Protection in the woods

Artski · January 25, 2016, 04:57:29 PM

I've been wandering around the family property for about 30 years with no personal protection, just heard about a pack of wolves and a large cougar in the valley. Living in Canada and not being a hunter I don't own any guns. What do the rest of you carry for protection from predators?

beenthere · January 25, 2016, 05:02:34 PM

Have someone along who can not run as fast as you can...

jocco · January 25, 2016, 05:07:30 PM

With those villians prowling around me thinks me would stay out of the woods!!!! ;D

Quote from: Artski on January 25, 2016, 04:57:29 PM
I've been wandering around the family property for about 30 years with no personal protection, just heard about a pack of wolves and a large cougar in the valley. Living in Canada and not being a hunter I don't own any guns. What do the rest of you carry for protection from predators?

Artski · January 25, 2016, 05:17:46 PM

If I stayed out of the woods any time there are "villains" around nothing would ever get done. Usually I'm not alone. At the very least I will start carrying my double blade axe. But might need to look into getting a gun.

Grizzly · January 25, 2016, 05:28:52 PM

Quote from: Artski on January 25, 2016, 04:57:29 PM
I've been wandering around the family property for about 30 years with no personal protection, just heard about a pack of wolves and a large cougar in the valley. Living in Canada and not being a hunter I don't own any guns. What do the rest of you carry for protection from predators?

If I'm understanding your situation correctly I would recommend away from a gun and go with a good quality spray. Tree planters have kept themselves safe that way for quite a while and only resort to guns when they get repeat company. If you want to become acquainted with guns and get comfortable with them then I recommend a 30-30 or .308 as your going to be dealing with things in closer range more often than not. If you are west of Calgary near the mountains you'll almost certainly have Grizzlies as well? I've had a .270 for years and so I'm comfortable keeping my yard safe with that but my sons also have 30-30, .243, .223, and we have a couple of shotguns as well but wouldn't rely on those. The .243 took a black bear that now hangs on the wall but again I wouldn't consider it a reliable on the spot stopper.

Artski · January 25, 2016, 05:41:15 PM

Farm is southwest of Calgary near Turner Valley, I have never had a close call with any predators. Only once have we suspected that a cougar was near while we were on horseback, as the horses were spooked and we could smell a mild skunky smell.

For now I'm thinking some bear spray would be a good idea. Maybe take a gun safety course in the near future.

Gearbox · January 25, 2016, 05:59:29 PM

Don't worry about wolves there are lots to eat without eating people . North MN has lots of wolves and we rarely see them we just see the aftermath of a kill . we will see a lone one now and then one look of about 3 seconds and they are gone .

Jhenderson · January 25, 2016, 07:30:24 PM

You gotta be close to use spray. Too close

Ed_K · January 25, 2016, 07:39:05 PM

A sharp good running saw. For me a running saw has kept black bear back. I have carried a 44 mag when doing TSI work tho.

Jeff · January 25, 2016, 07:45:07 PM

We don't have grizzlies or polarbears, but we have just about every other North American predator in the Eastern U.P. Typically, in my woods when I am walking around, I carry a machete. I can knock off dead limbs here and there, which makes noise. Carrying a firearm is a pain as I usually stay at my Sister's cabin, and have to take my atv on the road to get to my property, and you can't carry the firearm on the atv unless it is locked up.

colincb183 · January 25, 2016, 08:20:24 PM

Here in Wisconsin there was one confirmed wolf attack and I heard about a second that may have just been rumor. But personally I've had more run ins with bears in the past year than I have the rest of my life. For those reasons, I bought a Ruger GP100 .357 mag that I carry in the woods when I'm doing anything besides running equipment or cutting trees.

Spartan · January 25, 2016, 08:27:32 PM

Quote from: Gearbox on January 25, 2016, 05:59:29 PM
Don't worry about wolves there are lots to eat without eating people . North MN has lots of wolves and we rarely see them we just see the aftermath of a kill . we will see a lone one now and then one look of about 3 seconds and they are gone .

Same here. Wolves around here are about the biggest scaredy cats I know. A cat on the other hand could be bad news if it hangs around.

I can't hit nothin with a gun. I would use bear spray if I really felt scared. But I usually don't. Used to, so I got the big guns to carry, never could handle them. You gotta be a real good shot at an animal on the run, especially with a bear, if not it might just shove it up you when you wound it. IF you hit it while it is charging you at 30+ mph.

