Mostly not, but sometimes, yes. It all depends on what’s happening and where. When we’re traveling - via ATV- across miles of trackless tundra and might perhaps be spending a night or more in tents, then yes, often a handgun goes along. Generally it rides in a pack of some sort to be made available for wear, or handy anyway, for night-time pillow use or if/when working on something that might fall inside an alder wallow.
In many ways, carrying a handgun is kind of like using something other than a 30-06. It really isn’t necessary, it may be less than ideal, but it brings a pleasure of some sort. There are certainly plenty of other things I don’t bring that make less sense to have along than a handgun. (Bipods, hubble scopes, turrets/knobs, cell phones, Samurai Bowie knives, .....rangefinders..
... etc.) But everyone has to be the judge of their own needs and wants. Obviously one guy’s useless, in-the-way stuff can be another man’s ideal pack of tricks.
