Carrying a Side Arm in the Field

I fall in the Ace class with pistols.

Bill’s Gun Range several years ago we were lucky enough to be invited to a timed live fire course. The targets turn sideways, they came towards you all the while we had to use the left or right hand, reload, or shooting from behind cover.

I laughed and laughed when the siren went off to allow us take the first shot and almost always there was a “Click” on the firing line. Someone didn’t rack a round into the chamber.

Never ceased to amaze me how that could happen….until…

My first shot was a click! But I didn’t lose anytime sliding the rack and taking the shot except it went CLICK AGAIN. I didn’t have the magazine in.

A very humbling experience that I won’t forget and toss in a wild animal that isn’t interested if you have a round in the chamber…I would say I have a better chance of living through a lightening strike then having a wolf or bear jump out of the brush without warning.

However…I would still carry.

Mainly thinking if you walked up on a bear with cub. Probably very low odds, but it does happen and I have been hearing more and more bear reports in central MN.

I would try to protect my dog, of course. But making it home to my children would be top priority.

Buckshot is a nice idea, but you’d never be able to reload in time.

Either way, like others have said it would have to be a very very close shot and the best odds in said scenario would probably be at point-blank with a shotgun.

BK – love the story and the humility that little move costs you a round of drinks where I train. aka forgetting your press check

Bit more food for thought. Do you practice shotgun to pistol transitions? If not how well would you expect to do that under stress with a bear/wolf only yards away?

After growing up in wolf/bear country and spending my life in outdoor pursuits, I am still waiting to hear the first report from any of my acquaintances that were involved in or even heard about any predator-on-human attack scenario…. it just isn’t happening.

Wolves attacking dogs, wolves on livestock, bears on livestock, bears harming property…..yes. Lots of reports.

Shoot all the wolves or bears you want regarding threats to pets/livestock/property and I won’t be calling the warden but don’t bullsh** us that they were trying to get you…..lol.

patk wrote:

Bit more food for thought. Do you practice shotgun to pistol transitions? If not how well would you expect to do that under stress with a bear/wolf only yards away?

Better yet…in regards to “carrying a few rounds of buckshot”, does anybody practice ammo change outs on a shotgun under stress? What’s your plan to load those rounds of buck? Fire off the birdshot then load the magazine and cycle? Manually cycle?

Timmy wrote:

After growing up in wolf/bear country and spending my life in outdoor pursuits, I am still waiting to hear the first report from any of my acquaintances that were involved in or even heard about any predator-on-human attack scenario…. it just isn’t happening.

Wolves attacking dogs, wolves on livestock, bears on livestock, bears harming property…..yes. Lots of reports.

Shoot all the wolves or bears you want regarding threats to pets/livestock/property and I won’t be calling the warden but don’t bullsh** us that they were trying to get you…..lol.

While I think it’s very pragmatic to venture into bear/wolf country in MN with some sort of defense, we aren’t talking about grizzly country in Montana. Coincidentally the unit in Montana that my co-worker was hunting elk in last week had two confirmed grizzly attacks within 4 miles of my co-workers camp.

tornadochaser wrote:

Better yet…in regards to “carrying a few rounds of buckshot”, does anybody practice ammo change outs on a shotgun under stress?

Sure do. Thanks for your concern for me tho, much appreciated

Lots of people watching other people’s bobber if you know what I mean

Brandon Johnson survived a 500+ pound bear attack.

When I heard Brandon tell his story on the 4 Outdoorsman radio show, it was riveting to say the least. So much so, the hosts didn’t interrupt him except for commercials. If you’ve ever heard Zep on the radio you know what a feat that is.

Here’s an article that talks about the THREE attacks.

The Brandon Johnson Story

If a person asks “would you use a bobber?”, what’s wrong with talking about bobbers?

Many things to consider when using a bobber if in fact we should use a bobber at all.

Peace on.

There is an article in the October 4 Star Tribune about wolf/dog issues in Wisconsin. Thirty dogs killed year to date by wolves, all north of Highway 8. http://www.startribune.com/anderson-some-wisconsin-bear-hunters-are-seeing-brazen-attacks-on-dogs/562085952/

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Brandon Johnson survived a 500+ pound bear attack.

When I heard Brandon tell his story on the 4 Outdoorsman radio show, it was riveting to say the least. So much so, the hosts didn’t interrupt him except for commercials. If you’ve ever heard Zep on the radio you know what a feat that is.

Here’s an article that talks about the THREE attacks.

