Thanks, Pray. Means a lot to be able to pass some of this stuff along. No kids left except my daughter and she's not real interested in that sort of thing. I'll be 76 before my grandson who arrives this month will be able to hunt. So not much chance of passing what I know along to anyone in the family. No sense in burying it with me. I added a couple of elk hunting stories to Dakota's last thread. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Dakota: As to carrying a bigger pistol, in a word ... no! You are going to have your hands full with altitude changes and possible knee issues. DO NOT load yourself down with a bunch of useless extra weight. And you will note I said to toss the .22 in the pack and not on the hip. Why would you need an extra larger pistol in the daypack? And I can tell you right now you're not going to track anything with a pistol strapped to your leg! If you're worried about bears, which is just wasted anxiety, pick up a small light pepper spray dispenser. Stick it to your pack or straps somewhere. Really though, you have about as much probability of needing a backup weapon for a grizzly as you would needing a helmet to protect you from meteorites. When was the last time you heard of someone shooting a grizzly with a "back up gun"? Not once as far as I know. Well, not in the modern era anyway. I think Davy Crockett had to resort to a knife or something once to finish a charging bear that his muzzle loader failed to kill. As I said some months ago when this issue came up, strapping a hog leg to yourself only advertises your dudiness. Somewhat like the "guide?" for Desert Mt Lodge wearing his mile long .44 Ruger Blackhawk on one hip, Bowie knife on the other, and both over his lovely purple frilled rodeo chaps. Oh, and the Hoss Cartwright fire-bucket on top of his head. Yeah, that was the finishing touch. Hmmm. I almost forgot the pink silk scarf. All this on a 6" tall kid who didn't weigh 150 lbs. Man, I wish I'd had a camera. Any self-respecting hunter would have taken one look at that clown and got right back on the plane!
Dakota: As to carrying a bigger pistol, in a word ... no! You are going to have your hands full with altitude changes and possible knee issues. DO NOT load yourself down with a bunch of useless extra weight. And you will note I said to toss the .22 in the pack and not on the hip. Why would you need an extra larger pistol in the daypack? And I can tell you right now you're not going to track anything with a pistol strapped to your leg! If you're worried about bears, which is just wasted anxiety, pick up a small light pepper spray dispenser. Stick it to your pack or straps somewhere. Really though, you have about as much probability of needing a backup weapon for a grizzly as you would needing a helmet to protect you from meteorites. When was the last time you heard of someone shooting a grizzly with a "back up gun"? Not once as far as I know. Well, not in the modern era anyway. I think Davy Crockett had to resort to a knife or something once to finish a charging bear that his muzzle loader failed to kill. As I said some months ago when this issue came up, strapping a hog leg to yourself only advertises your dudiness. Somewhat like the "guide?" for Desert Mt Lodge wearing his mile long .44 Ruger Blackhawk on one hip, Bowie knife on the other, and both over his lovely purple frilled rodeo chaps. Oh, and the Hoss Cartwright fire-bucket on top of his head. Yeah, that was the finishing touch. Hmmm. I almost forgot the pink silk scarf. All this on a 6" tall kid who didn't weigh 150 lbs. Man, I wish I'd had a camera. Any self-respecting hunter would have taken one look at that clown and got right back on the plane!
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