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In another thread about handguns it was suggested that instead of a light back up handgun I should abandon hunting with my drilling and instead opt for an AR with multiple 30 round mags due to a possible run in with armed drug dealers or bandits.

Has anyone or does anyone know of a person here in the U.S. that had to fight his way out of LEGAL hunting situation where he needed multiple high capacity mags or died because they had exhausted the ammo for their standard hunting rifle or shotgun?

Actual experience or documented knowledge, not "I know a guy whose cousin" kind of story.

Last edited by erich; 03/21/15.

After the first shot the rest are just noise.

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Originally Posted by erich

Actual experience or documented knowledge, not "I know a guy whose cousin" kind of story.


There were some folks over in Wisconsin had a run in with a trespasser a few years ago. I don't know as more fire power would have saved any lives, but it couldn't hurt.

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Really??


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In Wisconsin they were shot unarmed or before they could fire a shot.

Added info on the WI shooting

One of the wounded hunters was able to fire one shot at the fleeing killer. Six hunters were killed and two wounded. My B in L was a sheriff's deputy in the adjoining county at the time.

Last edited by erich; 03/21/15.

After the first shot the rest are just noise.

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No, but I've had to wave and say "Hello" to several other hunters.

In South Texas a guy hunting on our place held a couple of illegals at gunpoint until the border patrol showed up. He said he done the same thing in Iraq so I guess he knew what he was doing.



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There were illegal Mexicans in Iraq? whistle

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Originally Posted by Whiptail

In South Texas a guy hunting on our place held a couple of illegals at gunpoint until the border patrol showed up. He said he done the same thing in Iraq so I guess he knew what he was doing.

We have been told by the Border Patrol and the county sheriff that doing this can and probably will result in a charge of kidnapping or unlawful restraint .

At least one rancher over by Douglas, AZ, who held illegals at gunpoint, was sued and ended up losing his ranch. If the situation can't be credibly explained as self-defense, you should probably just abstain from initiating a confrontation.


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Depending on where I hunt I sometimes carry my G-19. Some places involve driving quite a ways onto public land. I don't like the idea of coming back to the truck after dark with only a bolt rifle.

Never really needed it, but I've run into some drunks once or twice. One group had ran off the road and wanted me to attempt to pull them out. It was an impossible job that needed at least 1 wrecker, maybe 2 to keep the truck from rolling down the mountain. They were pretty pissed when I said I'd call a wrecker when I got back to pavement, (pre-cell phone days). I actually called the local sheriff.

I discovered a very recently destroyed moonshine still when I was 16 and walked up on some guys in the process of stripping a Mustang when I was 14. This would have been in the mid-1970's.

I've had enough incidents in the woods to keep me alert, but so far haven't felt the need for more than a handgun.


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Hunting in far S. Texas close to the border is a whole new ball game nowadays. And I'd bet it's probably worse in some parts of Arizona.

Personally, I've never had a problem here in TX, but I don't go ANYWHERE without a handgun nowadays. And if I'm in far S. TX, my Handgun will be a Hi-cap Glock. Usually my Glock 32 in 357 sig with a couple of extra 15 rd mags to boot. It also works really well on feral hogs and Javilinas. wink

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Originally Posted by jackmountain
There were illegal Mexicans in Iraq? whistle


Yes, they fought for the US Army and were rewarded with citizenship, but what I meant is that he detained people with a gun.

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Originally Posted by mudhen

We have been told by the Border Patrol and the county sheriff that doing this can and probably will result in a charge of kidnapping or unlawful restraint .

At least one rancher over by Douglas, AZ, who held illegals at gunpoint, was sued and ended up losing his ranch. If the situation can't be credibly explained as self-defense, you should probably just abstain from initiating a confrontation.


The Border Patrol just picked up the illegals and drove them off and didn't do anything to guy but they told us not to do that and to just call them in the future.



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Originally Posted by jackmountain
There were illegal Mexicans in Iraq? whistle


They should ask their Coyote for a refund.


