Hiking and Trail Safety tips... (page 3)

John Doe

Gentlemen, this wasn't supposed to be an 'argument'.

argument: b : discourse intended to persuade

BurnTheShips

They're a single-use item

Your boots are a single use item, do you go around hiking barefoot?

Besides, guns aren't single-use, not really. They are good for not only protection and defense, they also serve as a food gathering tool in an emergency situation and as a signalling tool as well. The sound carries a long way. Three quick shots is the generally accepted SOS signal.

BTS

BurnTheShips

"Peenie-waggling" - what, haven't you ever noticed that the male gender is the most death-oriented of the two genders??? That's what I'm referring to when I use that term. Death-oriented is usually fear-based - behind every [single-use] weapon lies the emotion of fear. Zid

OK, so are you saying there is no fear behind carrying multi-use weapons? LOL. Sheesh. In the wilderness you are in a totally atavistic situation. Fear evolved precisely to protect us in those situations. Our primitive ancestors lived in these places with all kinds of weapons to protect themselves. Spears, bows, clubs, etc. Death oriented? LOL. How about life oriented. If something bad happens, I want to walk away unscathed.

BTS

Gregor

Cougars are rare but I wouldn't think of driving in downtown rush hour traffic with the idiot pedestrians stepping off the curbs against the lights and the spandex commie bicyclists making up their own traffic laws as they go...without a loaded .44 on the seat next to me. It usually only takes a brief waggle of my piece to get everybody on the same page and only occasionally have I had to shoot off a round or two over their heads to let them know I was serious...

ziddina

Gentlemen this is MY thread and you are all OFF - TOPIC. If my brief reference to the overblown idea that one needs a gun to protect oneself in the woods FRIGHTENED you so much, then go start your own thread! NONE of you are referring to HIKING - and that's the FIRST WORD in the title of this thread!

Cowards and bullies! So frightened that someone even hints that their little 'pop'guns aren't really needed. Zid

HintOfLime

Also, I get a kick out of all this bs about woods being dangerous. I've lived in the woods most of my life, and used to go walking in the middle of the night with no light and no weapon.

I agree. I've been solo hiking and backpacking in Colorado for 10 years, including night hikes. I've only run across 1 black bear, a few coyotes, and 1 cat. The bear ran off with a yell, the coyotes ran off with a flashlight and a yell, and oddly enough with the cat I spotted him first and stood still - I don't think he even saw me (there were deer in the area he was following).

I carry a good knife that I can pull out with either hand in an instant.. but honestly by the time it comes to that, things are already pretty desperate. The only thing I would consider any sort of protection from a cat or bear would be a gun. Anything else is at best a deterrent. If a bear or a cat are pissed enough to attack you, you're only likely to get one swing with a hatchet before they knock/drag you to the ground, and then it's going to be too difficult to swing with enough force to penetrate their fur and skin (and like a knife, they're already in the 'danger zone' by the time you can use it, but at least a knife you can stab and slice without any swing at all). And as far as a ski pole.. yeah, right - a fiberglass stick. If they're that close to you, they're probably already pretty intent on doing you harm, and that fiberglass stick isn't going to do jack unless you get them in the eye. :P

Of course, the best thing to do is prevent these sort of encounters. Make noise while walking, etc. With black bears, usually just a bit of noise will drive them off. With brown/grizzly bears, it depends on how they are acting. Sometimes keeping an eye on them while backing away carefully works good.

With cats, make yourself look bigger, avoid eye contact, and throw rocks (careful not to leave yourself looking vulnerable while picking rocks up.)

- Lime

John Doe

Cowards and bullies!

First it was penis waggers, now it's cowards and bullies. Any other choice phrases mam?

About being off topic, how do you figure, since everything I've said is a direct response to your posts?

OUTLAW

Burns..I have no experience with gators..Whats they`re temperment like..................OUTLAW

ziddina

Hint of Lime, my ski pole's metal. Which is why I mentioned an oak staff for thunderstorm hiking.

John Doe - whatever. That's a classic "What? Who, me?" response - get onto the topic of hiking safety or start your own thread.

Same to the rest of you. If you want to discuss guns and killing things, start your own thread. Zid

BurnTheShips

Whats they`re temperment like

Nesting mothers on land will charge you. They often go back into the woods a good bit from water. Usually though, they will swim away, unless they are very large and you look tasty.

BTS

Hiking and Trail Safety tips...

Share this