What do you carry in the woods?

[Uni-Vibe]

I'm probably a thousand miles from the nearest brown/grizzly bear. So I'm reading this thread from an academic standpoint.

The heaviest bear handgun I have is a six inch .357. I could load it up with Buffalo Bore hard cast 180s. It would do the job, but seems a bit light.

If I thought I'd run into such a bear, I'd want my home defense shotgun with sabot slugs, and back it up with a .454.

[AKDoug]

I'm in California and am also in the National Forest daily walking the dogs. I have done this for 30 years, daily. I feel safe in the forest, safer than with humans. We have mountain lions and black bears but we, the dogs and I, were never threatened even when we ran into a mountain lion.

Brown bears are another whole story. These are apex predators just like tigers. And they are aggressive. If I lived where there were brown bears, I would go out in a tank.

Brown bears aren't actually that aggressive. I've encountered well over 40 brown bears while in the outdoors where I live. I've had them in the back of my truck, in the alley way between the buildings at my store, on my porch, and at my favorite fishing hole. I've had a dog mauled by two y.o. brown bear cubs (dog lived). Every single one of them has run off at the sight or smell of me. Yes, they have been known to kill people in Alaska, but the number is still relatively small considering the amount of bears and people that live in bear habitat.

I carry every day. I carry a Glock 19 because I believe the human threat in my area far exceeds that of the brown bear threat. When I actually head into the woods without a rifle, I carry a Glock 20 (10mm).. because of the familiarity I have with Glocks. I feel pretty safe in the woods, and like thousands of Alaskans do every day, I might head out without a firearm at all.

[flenna]

This.

Sweet....

[gaijin]

Another "Mountain Gun" fan in calibers beginning with .4X.

[Watrdawg]

Depends on where I'm at. I hunt in 2 completely different places. One has a ton of big hogs and I've shot 5-6 350lb + boars. When in those woods I'm carrying a Ruger Super Blackhawk 45LC with a stout Buffalo Bore load. Typically I'm deer hunting or depending upon the season Turkey hunting there and have run into hogs quite often. The other place I hunt has no hogs or other large predators so I'm carrying a G19. Last December I went black bear hunting with a buddy and put down a 412lb bear with my Ruger 45LC. Shot him running away at about 45 yards. Went just behind the left front shoulder and exited out through the front of the opposite shoulder. Bear went down in a heap and didn't budge. Our black bear here in the eastern/coastal part of NC easily get up to 700lbs and bigger. State/World record black bear was shot here and came in at 880lbs.

[Det-Sog]

I bought a S&W Performance Center 629 V-comp .44 Mag for such purposes. Since then, I've picked up a Glock 20 10mm and a Springfield TRP Operator in 10mm. So, one of those three. I've got the western hemisphere covered.

[hotrodder636]

Very nice! That is what I am looking for in .44 for my bear gun.

Another "Mountain Gun" fan in calibers beginning with .4X.

[Heavy4Caliber]

I'm more concerned about two-legged problems rather than four here in NC, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of encounters with coyotes, bobcats, or black bear. My options include a Gen4 G20 or a S&W 4" 629.

[sundance435]

I'm probably a thousand miles from the nearest brown/grizzly bear. So I'm reading this thread from an academic standpoint.

The heaviest bear handgun I have is a six inch .357. I could load it up with Buffalo Bore hard cast 180s. It would do the job, but seems a bit light.

If I thought I'd run into such a bear, I'd want my home defense shotgun with sabot slugs, and back it up with a .454.

Same here, but I enjoy reading these threads for some vicarious "mountain man" living. I do hope to go hiking in Glacier and Yellowstone in the future and I'll definitely be packing when I do.

I'm more concerned about two-legged problems rather than four here in NC, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of encounters with coyotes, bobcats, or black bear. My options include a Gen4 G20 or a S&W 4" 629.

Several of you have mentioned coyotes. Are these like coydog mutants? The 'yotes around here would never come close to a human, even on the off chance there was a pack of them, since they're pretty solitary.

Can someone help me out and give me a brief rundown of Pros/Cons for .44 Special vs. heavy .357 for these types of applications?

[Bravo Sierra]

Same here, but I enjoy reading these threads for some vicarious "mountain man" living. I do hope to go hiking in Glacier and Yellowstone in the future and I'll definitely be packing when I do.



Several of you have mentioned coyotes. Are these like coydog mutants? The 'yotes around here would never come close to a human, even on the off chance there was a pack of them, since they're pretty solitary.

Can someone help me out and give me a brief rundown of Pros/Cons for .44 Special vs. heavy .357 for these types of applications?

Ammo capacity. I dont see why you would need either of those for coyotes. If thats all you have just pick the lightest one.