Great Post. I know that my friends would want me to have a chance to shoot if they were being attacked and i would want them to do the same for me. Even if the chances are slim of an attack better safe than sorry. I do agree that you should be well trained and prepared with a gun before carrying one out into the mountains.ryanclimbs wrote:I hate to even go down this road, but making such a blanket statement ignores possible situations. Here are just a couple:
1. Your buddy could be under attach by a cougar and you left that gun at home. I'm sure he would be yelling for you to shoot it, SHOOT IT, as the cat holds onto his neck waiting for him to go limp. And before anyone starts with the "but you could shoot the person" argument, use common sense. The guy would want you to shoot the cat instead of kicking sand in it's eyes.
2. Not every cat attack is going to be a "silent" pounce from 10' away. Some people are more aware than others when in the backcountry. Keen hunters are a good example.
My stainless revolver doesn't care about the elements. It's more important to me that I have it in the RARE event that I might need it, and leaving it home will never save my buddy in trouble... I just like to be prepared no matter how small the probability.
Carry what you are comfortable with and I'll carry my light handgun.
http://users.frii.com/mytymyk/lions/attacks2.htmmtnmaniac wrote:Cats very rarely attack humans, and I don't believe I've ever heard of a deadly attack on a group of humans (African lions don't count).
Funny how you paint the picture of me bumbling around a talus field with the gun pointed at my head.mtnmaniac wrote:I respect your opinion and your right to carry, so long as you respect my right to enjoy solidarity without getting shot at. Here are my replies.ryanclimbs wrote:I hate to even go down this road, but making such a blanket statement ignores possible situations. Here are just a couple:
1. Your buddy could be under attach by a cougar and you left that gun at home. I'm sure he would be yelling for you to shoot it, SHOOT IT, as the cat holds onto his neck waiting for him to go limp. And before anyone starts with the "but you could shoot the person" argument, use common sense. The guy would want you to shoot the cat instead of kicking sand in it's eyes.
2. Not every cat attack is going to be a "silent" pounce from 10' away. Some people are more aware than others when in the backcountry. Keen hunters are a good example.
My stainless revolver doesn't care about the elements. It's more important to me that I have it in the RARE event that I might need it, and leaving it home will never save my buddy in trouble... I just like to be prepared no matter how small the probability.
Carry what you are comfortable with and I'll carry my light handgun.
1) Cats very rarely attack adult humans, and even more rarely attack a group of adult humans. Sure there are very rare instances, but they are always scared off by simply making a lot of noise and throwing rocks. Cats aren't territorial, so if you're confronted by one it will run after you get aggressive. If you don't believe me, check out the statistics on cat attacks. (http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html#stats) Even thought the stories are scary, the stats are over a 12 year span, and involve small humans and/or city kitties. I think you're more likely to shoot yourself than a cat in the backcountry. And the articles on that site go to show you should keep your kids ahead of you at all times on the trail.
2) I am a "keen" hunter and have seen cats eye to eye while tracking elk and mulies. You should've seen them take off once I stood up. Cats use the element of surprise to catch their prey. That's why they have big quiet padded feet and camo fur. One time I camped on a ledge that was obviously a kitty lookout over a marsh (their version of a tree stand). I heard it growl in the middle of the night prob upset I was on its lookout. Once I looked outside and turned my headlamp on, it got the heck out of there. Larry the red neck would've made a bigger fuss if you took his tree stand. Also, the articles on above website prove, they do "pounce from 10'". Good luck Doc Holiday!
3) Again, I respect your right to carry with the acception I listed in the beginning. But here's some advice to make life more comfortabel: If by "light handgun" you mean light weight, stainless isn't the lightest material to lug around, get a polymer. If by "light handgun" you mean light caliber, you better hope my notes in #1 and 2 are right because a .22 won't even kill a coon and you're just gonna pi$$ a kitty off somethin terrible with anything less than a .40. And lastly try not to shoot a hole in yourself while tripping around on boulders with a loaded handgun, because the only way that thing's gonna be ready to shoot quick enouqh is if there's one in the chamber.
P.S. Fire is a wild critter's worst enemy- carry a zippo and use it. Sounds hilarious. If you don't believe me, get your dog close and fire it up.
I'm no novice to hunting and shooting and each year I fill my elk and buck tags (including an occasional black bear). Sorry to disappoint. And by "light handgun" I was being facetious. I carry a .357 while hiking and a 10mm Mag sidearm while hunting.
So what is that supposed to prove? Many more children died in car accidents yesterday. You want to ban cars too? You could save a lot more lives that way than by banning guns. What's the difference?An 11-year-old Cox Canyon boy was shot in the forehead and killed over the weekend in an apparent accidental shooting by a 7-year-old friend. Cox Canyon is just north of the New Mexico border, south of Durango.
Another 11-year-old boy, a resident of Durango North Village, died of a rifle wound in April.
That's sad, but if a 7 year old has access to a gun, he needs to know how to use it safely, properly, and most important of all, not shoot other kids with it. I was out hunting by myself by that age and I never would have put myself in that situation.Flatland Biker wrote:In an attempt to keep this thread rolling...I'll share the following info from yesterdays Durango Herald.
An 11-year-old Cox Canyon boy was shot in the forehead and killed over the weekend in an apparent accidental shooting by a 7-year-old friend. Cox Canyon is just north of the New Mexico border, south of Durango.
Another 11-year-old boy, a resident of Durango North Village, died of a rifle wound in April.