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When I lived in Oregon I used to ride my dirt bike on old logging roads and often would come across remote camps and I am not talking recreational camps, I am talking blue tarp, garbage strewn camps.
I suspect they were meth cooking camps, don't know for sure because I got the hell out of there.
So I started carrying a side arm while riding, would be foolish not to.

I also know in Humbolt and Mendacino county in Calif. they advised people to stay out of the hills during harvest season.


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[quote=irfubar]When I lived in Oregon I used to ride my dirt bike on old logging roads and often would come across remote camps and I am not talking recreational camps, I am talking blue tarp, garbage strewn camps.
I suspect they were meth cooking camps, don't know for sure because I got the hell out of there.
So I started carrying a side arm while riding, would be foolish not to.

I also know in Humbolt and Mendacino county in Calif. they advised people to stay out of the hills during harvest sea"

Have run into similar camps in Colorado near the front range, but not while hunting. My thought is if you are a CCW type of person, there aren't many places you aren't prepared. Local conditions might reinforce that.

The Wisconsin deal was a bad one, but definitely atypical if you read up on it.

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This story was posted on another forum a couple years ago. The link to the original story doesn't work now so I'll just copy and paste.

Exclusive: Family shot at, threatened by drug cartel in Tucson

http://www.examiner.com/drug-cartel-in-n...g-cartel-tucson

Last month, a man I will refer to as “Willie” took his 9-year-old son coyote hunting less than 10 miles southwest of Tucson, in a very rural area close to the San Xavier del Bac Mission which is located on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. As the two stood outside their vehicle gathering their gear, a truck pulled up a few yards in front of them.

Both the driver and passenger of this truck exited the vehicle and began staring at Willie, at first he thought they may simply be in this rather remote area for the same reason, until the passenger began shouting at he and his son in Spanish.

Willie does not speak Spanish and could not understand what the man was saying, but feeling uneasy, he told his son to get back inside their vehicle.

Then, he noticed the passenger reaching for something in his waistband…it was a pistol.

According to Willie, the gun misfired as he withdrew it, nearly hitting his cohort.

The two men did not see what Willie had in his hands, as the door of his truck blocked their view…It was an AR-15.

With the man taking aim at him, Willie opened fire, hitting their vehicle several times. The two quickly fled the scene.

Not anxious to see if the two may return, Willie jumped into the vehicle with his son and headed back for town. As they were driving along, they began to hear “popping” sounds coming from some distance behind them.

The two men in the truck were following them and shooting at them.

Willie floored the accelerator, but the shots continued. He raced to the top of a hill, turned his vehicle sideways and positioned his rifle on the hood of his truck and began firing back at them.

He said he “pumped round after round” (later discovered to be 12 rounds) into the grill of their truck until smoke began pouring from the vehicle. The men leaped from the now-stalled truck and ran off into the desert.

Willie called 911 and the Border Patrol reportedly showed up 45 minutes later. BP agents doused the smoldering truck with fire extinguishers and towed it away.

He says the Border Patrol told him “at least four times” to keep this incident quiet and do not talk about it to anyone. The reason given to him was reportedly “the cartel will come back and kill you.”

Fearing reprisals and understandably nervous for his family’s safety, Willie did just that…he kept quiet.

So, why is he speaking now?

Three weeks ago, a “sedan with darkened windows” began showing up outside the family’s home in Tucson. On two separate occasions, the family observed this vehicle positioned just a few doors down for about two hours each time.

Both times, they called the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and on both occasions, the vehicle left only moments before a deputy arrived (Indicating the individual(s) may have a police scanner in their vehicle.).

Also, rather than driving past the house, the vehicle in question backed down the street both times. Perhaps, as not to allow the family to see their license plate number (Arizona only requires vehicles display one plate).

Then, about a week later, a man approached Willie outside his house and began a seemingly friendly conversation with him.

During the course of this chat, the man stated that he “used to run drugs for the cartel” and he understood that he “had recently had some trouble with them.”

This unidentified man told Willie that he should continue to keep quiet about the shootout or he and his family “would be killed.”

