Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Best way to carry pistol?

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I use a Triple K shoulder harnesses for my 2.75” 69, 1911 and 6” 57 and 5” 629. When I’m backpack hunting for elk in MT it’s the 69. It out of the way when I don’t need it and right there if I ever did need it. No complaints. The chest rig would be a nice option too.

Remember: Never leave home without it!

i like that carry system or the x-draw is good too , i want my hand gun close all the time . Pete53

As far as not carrying a handgun while rifle hunting I totally disagree with KC, at least in bear country. A rifle is not something you want to be fiddling with in closed confines of a tent whether by yourself or with others. If a bear comes to investigate the snoring and red licorice in the tent he ain’t using the zipper and front door. You’ll have a face full of tent, bear, screaming partner and darkness. A rifle is not what I’d want in that situation but a handgun can be maneuvered and fired.

This part:


"You’ll have a face full of tent, bear, screaming partner and darkness."

Once well backpacking in Colorado's Lost Creek Wilderness. I spotted cat tracks near a creek crossing. Later that night, well sleeping on a scrub pine dotted ledge near timberline. I awoke in the wee hours to answer the call. The zipper seized in my bag so badly that it remains that way today, some 20 years later. My flash light was foolishly buried in the unknown recesses of my pack. I managed egress, business, and re-entry in the pitch black darkness of an overcast sky. After which, a nearby animal proceeded to growl at me from close but unseen proximity. Without light all I could do is keep a revolver at the ready until sunrise. Later on, a small distance from that camp, I found the remains of a marmont carcass. Likely a lynx or bobcat was my midnight caller as the tracks were too small for a lion.

Sometimes I carry a small backup gun in any one of various ways well burdened by a big pack. But my primary gun is almost always a revolver in a Hunter 1100 holster. That holster can be unsnapped from the pack belt and re-snapped to my pants belt well the gun remains snapped/secured in the holster.

Darkness: This maybe a good reason to have a light mounted on your handgun.


Let me tell you a tail/story.
This is a true story it happened to me and my wife. I carry a handgun about 40% of the time while hunting with a rifle. This day now turned night; we were walking out of the woods headed to where I had parked my truck. It was dark out, needed a flashlight to see. We were about 1/2 mile from my truck. As we were walking out, I thought I notice the outline of what looked like a person. I promise, it felt like the hair on my neck was standing up. As we got closer to him, I could see another person. I stopped for a second, told my wife if this goes south, don't hesitate to protect yourself. Right about now, I was wishing for one of my handguns. As we got closer to them, I spoke up: hello, coming through. One of the guys said, getting back kind of late, aren't you? I thought, oh, I don't want to have a conversation with these guys. I replied, a little bit, I was hunting up on the border.

There was no real reason for these fellas to be stopped on the trail just talking. (It was dark and cold) We talked for a short bit and got out of there. As we were walking out, I was anticipating seeing their vehicle out by the road. No such luck seeing their vehicle.

My wife and I each had our rifles. Not really a close quarters weapon of choice.
I prolly wouldn't have gotten bugged if I was by myself. I had my wife with me, it's my job to protect her and keep her safe.

A lot of things can run through your mind in short order.
At this point is when I wish I had my chest rig holster, with a handgun in it. Easy to get to and deploy it.

We never know when we are about to walk through a mess. Alwas plan for the unexpected. I know better, I got lazy, thinking how far we were going to be walking that day.
Thanks to the good Lord, we are safe and sound from this. Never again will I not have a handgun with me.

I use a little saying: Never leave home without it.

I don't carry a handgun for those 4-legged critters, it could come in handy if needed; I mostly carry it for those 2-legged kind.

Well, I about wore this out. I hope this was a help to you in some way.
If you carry a handgun, get yourself some defensive training with it. Believe me you'll be glad you did.
Training with your handgun, you will be more proficient with it and safer too.

There is another saying, "you don't know what you don't know."

Stay safe out there people.

