Woods carry; more critical than CCW?

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We've cut wood & picked berries for a long time in that general area. Don't usually carry while cutting but do while picking. Seen several black bears over the years, they have run as soon as they see or hear us. Usually have long guns in the truck & a 9 or 38 in my pocket when I'm not cutting. Seen some sketchy people but never had any problems. Of course they might say the same about us, couple old guys with long beards & tore up carhartts.
 
I carry bear spray (even if I’m only in Black Bear country) along with my EDC weapon of choice. Not likely to have to use either one on a blacky, but good to have. Spray can break off an encounter with safety for all parties. It’s just another level of insurance that won’t require killing/injuring something I don’t want to injure/kill. Works on bears, wolves and 2-legged critters.
 
Trey Veston

I encounter beers almost every time I go into the woods... :pSometimes lots and lots of beers...

After consuming that much alcohol I can totally get why you're seeing things...whether they are there or not!
 
I'm 75, and been running around the back country of the Rockies for about 65 of those years.

When I was young and full of vigor, my "EDC" in the woods was an original Winchester 92 in .44-40. At about 25, I finally realized i didn't need it. Carried a S&W 28 for a few years, but that got heavy.

I bought one of the first Glock 17s to be imported. Been carrying that ever since. 115 Grain +P+ Federal JHP (9BPLE) in town, and 124 grain FMJ NATO in the woods,

Never been bothered by bears, and the 9MM is more than enough for anything else.

On overnight or longer trips, I'll carry a spare magazine, but I can't imagine a situation that I couldn't handle with the 18 rounds in the weapon.
 
I do carry more regularly in remote rural settings than I do in town. Like the OP, I've had more run-ins with sketchy folks there than in the city, and black bears populate most of the woods I roam as well as porcupines that need to be dispatched for the sake of my cabin siding.

I do practice extensively with my woods gun, which as luck would have it, is also my cabin target practice gun. There are so many impromptu opportunities in the back woods to dispatch a threatening beer can or rotten birch pipe that I generally carry a pocket full of .38s just for this purpose, and keep the cabin well stocked with the same for lots of general shooting on my pistol range. In fact, when it comes to fast drawing, first shot accuracy, precision accuracy and general accuracy over a string under stress, I'm more proficient with my woods gun than my carry/service handgun. Been working on that one lately, so the gap is narrowing.

On the rare occasion I travel in Big Bear country, I pack a rifle as much as possible.
 
Back when I lived in Utah, I carried a Ruger standard .22, and then whatever centerfire handgun I owned at the time. The only 'real' trailgun I owned was a 6" Charter Arms Pathfinder in .357, but that got traded away when I needed a more compact weapon for work.
Not against the wildlife as much as the occasional pack of feral dogs I and my backpacking pals sometimes ran into. Got myself treed once by them and decided never again. For a time, I even toted a compact Tec-9 with a couple 30 round sticks, but that was too heavy and awkward, not to mention made me feel like a gunshop commando. Still, it gave me a good feeling if I ever crossed paths with another large pack of wild dogs again. Only happened to me twice, first when I was unarmed, and the second when all I had was the .22 pistol.
Now when I go tramping about the woods, all I have is my EDC on me, because open carry here isn't legal. No matter, not much here to worry about other than the two legged variety of varmint, lol. Bears aren't prevalent and tend to avoid people.

Rick - if the feral dogs was the only thing you would be concerned about, what about carrying the Keltec PMR-30, a polymer pistol in .22 Mag that has a 30 round magazine? Not big enough for anything more than dogs or 'yotes but the capacity would handle most packs with ease.

Truck - that was a cute and bold little pup. Unfortunately, with bold curiosity like that, it may never get the chance to breed.
 
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Rick - if the feral dogs was the only thing you would be concerned about, what about carrying the Keltec PMR-30, a polymer pistol in .22 Mag that has a 30 round magazine? Not big enough for anything more than dogs or 'yotes but the capacity would handle most packs with ease.