After this contact, Willie’s wife became so terrified she left with the children and is now staying with friends.

Willie is of course, frightened for the lives of his family but he is also angry that criminals are allowed to operate with such impunity in this country and that an American family must now live in fear from a foreign drug cartel…simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (BUT STILL IN THE U.S.).

More than likely, this man and his son inadvertently drove into a pre-determined ‘drop’ situation. Cartel henchmen often meet in remote areas to exchange drugs or money.

As I said at the beginning of this report, this information was given to me by a very trusted and reliable source who has known this man and his family for many years…After multiple conversations and some independent checking, I have no doubt that this report is accurate.

If enough publicity can be afforded to this case, “Willie” has said that he may be willing to speak publicly about these experiences, in hopes that he may become “too visible to touch.”

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Not for me, hunting in the deeper woods one rarely gets more than the first shot. My bolts have at least four so plenty for myself. Having been issued a few AR types they do work well, but I see no need for one in a deer hunting situation. I do however carry my 357PD 41 mag as a backup/finishing shot.

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Originally Posted by erich
In another thread about handguns it was suggested that instead of a light back up handgun I should abandon hunting with my drilling and instead opt for an AR with multiple 30 round mags due to a possible run in with armed drug dealers or bandits.

Has anyone or does anyone know of a person here in the U.S. that had to fight his way out of LEGAL hunting situation where he needed multiple high capacity mags or died because they had exhausted the ammo for their standard hunting rifle or shotgun?

Actual experience or documented knowledge, not "I know a guy whose cousin" kind of story.


Well I can tell you about a guy up northern CA way, steelhead fishing who cut through an area looking for access. He was approached by a dude with an AR who pointed it at him and asked for his wallet. Took the driver's license out and studied it then handed it back to him and called him by his first and last name. Told him not to come back or think about making any calls.
He never did see what the guys was protecting, pot, meth lab, who knows. He complied, figured he didn't want to deal with the ramifications of reporting it.







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Originally Posted by erich
In another thread about handguns it was suggested that instead of a light back up handgun I should abandon hunting with my drilling and instead opt for an AR with multiple 30 round mags due to a possible run in with armed drug dealers or bandits.

Has anyone or does anyone know of a person here in the U.S. that had to fight his way out of LEGAL hunting situation where he needed multiple high capacity mags or died because they had exhausted the ammo for their standard hunting rifle or shotgun?

Actual experience or documented knowledge, not "I know a guy whose cousin" kind of story.



Seems it's a coyote hunt?

I was looking for wolfs once and came upon a pack of 30+, trust me, I wish I had an AR.


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I've hunted deer along the Colorado River just up stream from the mexican border for many years. I've run into lots of odvious illegals over the years.
I've never had a problem or even the slightest threat from any of them. But I've always been armed. I had three of them walk into our camp asking for help one dark night as we about to hit the bags. That did shake us up a bit, but, again, no problems.
Had several conversations with a local who worked as a volunteer for the sheriff's search and rescue unit. He carried a Colt National Match 1911 and two extra magazines of hardball. It was not for hunting according to him. He told me that most of who we'd meet were poor people who were no threat to us. But he also said that really bad criminal sorts and terrorists would also used the same routes. Anyone traveling alone, particularly if dressed for hiking, can easily be one of these. The worst of these sorts however were the guides who the "poor people" would hire. Locally known as coyotes, they were ruthless people who were known to abandon families with children in remote desert areas during the summer months. He had actaully found some of these groups both near death or dead. He made it clear to us to never turn our backs on these sorts. And to be armed at all times. E

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Since the original question dealt with protection while hunting, wouldn't the obvious solution be to hunt with (insert genuflection here) a Scout rifle?


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If a hunter feels it's dangerous where he hunts, then mabe he should hunt elsewhere!


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Nothign wrong with an AR.

You make your own choices.

Sometimes you choose dependingon game, or location etc....

A smart person never puts all the rocks in one basket....


