CCW and YOUR fishing "experiences".

[John Rhoades]

I carried my .40 cal Glock when I hiked in to Grizzly Lake in YNP last year. My fishing partner had the bear spray. I don't know where the name of that lake originated, but it begs one to be well protected.

With the gun and 2 clips of ammo, mosquito repellant, lunch and water, fly rod and assorted fishing items, that was quite a bit of weight to lug up and down 2 mountain sides at (what?) 7000 feet elevation on a hot early summer day.

Anyone want to be a Sherpa and pack the gun, I'd be more than happy to be their guide into that lake, but next time I'm opting to cut out some pack weight and carry just bear spray.

[Tig]

We don't have griz here in Ontario just black bears and they will (most likely) run from you before you see them. My hat is off to anyone who has the kahoona's to stand their ground, when the largest carnivoure (griz) walking the face of the earth is charging, and squirt it with seasoning.

[Jayatwork]

No Grizzlies here either. I have come face to face with black bears and they generally don't want anything to do with humans. If you are going to carry a handgun for bear defense, my only advise is to load it with the heaviest hard-cast bullets available. For grizzly your probably better off with a short barreled shotgun with slugs.

[quivira kid]

Uh....how about bear spray?

I'd rather ensure that I win the fight.

[herefishy]

I'm not so worried about bears as I am about the 2 legged variety

[Arnie]

I can't find a link right now, but I read a study about a year ago that reviewed bear encounter incidents in Montana, Alaska, and Canada and concluded the odds of a happy ending are considerably better with bear spray than with a firearm. Personally, I always carry bear spray (UDAP) in bear country. If I think the risk is high, I also carry my "last resort", a 12 ga. slug gun loaded with copper sabot slugs. To each his own, but I wouldn't bet my life on my handgun skills.

Good fishing,
Arnie

[Kerry Stratton]

I'm not so worried about bears as I am about the 2 legged variety

Rule #24: Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

[Marco]

I believe I originally stated that I carry both UDAP and a 44 MAG and would not depend singularly on either. Since I have both, and it's legal, I would be foolish not to avail myself of the extra protection. OOOPPPSSS is NOT a viable option if a confrontation occurs.



Mark

[Uncle Jesse]

Ya'll need a slow moving fishing buddy. I am not available and will view any invitations with great suspicion.

[pillcaster]

Thanks for posting this, good discussion. I carried a little .22 auto for a while, but I decided the extra weight wasnt worth it. Virginia has a pretty good CCW law, and I think most people assume everyone is packing, and that leads to a more polite group in the field. I have never felt uncomfortable from any two legged threat. And, of course, we dont have any grizz or lions, and we dont have any poisonous water snakes in this part of Va. My main safety concern is from a dog attack. I am thinking of picking up a small canister of UDAP, Cabelas has the 0.4oz sizes on sale, maybe I will pick up a can. It would probably give me a false sense of security, but it may keep me from having to wear out my fly rod on a dog....