Defense Minister
Member
I used to carry a revlover in the woods, but I don't shoot revolvers well. So, I sold it and bought a Glock 29 10MM. Couldn't be happier.
You always see people reccomend a revolver for hiking/backpacking and an autoloader for defensive carry (except for the die hard revolver guys) the reason most give is a revolver has less moving parts and is less likely to fail. Why wouldn't you want less moving parts for a defensive gun?
Or why not a nice 45 auto for wooded carry for the critters? I have no problem trusting my life to an auto for CCW so why revolvers for the woods?
Inform people that research on bear spray use in Alaska by non-hunters shows the spray stopped bears—including grizzlies—over 90% of the time. During close range encounters, people escaped injury 98% of the time.
Emphasize that bear spray is not an alternative to a firearm when a big game hunter gets charged after startling a nearby grizzly. Biologist Chuck Schwartz with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study team did an informal study on grizzly bear mortality in the Yellowstone region from 1992-2004. Hunters got charged by grizzlies 24 times. Schwartz told the Casper Star-Tribune "Time and again, hunters said it happened so fast that when they shot, the bear fell right at their feet."
The article sums up by saying: "Carry bear spray and know when to use it." and I will add: "carry a shot gun, rifle, or pistol if you can."The IGBC should caution people that comparing statistics on the success rate of bear spray to statistics on the success rate for firearms merely proves the adage “statistics are meaningless.” Hikers do well with bear spray, but hikers are not holding a rifle when they startle a nearby grizzly. Bear spray is not an option for hunters carrying a rifle in hand while hunting.