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Originally Posted by rost495
... A smart person never puts all the rocks in one basket....


"Under suitable conditions an egg becomes a chicken, and there are no chickens born of stones."


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The good news is that apprehensions have dropped pretty dramatically around here. The bad news is that the cartels are pretty much responsible for that. Anything that moves across the border, contraband or illegals, are being moved by the cartels and they almost always have armed guards to prevent the loss of said contraband or clients to robbers.

Since they pretty much know where BP is at any given time, and where they are concentrating their efforts, they are pretty good at avoiding them. Fortunately for those of us living here, they don't want trouble or publicity, so the incidence of burglary and B and E has declined to almost nothing.


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I had an issue once when quail hunting in San Diego County, California, several miles north of the Mexican Border. I returned to my truck to see a line of about 150 people walking passed it. A few of them were armed. All I had on me was a 20 gauge Ugartechea side by side.

One of the armed men pulled a pistol on me and told me to leave in Spanish and then very bad English. I responded by telling him his problem was that he masturbated too much, told him we could both just leave each other alone or I'd turn his head in to a salad bowl with my Uggie. My yellow lab started to growl at him, and he backed off. I kept my gun on him as he did this, opened the door on my truck without taking my eyes off him, reached in for my 92F, pointed that at him, put my shotgun in my truck, reached in to my back pocket, produced my Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Badge....

I had another incident closer to the border that same day.

I decided that, while the quail hunting seemed good, I'd stick to my old haunts in San Bernardino and Kern counties and points north, as the quail hunting down there in San Diego County wasn't worth the drama I had experienced that day.

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Originally Posted by erich
In another thread about handguns it was suggested that instead of a light back up handgun I should abandon hunting with my drilling and instead opt for an AR with multiple 30 round mags due to a possible run in with armed drug dealers or bandits.

Has anyone or does anyone know of a person here in the U.S. that had to fight his way out of LEGAL hunting situation where he needed multiple high capacity mags or died because they had exhausted the ammo for their standard hunting rifle or shotgun?

Actual experience or documented knowledge, not "I know a guy whose cousin" kind of story.


With all respect, i think you need to do what you want to do and take the consequences. You had people that live in the area and are familar with what goes on give you some answers, and you are still looking for further confirmation. Does the expression, "squeal like a pig." mean anything to you. Particularly in spanish?
we have had documented, look it up, shootouts on I10 between tucson and phx with a.k's., and running gun battles in peoria, and a few years ago rounds fired in the hundreds at a house in a subdivision here in the valley.
And you think there would be any hesitation in desolate ground?
I keep thinking of that movie "no country for old men".

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Originally Posted by MissouriEd
If a hunter feels it's dangerous where he hunts, then mabe he should hunt elsewhere!



The only flaw with this advice that I can see is that one might not feel a place is dangerous until one experiences what it is like to be in that place.

In my case, I had been quail hunting since I was 15, but didn't try quail hunting in San Diego County (aside from Camp Pendelton) until I was in my late 20's. I had no pre-concived expectation that I would return to my truck to have an armed man I never met pull a gun on me. I didn't know the score, so to speak, until I saw it with my own eyes. Then, having seen it, yes... There were other places I could go quail hunting. And I did to avoid that kind of drama I experienced when I hunted down there. But I'm irked to this day that I should feel this way about hunting any patch of ground on U.S. soil.

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From the responses so far, fear fuels the need for firepower and not actual occurrences. That just the presence of a weapon seems to defuse the situation.

I firmly believe that if ever in a situation, which is an extremely slim chance considering the number of hunters afield in southern NM and AZ and lack of incidences my odds of surviving having two rounds of buckshot a highpower rifle cartridge and 10-15 rounds of 9mm instantly available are pretty good. If I'm wrong on the next hunt I go on the dogs will be steady, all the shotguns will be London's bests, the birds will fly slow and I can again shoot cleanup for my dad.

Ronin your description of violence in AZ sounds like Saturday night in Tacoma and Seattle.


Last edited by erich; 03/22/15.

After the first shot the rest are just noise.

