I do a lot of bear hunting alone, a lot of it 40-50 miles back in the mountains. My question for you hardcore bowhunters is, would you "in my situation" pack a side arm with you if your were going to hunt a bait off the ground with your bow? For me it will be and has been this past weekend with my longbow. I personally am packing my 44 mag on my side, just in case. I have a family to come home too, but I still want to hunt bears with my bow. What would you chose to do. Pack heat on your side or bow only?
Is it legal to pack the sidearm? If it is legal then hell yeah. If not legal then I would have to ponder the consequences of carrying the sidearm and my family
Call me a sissy but I would not only pack the .44 but would also purchase and pack some of those bear pepper spray cannisters.
Thats a toughy. We have black bear and grizz in our area and i'll stil never pack. It just doesn't bother me with bears. However, in your case with being that far in and being over a bait..i'd consider it. I guess i'm just hard headed, i'll have to be mauled before I pack
Nothing wrong with carrying one Troy. Don't have any shame In doing so. Would I? No I wouldn't but that's just me. I know many others who do while sitting In stands over bait and whatever makes you or them feel comfortable Is what a person should do. I've thought about carrying one with on tracking jobs that weren't such great hits In case one were to charge. In the 22 years I've bear hunted only one bear has charged at us while tracking, he got an arrow flung at him. My cousin had one encounter with a huge bear (boar) 15 years ago the day before the bear season opened. He was walking Into the bait to re bait It and all of a sudden there was the bear and him 10 yards apart at the bait site. The big guy stood on his hind legs and woofed a half dozen times and my cousin backed out slowly walking backwards. My cousin also had his 12 year old son with him. The bear never came any closer. My cousin who Is an experienced bear hunter said this bear was all of 7.5 to 8 feet tall. This bear never hit this bait again. Besides that encounter never have any of us In our hunting group had a bear do anything else other then woof a few times If she was a sow with cubs. Honestly In my opinion If your going to have major trouble It's going to be with an old big boar who's very territorial. In all honesty everyone probably should carry a sidearm, one never knows. Glad to see you kept the longbow.
As has been said before, I think I would rather have a sidearm and not ever need it than need a sidearm and not have it. Not like it hurts to carry it. Doesn't make the hunt any easier, faster, better or change anything except that, if you need it, you have it instead of needing it and not having it.
Bow only. I used to pack a .44 snub nose with 328 grain hard cast bullets. Now I find I don't need to pack around an extra 6 pounds on my hip that I'm not even going to be able to access if I "need" it. It spends its days in the safe now. Talk to enough people that have been mauled and they'll tell you that it's not going to do you any good. It just happens too fast and without warning if it's really going to happen. I pack a cannon of a rifle in the truck or in camp for the recovery but even the biggest handgun is puny for stopping a bear, unless you get lucky. If anyone wants to trade a .45 auto for a 629 Trail Boss let me know. I don't have a use for it anymore.
I would carry. But, I think if the need were to arise, the smell of my Fruit of the Loom's would deter any would-be attacker.
Looks like this guy was able to use a handgun when he needed it recently..... A backpacker used his handgun to fend off a grizzly bear that was charging at him and a female companion in Denali National Park. Park rangers say that a man and woman were hiking in the evening when the grizzly bear emerged from brush along the trail and charged at the pair. Fearing for his safety, and the safety of his companion, the man reportedly drew his .45 caliber pistol and fired 9 rounds. After being shot, the bear is said to have stopped its advance and walked back into the brush, leaving the hikers unharmed. Rangers later found a dead bear about 100 feet from where the self defense shooting took place, For most people, attack by a dangerous animal is not in the top 10 risks to their life and safety. However, that does not mean that the risk should be ignored - especially when one is spending time in a remote area. Remember, it is far better to have a self defense gun and never need it, than to need a self defense gun and not have it. Luckily, this man did have a gun for self defense, and the law had recently been changed to allow concealed carry in national parks, enabling him to stop a grizzly bear attack.
I would definately pack a sidearm. I have a 45/70 for when I walk in on my bait. Of course, I had some decent sized browns on it too. Here's how I look at it. If a bear charges you and you have a gun, thats just one more option you have to go to. In a situation like that its nice to have a longer list of options.
The screwy thing here is they changed it so you can carry a firearm in the park... but you aren't allowed to discharge one inside park boundaries. This guy may get slapped with a purty hefty fine. I hope not though thats DLP(defense of life and property) in my book.
lions and plenty of wolves in this country too...The wolves lit up pretty close to us while packing the latest bear out... not to mention I have had some hairy encounters with sows and cubs, to where all I had to do was shoot once in the air.. no more problems..
Before I was married, had kids.. I never thought twice about carrying a sidearm when I had a bow in my hand when it came to hunting anything in Idaho. These days, I look at it differently.
Troy, When and if the Big Guy calls for you, being the good soul that you are, I doubt he'll care if you show in the form of a bear turd. I personally have found that guns cause me to drop my guard while bow hunting dangerous game. The added false sense of security allows complacency to slip in. Without the sidearm, I tend to stay more composed, cautious, and alert. I like the added thrill of going one verses one with just the bow-it provides a bigger sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, don't leave a mess for your family to clean up.....keep thinking about them. Best of luck! Take plenty of pictures!
