A friend of mine is going elk hunting and was advised to bring a back up weapon for safety from bear and mountain lion. What handgun would you guys/gals suggest?
Top Ad
Collapse
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
A friend of mine is going elk hunting and was advised to bring a back up weapon for safety from bear and mountain lion. What ha
Collapse
X
-
Bad advice. It's just extra weight. Your friend has a much better chance of getting struck by lighting or tree falling on him than needing a "backup gun" for bears or mountain lion. Is he going to wear a lightning rod on his head? I hunted elk hard for more than twenty years and even had my own pack string. Could always tell the greenhorns. They had a useless hog leg strapped to their thigh. I kept a .357 Highway Patrolman in the saddlebag. If I had a problem on the trail it was easier to get it out of the bag than pull rifle out of scabbard. Also, I never wanted to take a rifle on fishing trips. For fishing a handgun is definitely the way to go (not a "backup" weapon though). But big game hunting, no! Your friend will just advertise his dude-iness.
Comment
-
I won't pretend to know it all about this topic, but I can tell you that ANY deer or elk rifle is a better self defense tool than any handgun caliber. What? You are going to lay down your rifle to draw a pistol? I seldom carry both although I do take a .357 or .41 magnum revolver along when checking cameras, placing or retrieving stands, etc. when carrying a rifle is not practical or allowed (regs). Also, I don't carry a big rifle to kill deer or even elk, it's those other critters that I match my rifle to. Accordingly, anytime I hunt whee there are bears of any flavor or big cats, a .30-06 is bare minimum for me.
Comment
-
If rifle hunting I don't usually carry a hand gun but when bow hunting I often carry a 10mm 1911, .475 Linebaugh, or .44 mag (when legal) It all depends on where i will be hunting and what big predators are in the area. In AZ I take the 1911 because it is lighter than the other 2 , hold more rounds, the bears tend to be smaller, and lions are pretty thin skinned. When in Upstate NY I carry the .44 because bears are bigger and I will not be hiking very far or over super rough country(I also leave the .44 with my uncle in NY so I don't have to deal with TSA). Then the .475 is for Brown/Grizzly country.
Comment
-
I cannot imagine hunting elk with some big pistol strapped to my side. For you guys who sit in a tree stand or ground blind, you really have no concept what it's like to go after elk. I mean really go after them. You're on your feet all day, day after day, going up and down mountains, through brushy gullies, across streams, wading snow drifts, etc., etc. Besides being a lot of extra weight that you'll be cursing before the day is half done, a sidearm will pull your pants down and gets caught on brush, etc. Just a damned nuisance. I always had a pistol with me when I was elk hunting - K22 revolver stuffed in the daypack and loaded with .22 longs for blue grouse. Not a showpiece and entirely functional. It more often than not brought home five times its weight in meat (often times to my regret by the end of the day!)
And for those who are going elk hunting with a bow, the bears and big cats will be the least of your worries. Elk are pretty savvy about tree stands and I don't know of anyone who's had much success hunting them that way. Most try bugling bulls and do it from the ground. But be ready to shoot or die! Unlike a bull moose, bull elk completely lose all sense of reality when they get worked up. When they are on the prod they are literally blinded by passion. You will not have time to reach for a sidearm if a bull is coming full tilt. Bow hunting for bull elk is perhaps every bit as dangerous as for bears. It's not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced.
Comment
-
There are numerous studies that show that bear spray is a much better deterrent than a hand gun. You can attach the spray to your waist backpack for easy access. There was a big article in a recent Bugle (RMEF) about this and the bear spray was close to 100% effective while handgun protection was pretty low. Hard to hit a charging grizzly with a shot good enough to stop it. The spray covers a much bigger area. I'd recommend reading the article if you can find it, had some good scientific evidence.
Comment
Welcome!
Collapse
Welcome to Field and Streams's Answers section. Here you will find hunting, fishing, and survival tips from the editors of Field and Stream, as well as recommendations from readers like yourself.
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ for information on posting and navigating the forums.
And don't forget to check out the latest reviews on guns and outdoor gear on fieldandstream.com.
Right Rail 1
Collapse
Top Active Users
Collapse
There are no top active users.
Right Rail 2
Collapse
Latest Topics
Collapse
-
by 99explorerSomewhere out there, there is a straight-jacket waiting for you.
-
Channel: Other
Today, 09:19 PM -
-
by labrador12Democrats are pretty much crazy. They want to take pick-up trucks away from rural Americans. They want to destroy oil field and natural gas jobs from...
-
Channel: Other
Today, 08:02 PM -
-
Reply to Fawnsby labrador12On POW the Blacktail fawns are everywhere. My favorite sighting in a long life was a cow moose with triplets. It doesn't get cuter than those beauties....
-
Channel: Deer Hunting
Today, 08:07 PM -
-
by MattM37How's your local herd doing? Around here I seldom see many fawns in May, but everything seems to be a couple-three weeks ahead of schedule and we'll...
-
Channel: Deer Hunting
05-23-2022, 07:21 PM -
-
by labrador12The lady in West, by God, Virginia who shot the mass murderer won't get any press. MSNBCNN isn't interested in a good girl with a CC Permit taking out...
-
Channel: Other
Today, 06:22 PM -
Right Rail 3
Collapse
Footer Ad
Collapse
Comment