Unsavory Characters In The Back Country

[midge1]

I've touched on this topic before and had great responses. Recently I read a couple of articles where female hikers/campers were abducted or an attempt was made. Just because you are off the beaten path please do not consider yourself safe and let your guard down. There are people out there just waiting for someone to come along who is not paying attention to anything except getting to their fishing hole or campsite and is oblivious to their surroundings. Hiking, camping and fishing should maybe be done using the "buddy system".

People can disappear in seconds. A fishing spot, rod, reel and equipment is not worth dying for as it can all be replaced. To get to the point of this post, do you carry a firearm when in the back country, maybe not just the back country, but when out enjoying nature in any form? My wife, who doesn't like guns, but doesn't dislike them either, was upset that I didn't carry one on a recent trip to RMNP, especially since we were camping right in the middle of black bear country. I left it at home because the last time I took one and didn't mention it she was upset there was one in the car. When I go out I am armed, you won't see it or know it but it is there.

 

[Unknownflyman]

Nice ploy to see if people are carrying while using expensive fly gear on the river.

Yes, 40 cal semi auto Springfield, and can shoot the wings off a fly at 100 yards.

I think living in a cosmopolitan big city sees much more action than my local trout river, and I'm not afraid at all in the big city. Perhaps your fears are a bit unfounded.

I cannot tally how many miles Ive put on now around the world with a fly rod in my hand, and they only wild side I've seen was meeting a few grumpy old timers ***** about either they were there first and they were fishing the entire river today or the trout fishing isn't what it used to be because they are having a bad day with dry flies.

But yes anything can happen at anytime, however paranoid conceal and carry members scare me more than grumpy old men on the rivers.

If you see a weed field, probably back off, however the FBI or DEA normally doesn't fish their way in to a grow op, so you might be safe.

Tight lines! I`d say stay safe but your are more likely to get eaten by a bear than robbed or an episode of the deliverance happen to you.

 

[DonW]

Old enough to have seen Deliverance in theater, ever since I wear a chastity belt and leave the key at home when canoeing. That was some scary #!$% in that movie.
Don't own a handgun so can't comment on that stuff, but if you let me get three arrows off I'm not giving unsavory characters good odds of surviving, so if you see me on the river with bow slung across my back best keep your distance.

 

[denver1911]

I’m a gun guy through and through. I shoot 10,000-20,000 rounds per year. My wife does too. If I am going somewhere I consider a little risky, I carry. I don’t generally consider the rivers, lakes, or woods very risky. I almost never carry there. I don’t wear a Faraday cage either and the odds of me getting struck by lightning are much higher than encountering a threat I would need a gun to deal with.

 

[okaloosa]

sometimes I carry a gun and sometimes I don't......
but if I am in RMNP or any bear country I carry bear spray because it is much more effective against bears and it probably would do well against bad guys too.
nothing wrong with being overly prepared...same guys who say we are too paranoid carry 30 different types of fly patterns in 5 different sizes because "you can never tell what will be hatching".
well, you can never tell what weirdo will be lurking in the woods or anywhere else...the old saying is "the paranoid survive"...

 

[denver1911]

sometimes I carry a gun and sometimes I don't......
but if I am in RMNP or any bear country I carry bear spray because it is much more effective against bears and it probably would do well against bad guys too.
nothing wrong with being overly prepared...same guys who say we are too paranoid carry 30 different types of fly patterns in 5 different sizes because "you can never tell what will be hatching".
well, you can never tell what weirdo will be lurking in the woods or anywhere else...the old saying is "the paranoid survive"...

I think you are too paranoid .. and I carry both yellow AND red humpies along with a few Thunderheads ..I’m probably underprepared for the hatch

 

[mcnerney]

This is a timely topic. The Pinedale, WY local paper had an article last week, where a twenty something gal has gone missing along with her pickup and motorcycle. She had been camping in the upper Green along a dirt road called "Union Pass". It's a short cut going over to Dubois, WY, from Pinedale. The report said she was camping with others and decided to head back to town to get supplies, but she must have gotten turned around and has disappeared. Pretty sad situation.

 

[karstopo]

Sometimes. Beaches and the back areas around here seem to have an undercurrent of criminality and the odd human monster here and there. At one kayak launch I’ve used, a plant worker napping in his truck after his shift got beheaded by one such monster. They caught the guy and he had no connection to the victim, he just wanted to see what it was like to kill someone in a special way. I don’t know if they ever found the victim’s head.

I had four people roll up on me once at a remote spot down at the end of a deserted road. I was just about to launch my kayak into the ICW. They were all amped up on some substance. They had no fishing gear and took an immediate and unnatural interest in me and I was just able to get away in the kayak to the deep waters of the canal before they made their move. I wasn’t carrying that day, but have been a little more diligent about it since.

Not all districts and areas are equally safe. I’d much rather avoid any potentially deadly conflict, but I’d like to have the option to protect myself if it comes to an unavoidable situation where someone wishes to cause me deadly harm.

 

[dlip]

While fishing/hunting, the only time I will carry a handgun is if I'm in bear country.