The Brandon Johnson Story

That was a very intense story to hear from Brandon. I downloaded the mp3 of that episode and still have it on my computer. I might have to listen to that again.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Sure do. Thanks for your concern for me tho, much appreciated

Lots of people watching other people’s bobber if you know what I mean

Take it how you want to take it, but I’m genuinely interested in how many people have actually practiced this? I carry a slug or dead coyote 4 buck on a matchsaverz on my semi auto but that’s during upland hunts and getting the opportunity for coyote or badger. I don’t go into bear country hunting small game with a shotgun, but if I did, I’m not sure I could manually cycle birdshot and +2 or quad load slugs/buck under threat of a bear attack. It just seems more practical to me to either scabbard a shockwave/tac-14 loaded with slugs, or carry a big bore handgun OWB. But then again, I fumble my reloads in 3 gun and that’s just “clock” pressure.

Long story short. I was mowing a state hwy, bear with a broken back crawled out in front of the mower, called a Troper, he shot the bear between the eyes at 25 yards, the 10 mm slug bounced right off I watched the water splatter, bear just shook his head, he went to the Cruzer and got the shotgun with a slug end of bear. If I want bear protection, its going to be something bigger than a 10mm. DK.

For those that do not have the CC permit, be certain you carry that side arm in the open, not covered by any clothing. I hunt with an in-line black powder pistol and have no problems with law enforcement during the deer season as long as the holster is right out in the open, but I won’t carry it while at the cabin outside of the season as there are too many gray areas surrounding carrying without a season [reason] for carrying the gun.

Personally I think most sidearms are nothing better than noise makers when it comes to bears. And bears are at best un-predictable when their alarm bells are ringing so a sidearm might be a bigger problem than a help. I’ve had the occasion to see pissed off and wounded bears and would certainly not have felt safe in either instance with only a handgun. Wolves most likely will not bother a human even if fido is being molested and are easier to kill than a bear so a well place pistol shot, if one can be made, will perhaps contain the problem.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Personally I think most sidearms are nothing better than noise makers when it comes to bears. And bears are at best un-predictable when their alarm bells are ringing so a sidearm might be a bigger problem than a help. I’ve had the occasion to see pissed off and wounded bears and would certainly not have felt safe in either instance with only a handgun. Wolves most likely will not bother a human even if fido is being molested and are easier to kill than a bear so a well place pistol shot, if one can be made, will perhaps contain the problem.

Agree here. I’ve also witnessed the “wounded” bear trailing with a pistol. I’ve seen a guy unload a clip “at” a bear…some hit but it didn’t phase the bear.

I don’t hunt bears, so I should never be in a situation chasing a wounded bear. For guys that hunt bear, that is a whole nother risk you are taking on, and not really what I was getting at with this post.

For me, the hand gun would only be a last resort emergency. Like BK said, if you and the long gun got separated. I’m sure that scenario, or any scenario of being attacked, is extremely unlikely. Probably just more of a peace of mind thing, at least when I am by myself.

Bears are becoming common down as far as Forest Lake so happening on one is maybe a larger likelihood than you might think, so one doesn’t have to hunt bears to meet with bad news. The point I was making is that in close quarters, acquiring a killing target on a upset bear with a handgun is maybe a pipe dream and in the best case scenario it’ll be the noise that scares it off. Putting multiple holes in a bear with a handgun that serve only to anger it and put it in a mood that I wouldn’t want to be around. I’m sure there are quite a few handguns capable of killing a bear in a hunting situation where a well placed shot can do its job effectively. In a close quarters confrontation with a handgun my money is on the bear.

I agree. My neighbor down the street (Forest Lake area) just saw a bear while walking her dog.

The increased bear sightings and activity is a large part of the reason I was considering carrying a side arm in the woods in the first place.

My only point was, I would not be pulling the trigger, unless it was the last resort anyway. But in that unlikely scenario, of being attacked, I guess I would rather have a hand gun on my hip, than not.

Our cabin is the middle of bear central and we walk in the woods all the time. There are old logging trails nearby that we hike on too. We’ll bump into a bear occasionally and wolves on one occasion and we don’t have any guns along. Give the critters their space and they’ll leave you alone. Where bears and wolves live, people going into the woods with their dogs to hunt or whatever had better be darned certain that the dog is well trained to “come” and “stay” to the nth degree. In the woods the bear and wolves are at home and people with dogs are the trespassers and people need to remember that.

I can see your point Lindyrig, but I’d avoid it personally.