Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What to carry in the Desert

Having worked the desert for 7 years. Twelve hour days all year long. Standing out in the fields and canyons. Not an air conditioner in sight. Hottest was south of Why, AZ. with temperatures of over 120 every day topping out at 127 degrees. My job was deep into the desert far from civilization. As stated water, and more water. Encountered many illegal's crossing the border and none were armed I ever saw and when encountered all they wanted was water. Carried extra water in every vehicles. The other thing that is so important that others forget is shade. That sun bearing down on you is brutal and often fatal. Carried an umbrella from the Goodwill stores in all cars. As for firearms, the overwhelming choice for most was a 22 pistol of some sort. I found no need for anything else. Shot a lot of critters with those 22's.

You are much more likely to get in a gun fight at the convenience store than the desert. But you might want to have something to pop a coyote, or rabbit for dinner.

Water, fire, shade... weapon is down the list.

Kent

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Most of the old hands I knew had some kind of small .22 semi-auto on their hip. I'm not going to argue their case...they lived in that crap since WW1.

I call Coyotes that's why. I usually keep the first two chambers loaded with snake shot for the little green bastids...

I killed hundreds of rattlers back in the 70s and 80s, for their skins. Just pick a stick up, hold their head down and cut it off.

Kent

I've only had 3 or 4 rattlers be aggressive initially, of course they become defensive when you are trying to cut their head off. Only had one come after me unprovoked, probably had a nest of babies right there. Most freeze to be unnoticed or try to get away.

Later I just quit killing them unless they were a threat around camp where there were kids and dogs.

Once we boated to our camp on the lake, there's a space between two large parallel rocks, mesquites growing in the middle making a roof, like a big natural room, we camped here often. This trip there was a rattler curled up against one wall, My daughter askes if I have to kill it or can I let it live. I said it lives if everyone will check it's there, coming out of the tent or in that area. Friday afternoon till Sunday morning we and it co existed.

I have a hundred snake stories.

Addendum... that trip I was rolling up my sleeping bag last morning and a scorpion was crawling on it... those I go old testament on... hate them M'F'ers...

Kent

don't forget a "Horse with no name"...

Early 90s company I worked for had a project on Oahu Hawaii, military base out in the pineapple fields was adding housing, we did the concrete.

For a desert boy the air felt strange and it smelled wrong.

First thing back was spending time with the wife and kids, second was going into the desert and just smelling it... home...

Kent

Yep, I grew up in Arizona and the desert has it’s own distinctive scent.

But, one time I got off an airplane in Alice Springs, Australia and as I stepped out of the plane, I was surprised to find that is smelled just like Arizona. Felt right at home.

My turf......high desert

Cold winters but still hot summers at 7K'

Unforgiving

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Plateau

When I was in my late 20s and 30s I had many foot hikes and back-pack trips in central and southern Nevada and through Arizona too. In those times when I was only out for the fun of a back-packing trip, I often carried a 32-20 revolver. Colt DA Army Special, S&W K frame or an Italian imported copy of a Colt SAA with a 5.5" barrel

The 32-20 loaded on the hot side is quite flat shooting and was always accurate with a Keith style SWC of 100 grains. I used Unique and 2400 powders in them. I could load the ammo cheaply and shoot the guns a lot, so that was always fun. I was not going to try to kill a deer with them, and in the south deserts no animal required more then a good 32 bullet could handle well, so I came to love the guns for such outings.

Today we have the 327 Federal Mag and the 32 H&R Mags. Both would do all the 32-20 would do, and probably do the jobs better. But sadly the gun companies missteped with both cartridges for the most part. Neither will beat a 9MM auto or even a good 38 Special for self-defense and yet the gun makers tried to pair the hot 32s with concealment guns. That in the era of excellent sub-compact 9MMs being all over the place, so their production efforts were doomed form the first day.

BUT one thing the gun makers have neglected is the "outdoorsmans revolvers" which were a main seller in the market place for most of a century. The 327 and the 32 H&H are both far better for the market of an open carry outdoorsmens revolver and should be made in small or mid frame guns with slender 4,5 and 6 inch barrels and adjustable sights. Both the SA and the DA markets are open to such guns. The gun makers need to LISTEN to the people who want guns. Outdoorsmen do not need or usually want stupid "full under-lug barrels" which do nothign but make the gun weigh more, and if you don't have a powerful magnum that you want to make kick less, such barrels are nothign but an excuse to not finish the work in my opinion.

If you cast bullets and load your own, such guns give better performance then a 22 LR or a 22 WMR with the advantage of the ability to vary the loads and with adjustable sights, the different loads can be made to hit a point of aim with what every you'd like to use.