 

[okaloosa]

I think you are too paranoid .. and I carry both yellow AND red humpies along with a few Thunderheads ..I’m probably underprepared for the hatch

like I said "the paranoid survive".... being born and bred in the Bronx kind of skews your perspective of your dear fellow creatures' capabilities to inflict harm.

 

[Unknownflyman]

Generally from my experience, the paranoid end up hurting themselves or others for no sound reason.

We are not going to do the shootout at the ok corral thing again, I'm a hunter and marksman too and just because you carry doesn't mean your faster than the next guy. I have a gun therefore I will survive? The question is? Do you feel lucky punk?

 

[tsmervis]

SIG Sauer P250 .380 ACP

 

[dennyk]

I was pretty familiar with handguns, used to hunt with S&W K .22 for small game and a .44 mag for big game. I've owned a .40 Glock for about 2 years-put 1 magazine of ammo through it at 7 yards just to see how it feels, cleaned it and it is used for home protection. It has only one purpose.

Being unable to take care of myself as I used to be in a physical combat situation I thought I'd carry it when I'm alone back in the sticks. Haven't carried it yet. With Michigan being an open carry state I may take advantage of it one day but for now I feel safe enough just carrying a razor sharp Buck model 110. At 62 years of age-so far so good.

Don't bring a knife to a gun fight-hopefully it never comes to that.

Denny

 

[proheli]

About half the time I carry a .380, with the buffalo barnes hot load so it is supposed to hit like a 9mm. It's light and has a little soft case, and there is a pocket in my sling pack where it fits just right, or the back pocket of my jeans for that matter. I feel more comfortable with it.

 

[ia_trouter]

I feel very blessed that I have never had to fish anywhere I felt even a little threatened. This is a strange concept to me.

 

[cerec_cat]

I felt extremely threatened when fishing alone once. I will never fish in a somewhat remote area again without someone else, or a handgun. Hell, maybe both!

 

[Curmudgeon]

I own firearms and am comfortable with them. The potential threat from "unsavory characters" or wildlife has never seemed significant enough to me to make me want to carry a firearm while fishing in the US. Drowning while wading, a car accident on the way to or from the river, West Nile virus, flesh eating bacteria, lightning strike, and red meat, cigars, and whisky are all bigger risks to my health than animals or criminals.

If carrying a firearm while fishing makes you feel better, that's your business and no skin off my back. I do think that midge1 was on the right track when he pointed out that just because you're out in the countryside is no reason to let your guard down. Most of the time, situational awareness is far more important to safety than firearms, but in my experience, people are likely to be more aware when they're unarmed. People carrying firearms tend to get sloppy.

 

[coug]

My god, the OP makes me glad that I live and play where I do! We just have wolves, bears (grizz and black), mountain lions, and I have backpacked, hiked, hunted, and fished for 50 years without worrying too much. Just be smart. But I have never given a second thought to problems with other people. Maybe it is because "home" is E.WA and OR, N. ID, and W. MT, and everyone just assumes we all carry so nobody causes any problems. My spouse gave me a .44 S&W mountain gun a while back because I often hike or fish alone, and I carry that or one of my 1911's when hiking with her and the dogs, but only because she wants me to.

I also wonder about a lot of people who carry, if they really know what they are getting into. I grew up with them, and practice at a local range often, and shooting is not like the movies. You are just not going to pull your weapon out with one hand and shoot the bad guy at 20 yards. Think nerves, and then hitting a moving target.

If you are worried about critters get bear spray. We bought some new canisters this year so decided to practice with our old ones. That stuff is evil. I thought it would be more like a hose, but it created a huge cloud that would affect anything as long as you were pointing it in the right hemisphere! My spouse wanted her own pistol because she hikes alone, but now she is more comfortable with the bear spray.

Again, the posts just make me glad I live where I do!

 

[DaleR]

I generally don't but have no issues with carrying either in Town or in the Woods. There have been a couple of instances in my nearly 50 years outdoors that I sure thought I was going to need one. I have seen people on the river get quite belligerent and I have seen fist fights on the River before. Especially in very popular crowded locations. One time while on the river bank I probably would have needed one if not for some other fellas that saw what was happening and helped me out.

It's not the fire arm carrier that I would be concerned with. Contrary to some folks belief licensed fire arm carriers are not going around shooting themselves, or others, or things on accident or due to being paranoid, it just ain't happening.

I would also not be worried about it in the more remote areas. It's the more urban and very popular areas near large Cities that I have seen confrontations.

I would be more concerned with the drunks and such. It seems that every instance of an issue on the water I have seen it is always one of two things:

1. A small popular spot when the fish are running and biting like mad. It gets real crowded and tempers flare.
2. Some body has too much to drink and thinks they are King.

 

[durangobrad]

Contrary to some folks belief licensed fire arm carriers are not going around shooting themselves, or others, or things on accident or due to being paranoid, it just ain't happening.

1. Across states, more guns = more unintentional firearm deaths

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-threats-and-self-defense-gun-use/