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Just spent some time doing a little studying and with all the perceived violence in AZ it doesn't even make the top 10 in a list of violent crime per capita states and none of the cities in AZ make the top 100 cities in murders per capita.


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Those stats are misleading. Gang crime in the bad part of town get rated the same as two hunters shot by a cartel 5 miles from the nearest building. If one was near the worst part of Phoenix he would take precautions, hunting 80 miles from town violence is not expected.


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All i have to say is , Better to have a Handgun and not need it or need one and not have it. One poster said , Violent is not expected where he hunts , but in my opinion this is when you will encounter it, when least expected.


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Originally Posted by erich
From the responses so far, fear fuels the need for firepower and not actual occurrences. That just the presence of a weapon seems to defuse the situation.

I firmly believe that if ever in a situation, which is an extremely slim chance considering the number of hunters afield in southern NM and AZ and lack of incidences my odds of surviving having two rounds of buckshot a highpower rifle cartridge and 10-15 rounds of 9mm instantly available are pretty good. If I'm wrong on the next hunt I go on the dogs will be steady, all the shotguns will be London's bests, the birds will fly slow and I can again shoot cleanup for my dad.

Ronin your description of violence in AZ sounds like Saturday night in Tacoma and Seattle.



I'd not confuse fear with prudence.


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Prudence-Yes, I will add a high capacity compact handgun to my hunting kit.

Fear-No, I refuse to let fear drive me to go into the field looking like I'm heading out on patrol. Hunting is enjoyable and relaxing for me. I'm not going to let fear turn it into combat patrol. I've done that and there is not one thing enjoyable or relaxing about it.


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Just for the record, I never hunt (or even hike) south of NM Hwy 9 without a sidearm. These days I mostly carry a Colt New Agent .45 with an extra magazine on the belt on my weak side. As has been mentioned, it's just the prudent thing to do.


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I'd take those crime statistics with a large dose of salt. Why ? Because nobody, that's NOBODY, audits those crime stats. I know for a fact that it is common practice in high crime areas of Kalifornia to change the descriptions of lots of felonies to misdemeanors to the point where the felony rates were reported at 40% or less of their actual rate(s).
The crime rate is what the PC police administrators say it is. E

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This whole thing seems like an odd line of questioning to me. If you are prepared to carry, then why wouldn't you? If you are uncomfortable doing so, then why would you?

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I'm willing to add a light handgun but I'm not willing change the way I hunt and the equipment I hunt with due to fear because of a very slim chance of being involved in a firefight with drug dealers or bandit. A great part of hunting and being successful at it for me comes from the equipment I use and not just the kill. Call me a "Ludite" but the longer I'm at this the more I'm drawn to the hand crafted firearms of our fore fathers and nearly as successful with them as others.

The question was about is there actually enough of a threat while in the field to warrant preparing to go to war while hunting. Some of the folks I see going hunting are more equipped than I was going on patrol in Vietnam.

Last edited by erich; 03/23/15.

After the first shot the rest are just noise.

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Originally Posted by erich
In another thread about handguns it was suggested that instead of a light back up handgun I should abandon hunting with my drilling and instead opt for an AR with multiple 30 round mags due to a possible run in with armed drug dealers or bandits.

Has anyone or does anyone know of a person here in the U.S. that had to fight his way out of LEGAL hunting situation where he needed multiple high capacity mags or died because they had exhausted the ammo for their standard hunting rifle or shotgun?

Actual experience or documented knowledge, not "I know a guy whose cousin" kind of story.