Truck - that was a cute and bold little pup. Unfortunately, with bold curiosity like that, it may never get the chance to breed.
I'd love a PMR-30, however, they're not legal here in the People's Republic of New York because of the capacity. And my backpacking days are long past after breaking my back. I had the Tec-9 in 87-88 and ended up trading it for the CA .357 because I got tired of humping the extra weight around. By then, the local authorities had gotten the feral dog population where we hiked and camped under better control and I didn't feel the need anymore. Only two incidents, one before I could legally own a handgun when I got treed, and the second with my .22 where I popped the alphas and the pack backed off. Plus I wasn't alone and between the five of us we got more than a few of them.
Now when I go out in the woods, even alone, my PF-9 or G17 with NY legal 10 rounders are more than enough for what I may run into.
 
Due to the lack of “woods” in the past years, I would only know the typical 44. I might just have to take it out and even get some practice even if it’s just a couple rounds.
 
Around here the woods are safer than in town. Last few years especially. Its extremely rare to even see dangerous wildlife, but junkies and tweakers are a daily occurance, thanks to our proximity to Seattle and some of the more shady policies of our city council
 
Woods carry is ccw in my opinion, just you’re not concealing anything. But you’re still carrying just in case. Be it for two legged or four legged beings decide to make you have a bad day.
 
I settled on a G29 for my woods carry gun years ago. Bears are common in most of the places where I go. I've seen a bunch, killed them while hunting, but never felt threatened by one. But being prepared is always a good idea. An argument can be made that a magnum revolver is a better option for large predators, (I've seen no evidence to support that though), but even in bear country the bigger threat is from 2 legged predators. I feel the G29, offers the versatility to work for either possibility.

A weapon mounted light and 15 rounds of 200 gr hardcast bullets helps with a good nights sleep when camping.

mill creek camping 023.JPG
 
When I was getting ready to leave for yesterday's excursion, I grabbed my go-to woods gun; a Glock G29 Gen 4 in 10mm. It has a KKM 4.5" barrel, Dawson fiber optic sights, and an X-Grip adapter so I can run a G20 15-round magazine with my custom reloads which feature my own 200gr hard cast bullets.
I didn't see this asked already, and if I missed it I'm sorry, but what's the advantage of a G29 with a 4.5" barrel and X-Grip over a G20?
 
I didn't see this asked already, and if I missed it I'm sorry, but what's the advantage of a G29 with a 4.5" barrel and X-Grip over a G20?

Because even with the longer barrel (which is also more accurate and able to shoot cast without worry compared to a stock G20 barrel) and the X-Grip, the weapon is still lighter than a G20.

Plus, I can put the factory mag and barrel back in and have a very compact package, which I do when floating the river since the barrel and mag seem to irritate me when sitting on my pontoon. It's all about versatility.
 
Regardless of location, if I have to fire in defense of my life, its critical.
"Good" area, "Bad" area, woods, daylight, dark, stopping whatever threat ASAP is critical.
 
Yesterday, I went out into the Idaho mountains to do some huckleberry picking with my great dane/lab mix.

Not sure how you can put up living near that awful scenery, <green with envy> but on a serious note, yeah it's disconcerting to consider that there are more threats out thataways than in town. All that beauty can lull one into a false sense of security. Hope you never need to use that defensive gun but practicing with it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Glad you thought about it before you really needed it.
 
I don't see woods carry as being more or less critical than CCW. Because I shoot my CCW guns more than any other guns, that is what I carry in the woods. Those have been 9mms for the last few years. I do switch the ammo to Buffalo Bore +P hard cast or to Lehigh Xtreme Penetrators when off pavement, depending on the particular gun.
 
While I don't do much deep woods walking anymore, carry in the woods is borderline critical. I have encountered bears, moose, and cougars that can be just a big a threat as 2 legged criminals. In most cases I have woods carried my CCW, usually in a OWB or open holster. Open holster for speed of draw and comfort on the hike. In some hikes where I have spent days on end in the woods, I have carried a 12ga shotgun to deal with both kinds of predators.

In my journey to get healthier again, I will likely take up hikes and runs again. And I am considering an easy to carry 357 or something along those lines.
 
My woods carry is my daily CCW. A Glock 19 with 124 gr Gold Dots. In my area I am only worried about dogs packs or meth-billies so the 9mm makes sense. Also, no open carry in FL except in very limited circumstances.

When the family and I are out hiking I do like to carry medical supplies and water. Normally I will only have a tourniquet in my pocket with a full kit in the car, but in the woods I carry a full trauma kit and a couple bottles of water, just in case. I figure those are much more likely to be needed.
 
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