Why I carry a gun when I go collecting....

Hi,

The greatest danger I face when I drive to a collecting site are the crazies who roam American highways. 40,000 plus killed each year (40 percent were drunk); 5,000 pedestrians and approximately 800 bikers killed each year. In an earlier post I stated there is no need to carry a weapon where I live; however, should I ever decide to roam Pennsylvania's dense forests (highly unlikely) I will certainly carry my "nine" in case I accidently surprise some drug dealer harvesting his marijuana crop. Seriously, the biggest danger here are the people, not the animals; although the coyotes and wild dogs have been know to cause problems. It all depends upon where you live so I respect the opinions of posters who live in areas with mountain lions and grizzlies.

Check out this photo of a visitor we had in my area a couple of years ago; No one was harmed because the bear was more frightened than the people, which he should be.

Best,

Joe

i can understand why some people when rock hunting are afraid of someone with a gun,,,,maybe a jilted wife or a lovers husband lurking,,,,,ab

I think I have a better chance of being attacked by a dog in the city where I live, or being run over by someone too busy talking on their cellphone while driving (now banned in Ontario but I still see it every day.) then being attacked by a Bear or Wolf. Common sense makes all the difference. Juan, I read your pamphlet on the Mountain Lion. Sounds like the same precautions one would take here in Ontario for bears.. and that's what we do here, take precautions, be cautious and be alert. Your ears are your best friend in the bush.

Andrew.

I heard of individuals in the States who even hunt with an AK47. Hmmm...some hunting rifle. Joseph does make a very good point about grow-ops in the bush. I would be much more concerned about stumbling onto one of those than running into some wild animal. That is one thing everyone travelling in the bush should be concerned about. It is a real danger.

But now we are digressing from the original topic.

Al

I just bought a Yaesu FT-817 with 4 antennas, 40m telescopic, 20m. Maldol Ah-C14 telescopic, 10m rubber ducky, and a 2m rubber ducky.
2 Batteries, FNB-72 Ni-Cd (factory), MH-FNB-72 (spare),
This one in going to go in my back pack,
And my S&W loaded with hollows in my pocket,
just like that guy who carries a big knife and the stick,
but the gun requires less effort then a knife and it does a lot more damage,

I have 3 rifles also, but in this case I prefer the gun.

Don’t forget, the topic is about; why should I carry a gun when I go collecting?

The more I read this thread, the more I am reminded of the famous Monty Python sketch, "How to Defend Yourself Against An Assailant Armed With a Piece of Fresh Fruit." One guy gets shot, another gets hit with a 16 ton weight and the last gets eaten by a tiger, who not only dispatches the assailant, but eats the fruit, thereby, disarming him. Fun stuff.

Happy hunting everyone.

Juan

Why not go all out and carry grenades. More bang for the buck I'm sure. Now I'm being facetious and Davids analogy of the topic is right on target. Actually this topic is getting more like the Gong Show.

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioche.Don't forget "that rabbit's a killer"
Gord

I now live in Montana, USA. Before that in Alaska. In Alaska I used to carry a side arm when in the field. I've met grizzlies at about 25 feet. I do not wish to do that again. Drew my weapon once; never fired it for defense. Never have carried one here in Montana, although I have many friends who do. I perceive it to be more of a security blanket for them than anything else. But......
Since the late seventies there have been numerous documented attacks of coyotes (not hybreds) killing children in the southern California area. Usually the attacks do not result in death but they have. Wolves can and will kill for the seeming sport of it. Recently, a wolf was seen killing eleven sheep in just a few minutes (well, quite a few) and crippling a few others that then had to be killed. The US Fish and Wildlife service killed the wolf a few days later. It was a well known animal that had lived peacefully in the area for a few years. It was not a hybred and was part of a pack. The rest of the pack didn't participate at that time, but a couple more did later and were removed. Deer were and are plentiful in the area so food wasn't the objective.
In the early eighties (80, 81, 82) if I remember right, a large pack of wolves caused a lot of concern in a small town in the Yukon Territory of Canada. It seems they had developed a liking for "civilized" food rather than wild. I don't know if they were all killed or just most of them. On a personal level I would be a lot more concerned with encounters with Moose than bears. Moose really should be a greater concern for all, and bear spray won't deter them if their on the prod for whatever reason. I spend a lot of time in the woods, 10 hours a day for four days a week at work and then prospecting on weekends. I have been known to chase bears through the woods with a camera trying to get a better picture. Scare many folks who go out with me. Some won't go again. I have been doing things like this for over fifty years. I've stumbled a couple of times; been bitten etc., but I keep going. Not too many years left to get things done. Hate to think of leaving at least forty years of work left undone, but each year that I get things done seems to add another year of more work I would like to get done. It keeps things interesting. Phil

Here in Northwestern Colorado we have LOTS of wild animal encounters.....our town is well populated with a healthy mule deer and elk popultaion.....we get the occasional Moose or Bear to roll through town......Our local ranching and farming community is hard hit by Bear and Mountain Lions kills year round.......The bigger animals aren't really an issue in our collecting ventures out here.....its these charming little rattlers we have in quantity....and it seems that they are big fans of abandoned shafts and diggings in our area!.....and we are far from help......some locations are upward of 100miles from the nearest anything......I saw too many rattle snakes to count over the course of this past summer....