I ran up on one particular grow operation a few years ago on NF land here in Southern Oregon. I was carrying a Savage 99 in .358 Winchester loaded with 5+1, and a Ruger 5 shot 357 wheelgun. Extra ammo was stored in my pack. There were several armed guards positioned around the hidden operation. All were carrying some sort of high capacity semi auto's slung over their shoulders on straps. They also had at least two additional magazines each in belt pouches. Overhead nets concealed the grow from aerial surveillance, with thick 1" cables strung from tree to tree to support them. I remember a freshly bulldozed road through the forest leading into the grow.
By the time I recognized what it was, I had been spotted by at least two of the people there. While my wife speaks spanish, I don't, so I have no idea what they were shouting as they all became aware I was in sight of them. Many thoughts raced through my mind at that instant. Where to conceal myself... was there a big log or tree I could jump behind for protection from flying lead? Exactly how many people were here? Which pouch was my extra ammo in and would I be able to retrieve it to reload while taking fire?!
The first shots may have just been warning shots, because I don't remember hearing any bullets buzzing by me. I dove to the ground and crawled back towards where I'd come from about 30' until I found a 30" fir tree to jump behind. 30" trunk, 150' tall, not 30" tall fir!! By now the bullets were spraying bark all around me and striking the tree fast. I couldn't look around the tree on either side as the bullets were just ripping it up. The only solution was to hit the dirt and sneak to a shallow ravine I remembered crossing just a few yards back. Maybe I could get enough cover to either make an escape or avoid getting hit. I don't know how I made it back to the ravine w/o being hit, the bullets were cutting up the brush all around me. Maybe they couldn't see me clearly in the rhododendrons with me in full camo, I'll never know. Later I discovered I'd been hit 5 times, so who knows, maybe I did take a couple then??
Once in the ravine the shooting stopped. I heard lots of talk but I couldn't understand it. I got the impression they had fanned out to search for me. I was hearing shouts all over the woods now as they circled and searched for me.
The first one I shot was creeping silently along with his AR at waist level, finger on the trigger. I jumped up and shouted "Nacho Libre'
Amigo!!", just in time to see him turn towards me before the 200 grain Hornady Spire point from the 358 (loaded to 2400 fps with a middle of the road load of IMR 4198) caught him in the juggler. He fell to the ground clutching his throat, blood squirting out between his fingers as he went down. In retrospect, I got over-penetration so I'll check out the 180 BT's next. Anyway, back to the story. As the rest heard the shot they rushed my position. I emptied the Savage, claiming 5 of the growers with my 6 shots. I think I under-led the one I missed, he was running top speed as I swung on him. I tried to remember my bird hunting and clay shooting, but I just blew the shot, plain and simple. Anyhow, the next 5 all fell cleanly to the Ruger 357 with Winchester 110 grain HP factory loads. Most were at hand to hand range but there wasn't time to retrieve a knife so they got the bullets instead. The one at 50 yards was a fluke, I don't claim to be any kind of crack shot, just dumb luck on that one. His head exploded well, but I'm thinking for the longer shots a guy should stick with the 125's. I can't say enough about the effectiveness of the little 110 on illegals though. Mighty impressive.
As the bullets rained in on me I was able to reload both weapons while surveying my environment. Upon reloading I was able to get another 8 potheads with my sloppiest shooting of the day. The last one fell to my Spiderco because I just couldn't get reloaded in time. Oh well, it was time to sharpen it anyhow. I wish Savage had thought to make 30 rounders for the old 99, that would've been sweet.

In all, I'd say no, I haven't felt a real need for more firepower than a regular hunting rifle and revolver. Sure you need a knife for close work, but hey, we're hunting here so duh, of course you have one. By then it's just cleanup detail anyhow. So if I was the Op I wouldn't worry too much about it. Might want to bring along a few bandages though so you don't have to rip up your scent lok camo clothes for tourniquets. That sucks. Especially since the knife gets all dulled up sawing on neck bones.

JMO. YMMV.


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At least someone that got into an actual shootout with bad guys while hunting.

This must be about you wife and son.

The teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment: Get their parents to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it.

---The next day, the kids came back and, one by one, began to tell their stories.

There were all the regular types of stuff: Spilled milk and pennies saved. But then the teacher realized, that only Janie was left.

"Janie, do you have a story to share?"

"Yes ma'am. My daddy told me a story about my Mommy. She was a Marine pilot in Desert Storm, and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory, and all she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol, and a survival knife.