CCC4 · January 25, 2016, 09:12:15 PM

I was on a USFS blow down cut and when all the paper work was done the underbrush was arm pit deep. Hogs had moved in and sows were keeping their pigs in the tops. I decided to carry my .357 for protection...it was a PITA. One thing to be very very very sure of is "if" you decide to carry a pistol, get a single action revolver...not a dual and not an automatic for! Dual actions can go off in brush, I know this because of hog hunting buddies nearly blowing their leg off. I don't trust automatics in brush either.

madmari · January 25, 2016, 09:20:06 PM

Hard to beat a .416 Rigby. Pass through an elephant stem to stern and still ruin an old growth hemlock before it plows into the earth leaving a furrow that will hide a Jeep.

madmari · January 25, 2016, 09:22:35 PM

Sorry. I been in the beer.

Peter Drouin · January 25, 2016, 09:40:29 PM

A 45 easy to keep with you.

Jeff · January 25, 2016, 10:06:52 PM

I don't fear anything in our woods, but I fear surprising one of anything. Actually the bears I worry about the least. If you make your presence known, I don't think you have much to fear of any of them. Can't help but think about an experience I wrote about from two hunting seasons ago though. A little anxious walk in the woods.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,79855.0.html

Artski · January 25, 2016, 10:29:12 PM

The cougars are what freaks me out, never got site of one but have seen fresh tracks in the snow. One of the horses still has scars from an attack.

chevytaHOE5674 · January 25, 2016, 10:35:33 PM

Thing with cougars is that if they want to attack you, you won't see them until they are on top of you. They aren't chase and catch predators like wolves, cougars are stealthy hunters that catch their game by surprise. So chances are your gun or spray won't be that much help.

I carry my .357 air lite revolver daily no matter what I'm doing. I cut in the dark by myself for a few hours almost everyday and the thing that worries me the most is when I see headlights pulling into our logging job in the dark. Don't really worry about animal attacks. ha

Ozarker · January 25, 2016, 10:56:39 PM

I'm not much concerned about bears, or panthers, though we have both. As CCC4 said, it's the hogs, especially sows with piglets. When I'm ambling around, I carry a Mossberg 500C, 20 ga., loaded with 3" slugs and #2 buck. Ain't nuthin' surviving that, except me. But, for a pistol, when I'm working the timber in the back-country, it's a single-action Uberti, in 45 Colt, 4.75" barrel. Have I ever had to use either, in self-defense? No. So far, every animal has had the good sense to go the opposite direction, which was fine by me.

I thought about spray, but figured I didn't want to be running an experiment on effectiveness while under actual attack. For all I know, hogs may love capsaicin. I know the guns work.

lynde37avery · January 25, 2016, 11:01:23 PM

Colt .44 revolver.

kensfarm · January 26, 2016, 12:28:44 AM

If a pack of wolves were coming at you? 12ga w/ buckshot.

starmac · January 26, 2016, 02:25:01 AM

You guys keep beliving that wolves are scardy cays and will never harm you. Our wolves are as wild as yours, probably wilder because they are generally shot at when seen, and usually make themselves scarce around humans. The fact is they are wild animals, and you never know what they are going to do, we had a confirmed wolf kill a couple of years ago, and one attacked a guy riding a snow machine a couple of winters ago. You just never know. I grew up with guns, so really can't imagine being a woodsman without one.

terry f · January 26, 2016, 05:06:43 AM

I would suggest bear spray, light and easy to carry, chances are you will never need it. Shooting a animal at distance, or one you see first is one thing, shooting one charging you is another. Its a lot easier to survive accidentally shooting yourself with bear spray than a gun.

SineWave · January 26, 2016, 07:04:28 AM

Quote from: CCC4 on January 25, 2016, 09:12:15 PMOne thing to be very very very sure of is "if" you decide to carry a pistol, get a single action revolver...not a dual ...

I wouldn't worry about that too much. Most (all?) modern revolvers – both double-action and single-action – incorporate a "transfer bar" safety system so that even if you pull the hammer back 99% of the way to "cock" and drop it, the gun won't go off unless the trigger is held rearward. (And in nearly all holsters, the trigger area is covered.) This also prevents them from going off if dropped on the hammer. Personally, if I wanted to carry something in the woods, it would either be a shotgun loaded with slugs and OOB, or a double-action revolver.