I have been collecting in Oregon for about 10 years now and for the first time this summer I was collecting in some 2nd growth(15 year old tree farm) and noticed a quite large pile of fresh Bear dung.( with lots of blackberries in it) I thought is was a interesting enough to take a picture of it. Later about 200 yards away I was digging in a swale for agate and tearing at the ground which had a lot of rotten wood. this sound I realized afterward is typical of what bears do to get at food and establish their territory. When doing this I suddenly heard the thumping on the ground and crashing of branches headed staight toward me of that same bear. I immediatly banged my rock hammer and shovel together and shouted as if I was with a large group of people. The bear stopped about 50 ft away and circled to the north and slowly walked off. I continued to dig after that but made a lot of noise the rest of the day. I figured it was probably angry that I was photographing its dung.

I see cougar and bear tracks frequently up there when collectiong but have yet to own a gun. If you are concerned about wild animals just be a loud obnixious human. No wild animals will come near you. Probably.


If I lived in BC going out collecting 3-4 times a month, that may be a diffrent story.

This topic has seemed to become a classic debate on points of view which has gone from packing a firearm in a populous state with wildlife in a limited habitat to misconceptions about the wolf. That's ok with me for it makes an interesting topic.

As I stated several inputs back, there are times when it is prudent to carry a firearm. Alaskan bear country is a prime example of this. Not doing so is asking for trouble. The killing of livestock by wolves can happen, however by-in-large, wolves prefer larger animals such as deer, elk and moose and evidence has proven that they only cull the sick and injured, thus assuring the healthy herds survival. Again, when wonton attacks by packs of animals who kill and abandon the killed livestock, it has been proven that more times than not, it is the family pet left on its own who revert back to the pack instinct who cause this. So the next time that you look at fido who is let loose at times, think, could fido be a killer? Wolves eat what they kill, dogs do not.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northern Rockies region in 2009, wolves were responcible for.03% of cattle and 1.3% of sheep deaths and 1% of cattle and 0.4%of sheep deaths due to pedators. Not very huge numbers.

Continuation:

Wolves are big, strong predators, so many people see them as dangerous. But there has never been a documented case in North America of a healthy, wild wolf killing or injuring a human since records started being kept in the 1800's. Any attcks that have been documented occurred because wolves had rabies or habituated by humans (like wolf-dog hybreds kept as pets). In contrast, millions of people are attacked by domestic dogs.

Do wolves reduce hunting opportunities?: Wolves hunt to kill the same animals humans do. Minnesota had the highest record of deer harvests in 2003 and 2004 while supporting 2000 wolves. Factors like harsh winter weather, trffic, disease and parasite outbreaks have a far greater impact on herds than wolves, which kill a relatively small number of animals. Others may counter this statement with their own unsubstantiated claims.

People are not often logical. People are emotional. Regardless of the facts and the small probability of the need for a firearm, many people feel more comfortable with one close at hand and this undoubtedly allows them a greater enjoyment of their outdoor experience. On the other hand gun toting outdoors men/women often make the non gun totters nervous and decrease their enjoyment of the outdoors. It is an insoluble problem. So unless we enact strict laws about when and when not you can carry a fire arm and a strong enforcement mechanism I guess we will probably have to live with those who want to carry firearms, knives, clubs, portable showers, snake bite kits and bug spray whether we consider them necessary or not.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

*many people feel more comfortable with one close at hand and this undoubtedly allows them a greater enjoyment of their outdoor experience*


In one of our States, I forget which one, carrying a concealed weapon also adds to one's enjoyment of a tall cold one at the local tavern. At least I think that legislation passed.

Finally a breath of sanity, so lets put this topic to bed. Claims and counter claims are getting nowhere. So back to geology me buckos....arrrr.

Oh! I almost forgot, but last year when I went to collect clams fossils at south mountain area,
I used my marlin .22 long rifle caliber to bring this clam shell fossil from a height of about 22 ft. from a sand cliff.
[www.mindat.org]

have you ever used a fire arm to bring a rock down?
Juan

Juan

Oh such a child. Seriously, there are people who should never own firearms. The last statement is a prime example of why gun accidents happen. I won't comment on my background.

Al

You could also carry a gun, so if anyone gets near your dig, you can blast them!