a .44 revolver, but haven't quite gotten the money together yet.

Alaska doesn't require a Concealed Carry permit.

 

Oh, and I also have a collapsible walking stick.

Link to comment

do you carry self protection ?

what kind ?

what is it you are most affraight of out there ?

what is the chance for it to actually happen ?

 

I carry bear spray, but only for longer hikes. In our area, the biggest concern is cougars or other people. Barking dogs are frequently annoying but rarely dangerous. However, the chance of getting attacked or even seeing a cougar here is rare. The last couple of people in our are that had trouble with a cougars had dogs with them, which I think triggered the cougars' natural hunting instincts.

 

I always bring a cell phone with me as well.

Edited by The_Incredibles_
Link to comment

I live in south central Tennessee

I always have my gun with me if I'm caching or not

I've carried for the last 13-14 years I'm glad to say I have never had to use or even show it.

I also have a black belt (but that was a long time ago lol)

Now I usually carry my son with me he's 15yrs old 6' 5" 245 lbs and has a second degree black belt

And because he's bigger and slower I can out run him incase of a bear...lol

Link to comment

Being a single female out anywhere is always risky; even in Vermont. I don't have a dog (just two very fluffy cats that are about the size of beagles), nor a gun, but I do carry pepper spray with me whether I am geocaching or not. With that, a little bit of prep ahead of time (such as letting people know where I will be) and some good old-fashioned common sense I should be ok.

Link to comment

...

Anyway..

The questions are:

do you carry self protection ?

what kind ?

what is it you are most affraight of out there ?

what is the chance for it to actually happen ?

I carry for self defense all the time. Geocaching, or otherwise -except for where I am legally not allowed or where work policy prohibits.

.380, .45,.357mag, just depends on how much weight I am willing to strap on that day.

Around here, I am actually most afraid of home invasion, though it's rather unlikely and I don't have the time or enough space for extra stress to be paranoid about it.

Chances are slim, but I stick to that old manta: better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Link to comment

Carry Self Protection? Im in Texas! What do you think most Texans do! LOL

 

Of course I carry... and also support passing of the current bill in our State congress to pass the new "Open Carry" laws as well.

 

I come from the belief, that if you see that I am carrying, you will be less likely to create an issue with me. You don't see me carrying, you might take the chance to create an issue with me, in hopes that I am not carrying. IF you see that I am, the odds are good that you probably wouldn't. Especially with the gun I carry... Lets just says I call it my "Clint Eastwood Special".

 

However note....

 

That as with most states, even in Alaska... Shooting people or animals is only LEGAL if your acting in Self-Defense of yourself, your family, or of those people that you are with at the time. You can't simply shoot an animal or person without probable cause. This includes Bears, Mountain Lions, Alligators, Wild Pigs, etc... (All of which BTW are in the state of Texas). The exceptions of course are if your hunting & have a hunting license & the animal you killed is what your hunting license was issued to hunt.

 

While shooting something as simple as a rattle snake in Texas doesn't lead to much of an investigation, it does if you kill a mountain lion, bear or alligator. In Texas with Alligators, 100% of all the Alligator attacks have always occurred when someone was where they SHOULDN'T have been, OR even doing something that they SHOULD NOT have been doing in the first place. This of course does not include Alligator attackes/injuries to Alligator hunters in Texas during our annual Alligator hunt. Which is VERY tightly controlled by our Texas State Parks & Wildlife Department.

 

Also keep in mind, that even in Texas, it is illegal to discharge your weapon inside city limits, (Even if you have a farm/ranch that is inside city limits) unless you are discharging your weapon at a legally licensed gun/shooting range.

 

There is NOTHING wrong with carrying a gun for your protection. Just be clear & understand the law, when it comes to when you can actually USE it!

 

TGC

 

P.S..... One other note, Tasers, Stun Guns etc... also have special requirments for each state as well.

Edited by texasgrillchef
Link to comment

One other note I would like to add...

 

When it comes to being in the "Wilderness" & dealing with animals of any type. Here are some basic rules to follow. This applies to any living thing if you really want to think about it, INCLUDING HUMANS! LOL...

 

1. NEVER EVER get between a baby & it's mother.

 

2. NEVER appear as a threat.

 

3. NEVER "Suprise" an animal/human. When walking/hiking etc... Walk Loudly, Make yourself Known. This works very well with bears, as well as snakes. The drawback of this of course, is you probably won't get to see much wildlife on your expidition in the back country, but you also will reduce the chances of getting into trouble as well.

