Ready;
Top of the morning to you sir, I trust this finds you and yours doing acceptably well on this cool fall morning.

I'm on my last gulp of coffee before heading up the mountain behind our house in search of a fat whitetail buck that is sufficiently dense enough to stand still long enough for me, but thought I'd comment on Roger's thread here quickly.

As noted by at least one poster, we're not allowed to carry firearms in a the national parks, but in our experience nobody even blinks when I've had one of these strapped to my day pack straps or on my hip in plain view.

[Linked Image]

Over the years I've needed to use a knife to put down a good double handful of MV hit deer and am quite sure a blade would be much, much better than nothing in a predatory attack.

That said, we're typically carrying a couple cans of bear spray and it wasn't unusual for me to have a custom laminated hardwood walking stick in my hands either.

Again nobody raised an eyebrow at them, especially if one turned the conversation to the wildflowers we'd seen down the way..... wink

I hope and pray I never have to endure what this young lady did- to say the least its a horrific way to die.

That said, I am fairly confident that if I did or if I encountered a fellow backwoods hiker in a similar situation that the right mindset combined with some basic tools might/could affect the outcome in a more positive manner.

Anyway sir, I'd better saddle up and slither on up the mountain now. All the best to you folks Ready and good luck on your remaining hunts this fall.

Dwayne

The most important stuff in life isn't "stuff"