Today I only own 1 32-20. A S&W K frame with fixes sight and a 6" barrel. But it's still a revolver I carry when hunting antelope of mule deer. I still shoot the Keith 100 grain SWC. It's good for fun, potting camp meat, shooting snakes, and the coup de gras for any game that needs to be put out of it's misery. Loaded hot they guns crack, but don't have much kick and shoot flat enough to pot small game or drop coyotes out far past what most men think of as "pistol range".

Any gun you like is as good as you'd need in desert treks. But longer barrels usually make longer shots easier because of increased sight radius. Any gun will do if you can do the job with that gun.

But if I were to go out to buy one just for that purpose the one I'd like is not made today. What I'd buy if I could would be a small frame SA or mid frame DA in 327 Mag if (and only if) it had a slim 5-6 inch barrel and adjustable sights. Carried in a flap holster, it's a dream revolver for such outings.
If out in the desert hunting, then you may want to have a handgun that is good for the same game you hunt. I carried a 44 mag any time I was hunting. But for other times I really came to appreciate the old 32-20. That's why I believer the 32 H&R and ther 327 both missed the make completely as to what their propose is should have been "sales-pitched" that way.

Good tip Tikka, I've been carrying one for several years now.
You can't communicate via text like the Spot but if the flag flies and you have to pull the plug the link goes straight to the big guys and they get on it ASAP. https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html

"PLBs are portable units that operate much the same as EPIRBs or ELTs. These beacons are designed to be carried by an individual person instead of on a boat or aircraft. Unlike ELTs and some EPIRBs, they can only be activated manually and operate exclusively on 406 MHz. Like EPIRBs and ELTs, all PLBs also have a built-in, low-power homing beacon that transmits on 121.5 MHz. This allows rescue forces to home in on the distress beacon once the 406 MHz satellite system has provided the necessary position information. Some PLBs also allow GPS units to be integrated into the distress signal. This GPS-encoded position dramatically improves the location accuracy down to the 100-meter level…that’s roughly the size of a football field!

In 2016, PLBs were used in 78 separate events resulting in helping to save 122 lives."

I spend a ton of time within 20 miles of the border many, many days of the year, 99% of the time solo and a lot in the dark.

Order of priority -

1) 3 liters of water on my back at all times, 1 liter with a double dose of Liquid IV

2) DeLorme InReach

3) high capacity semiauto handgun, I carry in a belt pouch on my Kifaru. It's a .40 M&P.

4) common sense and being aware

I've had minimal run-ins with bad guys but I see them quite a bit.

My house is exactly 25 miles from the border. I carried a gun horseback or in a vehicle always but didn’t carry 24/7 until I went in the barn one morning and found 13 illegals asleep on the floor. We scared the [bleep] out of each other. I carried a s&w 638 until my good friend and fellow rancher Rob Krentz was killed by an illegal and I started carrying a glock 27. My son and I and one of my neighbors have seen illegals packing ar’s or ak’s. Never needed one but don’t go out of the house without. A glock 21 resides in the pocket of my armchair.

YMMV, Fred

Nobody knows the border desert better than Fred, whatever he says best listen.

Kent

fred
i was in a well known gun store in glendale a few years ago, owner was searching for a supply of ammo for one of the new hot 30 caliber magnums
the request came from your part of the state a rancher that had found a slit trench camo'd on his property; filled with food, water, other supplies including the rifle
as to the ak's, conversation with a fellow pig hunting in your neck of the woods on top of a hill in a ghille suit disturbed some rocks which started falling down the hilll
a line of mexicans started spraying the side of the hill with full auto.
or down by naco friend of mine watching a crew of black suited ninja types with full auto guns sneaking back across the border
Hell couple of years ago i was talking to a mgr of a farm just south of the I17 and I10 road over to gila bend asking about dove and cattle tanks. they were using state of arizona prisoners as farm labor he told me some spots and recommended not going there, all narco territory

a friend of mine was target shooting down in hog canyon, left his guns on the tail gate of his truck went down to check his targets as he is inspecting them a herd of illegals pops out of the brush near his truck and his guns, scared the [bleep] out of him, they were only looking for water so nothing happened but could have
then there was the father of the park ranger whose ranger son was killed at that park along the border near lukeville. same place i use to sleep on the picnic tables waiting for the border crossing to open
thats a fact describing fred

Mighty kind words from you guys. There was a park ranger killed and her govt truck stolen from wonderland of rocks national monument or park I forget which.
I’ve never drawn my gun but came close when one jumped from behind a mesquite and grabbed my bridle but I was going fast enough that it jerked him down and when we came to a stop my horse was standing on his chest. Damn the bad luck !!!!!

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