 

4. KNOW which animals you need to RUN from, & which animals you need to FREEZE in position with. Example.. NEVER run from a Bear, any bear. However, Run from a rattle Snake.

 

5. Know what animals you need to expect to see for the area that you will be geocaching.

 

These are just a few small suggestions to help reduce the need to be in a situation that would require to use some form of self protection of any type.

 

TGC

Link to comment

I find the whole topic very interesting,

as long as it is keept at a decent level.

I dont think it is cool to carry and let it show, even if it is legal or not,

I dont understand the concealed idea or special law about a hidden gun ?

the whole idea is to have it with you always, stored in a safe way,

out of the way, locked in a way so you or your kids dont pull the trigger by accident,

and it must not be lost or dropped. The more guns you carry, the higher risk one is dumb or unlucky,

but compared to all the others who actually feel more safe, I think it is worth it.

 

Anyway, in my contry NO weapon at all can be carried any way at all..

you can not even forget a knife from work in your car, and leave it in your cars trunk

while you go shopping or to the town with friends.

if there is a weapon of any kind in your car, it must be there for a reason,

you are on your way directly to diving or fishing or on your way home from it..

 

But a long and big flashlight is not a weapon, it is a tool, perfectly ok.

and walking sticks are more and more common, also ok.

The one thing I am most affraight of, most often, and the value of highest risk some thing bad happen,

is simply big and crasy dogs ! I just hate them and dont thrust them for a sec.

 

Another thing when it comes to risk evaluation and protection also mentionened before in this thread,

is not go out alone, and to always bring a cellphone..

Well I do actually go out alone, most of the time, and also to very remote and dead locations,

I do climb and crawl into things, there is a slight chance of fall, lost, stuck situations.

since you are so honost, I feel I can admit,

I actually "forget" the cell at home, simply so no honey calls and ask when I be back again...

we talked about this a few times, and the deal is now, I bring it, if she dont call it :-)

Link to comment

I don't think owning/carring a gun is a American thing. I think it's a culture thing. While in the outback near Alice Spirngs most of the locals there pack as well. They were raised on raches as well. It's the culture.

 

 

Now the inner-city 'gansta' thing... well don't get me started on that.

 

In the Alice Springs culture you describe, a firearm is a tool & is respected by its holder.

 

In the inner-city "gangsta" thing, it's a status symbol, projection of perceived power and means of intimidation.

Link to comment

I'm American. We pack heat. We carry guns while caching. Sorry, someone had to bring it up. :laughing:

 

I'm American. We don't pack heat. We don't carry guns while caching. Somebody had to counter. :P

 

I'm an American too (fifth generation) and have never owned a gun and probably never will. I carry protection...in my wallet...but I don't think that would stop a vicious dog.

I'm an America too (12th generation) and own many guns and always will. Most are just for sport. Amazingly I carry when I'm out here in the boonies not when I'm in the city. I've never seen it as a protection from humans things.

When I was growning up everyone of the boys in my class at school always had a gun in there truck. We were expeted to. The were tools for us. You used around the farm/ranch. Plus we all hunted.

I don't think owning/carring a gun is a American thing. I think it's a culture thing. While in the outback near Alice Spirngs most of the locals there pack as well. They were raised on raches as well. It's the culture.

 

 

Now the inner-city 'gansta' thing... well don't get me started on that.

 

Edit and before someone calls me a lair about that yes 12 genetions. Jamestown 1640 and I have proof.

I too am a proud Americian and Virginian. Two of my ancestors came with the Royal Commission to survey and map the Dominion of Virginia abord the ship named the Constance in 1635. Seems my family has fought in all wars including the Revolutionary war in Captain Nathanial Mason's company of the 14th Virginia regiment.

You bet your cache I pack heat. :laughing:

Link to comment

Has anyone every used a weapon (come in contact by beating, stabbing, shooting, spraying - not just brandishing the weapon) to defend themselves against the 2-legged or 4-legged variety of animal while out geocaching?

I'm fortunate that I haven't needed to use my bear spray -- all the bears I have encountered have been far enough away that I could avoid them.

 

The canister I have "expires" this year so I plan to shoot it off after I buy a new one just so the first time I actually use it isn't when I REALLY need it.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...