She drank the whiskey on the way down so the bottle wouldn't break, and then she parachuted right into the middle of 20 Iraqi troops........

She shot 15 of them with the pistol, until she ran out of bullets, killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke, and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands."

''Good Heavens, 'said the horrified teacher. What did your Daddy tell you was the moral to this horrible story'?"

...."Don't Screw with Mommy when she's been drinking."



After the first shot the rest are just noise.

Make mine a Minaska

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The only guy I knew personally, stopped to help an illegal that he thought was ill. The guy he stopped to help shot and killed him. Shot his dog, too, and the dog had to be put down. The guy who was killed was a friend of mine. That's why most of us around here carry out in the country.

Last edited by mudhen; 03/23/15.

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I'm sorry for the loss of someone that was trying to be a good person. That one incident has hurt so many more people that could really use some help and now no one will reach out to help.


After the first shot the rest are just noise.

Make mine a Minaska

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Have not and don't plan to read all 5 pages of this thread and no offense intended toward the OP, but this gets my vote as one of the most ridiculous threads of the year!

That based not on the need to carry a backup, but on swapping out a drilling for an AR platform to have "more firepower in the field" in Washington State. Now I know it's possible to run into illegals in the hills (pot farms), but.......

Last edited by Akbob5; 03/24/15.

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Originally Posted by mudhen
The only guy I knew personally, stopped to help an illegal that he thought was ill. The guy he stopped to help shot and killed him. Shot his dog, too, and the dog had to be put down. The guy who was killed was a friend of mine. That's why most of us around here carry out in the country.

the addendum to that story if i remember right was his widow was hit in a vehicle accident by an illegal and ended up in the hospital for quite a while some months after her husband was killed.

or i could mention that retired vetenarian that had a mexican army chopper land in front of his house. They were "lost".

I do remember talking to the father of that park ranger killed down by luekville/sonoita due to an overflow of the narco wars from mexico.
or i could remember talking to a certain FBI agent a few years ago telling me of watching mexican army humvees escorting drug shipments 15miles this side of the border.
or i could mention a friend of mine hunting deer down near lowell observatory. They had to leave a guy in camp at all times because of the illegals wandering through their camp.
Unnerving at night when you are trying to sleep.

Last edited by RoninPhx; 03/24/15.

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Just ask yourself,
"What would Chuck Norris do in this situation?"

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I applied for and received my CCP due to a deputy game warden telling me that I should absolutely be carrying a pistol on the public game lands that I hunted. I was hunting during deer archery most of the time and I would be leaving the woods with no one in sight. He explained that they had found a number illegal plants growing in the woods and fields and that the guys doing it were not amateurs. He also asked me to park in the parking lots of the game lands since he explained that they had found a number of people who were in cars parked along the side of the road dead from being shot.

Unfortunately, in PA you hear a lot of stories on the news about people being found on PA game lands dead and it's usually never due to natural causes.

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You are not exactly unarmed carrying a drilling and a handgun..
I think I would hunt with a group of friends or find a new spot to hunt.
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The old line about how Luck favors the prepared seems to apply here.


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Originally Posted by mudhen
The only guy I knew personally, stopped to help an illegal that he thought was ill. The guy he stopped to help shot and killed him. Shot his dog, too, and the dog had to be put down. The guy who was killed was a friend of mine. That's why most of us around here carry out in the country.

While I do stop to help situations, I never stop without the 45 tucked in the holster.


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You ever hunt SGL 249?

Back in the 80's, I was chasing groundhogs with my Marlin Mountie and as I was getting ready to leave, some hobo approached me and was very interested in my rifle and how much it was worth. He got a little to close for comfort, so while I had unloaded the magazine, I left a round in the chamber until I was in the car with the doors locked. I'm convinced he was going to make a grab for it. These days, I would also be packing a handgun, as my WV permit is also good in PA.


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Most hunters will never run into bad guy's while hunting, But were I live everyone carries, and not just when hunting, we are over run by illegals and the cartel dope smugglers, we don't leave the house unless we are armed. rio7

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No, but the one I am talking about SGL 243 is right up the road.


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1. I feel safer in the woods than in town.

2. If I have a rifle or shotgun in my hands, I don't need a pistol.

In other words, no. Unless you're hunting sheep in the mountains between Iran and Afghanistan like the old days of the Shah.

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Originally Posted by Hogeye
1. I feel safer in the woods than in town.

2. If I have a rifle or shotgun in my hands, I don't need a pistol.

In other words, no. Unless you're hunting sheep in the mountains between Iran and Afghanistan like the old days of the Shah.


Than obviously you've never visited south or far west TX.

Last edited by chlinstructor; 03/26/15.

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I'll be sure to check with you for a heads up before I do. You live there, I don't. I'll bet the general principle applies however - I'll feel safer in the boonies than in El Paso. Don't you?

I live in the methamphetamine capitol of the US. California friends tell me one of the slang names for meth is "417", the area code they call to order. 417 is my area code. Maybe I just don't know enough to be afraid. I mind my own business and very few people ever mess with me, even when I'm not visibly armed. Being ugly isn't all bad.

I have carried pistols on bird hunts, and know others who do it routinely. So far, in 50+ years of banging around, the deadliest thing shot was an assortment of copperheads and rattlers. the shotguns would have done it better.



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Everyone thinks they live in a meth capital. Doesn't look like 417 is even the worst part of Mizzurah. Missouri does rank pretty high on most lists, but seems like eastern Missouri has it worse


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While not 'afraid' in the woods, I do feel more comfortable being armed. The remoteness combined with the unpredictable nature of people should not be underestimated. To an opportunistic criminal, a guy alone in the woods may seem like easy pickings.

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Bingo.

Many public hunting areas are frequented by other folks for various reasons, not all of which are "wholesome". Suffice to say that it is prudent to take steps to protect yourself and your family when afield as allowed by law and sometimes, perhaps, beyond that. In this area, WV and VA, we are allowed to carry concealed in parks and WMAs if licensed, except for administrative areas that are essentially police or ranger stations. I always carry and also, when hiking, carry a stout wooden staff that is somewhere between a cudgel and a quarterstaff. Those wispy little ski poles hikers tend to carry these days aren't heavy enough for whacking purposes, although some may qualify as "pointed sticks" by Monty Python.

Virginia has taken the sensible step of requiring people to have a permit to access public hunting and fishing properties. Although designed, I'm sure, to raise revenue, it also would tend to discourage ne'er-do-wells from casually roaming around in some remote spots where they might feel free to do bad stuff.


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I know I can't predict the future so I always carry a handgun. When hunting/hiking here in the west I carry whatever rifle I feel is most appropriate.

If I lived near the southern border more firepower may seem appropriate.

mike r


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I would think a drilling would intimidate most people, if not you could be in a real bad situation no matter what you carry.

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I ALWAYS carry firepower.
Whether in the field hunting or not.Everyday carry.
No option of do I carry here or do I carry there?
Do I carry today or not ?
Always carry
And that answers the question of carrying firepower in the woods whether hiking ,hunting,birdwatching,scouting ,picking berries,cutting or any other scenario that can be thought of.
Not Paranoid,just Prepared


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When I was a teenager a few of us thought it would be fun to float down the Rum River with .22 pistols and shoot at the big snapping turtles that were sunning themselves on the banks.
One time somebody on shore started shooting back. We couldn't seem them so we just got small in the flat bottom jon boat. Then we laid down some suppressing fire. That ended it.
I don't remember if we ever went back.
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Here the turtles usually only carry knives.


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Originally Posted by bcraig
I ALWAYS carry firepower.
Whether in the field hunting or not.Everyday carry.
No option of do I carry here or do I carry there?
Do I carry today or not ?
Always carry
And that answers the question of carrying firepower in the woods whether hiking ,hunting,birdwatching,scouting ,picking berries,cutting or any other scenario that can be thought of.
Not Paranoid,just Prepared


^^^This^^^


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