Hammer…..That’s an excellent point that hunters often overlook, especially when we’re carrying a rifle hunting. My handguns are almost without exception intended for predators. I don’t hunt with my handguns although I could because they’re (intentionally) legal for hunting in this state with a 4” bbl….my handguns are for defense against predators..2 and 4 legged critters and the ammo is suited for the most likely predator I’ll encounter for that activity

Very good points.

There's been a couple times I felt threatened or alerted by people doing odd things in a remote area. A very small amount in statistical comparison to my entire activity. But oddly enough, the one time I really felt cornered. It was a rifle I was wanting, but doing without.

I’m nursing a bad knee at present, so my “turkey gun” has become my S&W 5.7x28, carried in a Kenai chest holster from Gunfighters Inc. Nice rig, easy on and off, and secure. The pistol holds 22, but since I’m right on the border with VA and its 20-round limit for carry, I have 20 on board and anther 20 in the spare mag on my belt. The old saw from revolver guys was “if you can’t solve a problem with 6 rounds……”, so 40 should do okay.

One nice feature is that I can just put the rig on before I leave home, so no futzing around pulling a gun out of a case and slinging it along with a pack, etc. Leaves both hands free to run my trekking poles.

On the same note, anyone carry binos and a handgun in a hpg kit bag? Wondering if I should just do away with my bino harness.

Yes.

I don't generally carry a handgun when hunting with a rifle. But for hiking/backpacking I have carried a handgun in an old Uncle Mikes fanny pack that rides below the waist strap on my backpack. It's pretty comfortable and is easily accessible at all times. Not a high tech solution but it works.

For backpacking, I have a Glock 43 and a CYA carbon IWB holster; I just carried this across most of NM. Since my CHL does not work in NM the pistol was often in the lid of my pack while hiking and served mostly as a camp gun rather than something I could get to quickly. If I was open-carrying it, that holster clipped nicely to the webbing part of the waistband of my Osprey Exos.

Are you sure that New Mexico doesn't consider a pistol in a backpack to be concealed carry?

I’m not sure, but there were three big points I was prepared to make. First, and foremost, it was not easily accessible to me while wearing the pack. Damn near physically impossible, in fact. And then second, where was I SUPPOSED to carry it? And then finally, to any LEO I was thus engaged with, I think pointing out I was hiking across the entire state, starting in the border region, and camping in very remote areas, was going to be met with understanding and empathy.

I will cop to carrying it concealed a small number of times when I wasn’t comfortable leaving it in my pack. That was illegal.

It’s generally understood that folks need to transport firearms and there are laws around that. In oregon, for example, guns can be “concealed” by non-CHL-holders while hunting, or while driving to go shootin’, or whatever. In other words when driving to go shooting, if I have say a few rifles in the front of my truck, and a few handguns, and a handgun or two is covered up and out of sight, that’s not illegal. Actually since I have a CHL it’s moot anyway, talking about folks who don’t. I think the point is that it’s obvious to anyone that this person “has guns”, and secondarily, it would be a “gotcha” type law and so far, we don’t have too much of that in OR. Obviously somewhere like CA is a whole other story.

Yup, if you feel the need to carry a pistol you will need it on you ans accessible. It's better to keep it in the same general location so when encountered with a stressful situation you will not be pawing all over your kit to find the pistol you have kept in 3 different locations.

Carried a full size G22 with an RDO yesterday while hiking.

This gun:



Used my HPG Recon bag, that I attached an M4 double mag pouch.

Works perfectly.

I have recently started buying and modifying US military M3s both the 1911 ones and the Victory ones for revolvers. They are easy to modify for various handguns.

The pic below was taken hastily that's why the bino chest pouch is so low. Normally, it is "cinched" up so it is worn high on the chest. The M3 holster goes on next and is worn low on the side. The backpack goes on after that and I attach the belt loop for the holster to the backpack belt loop. If I need to take off the back backpack, one snap and a tug and the holster is free from the backpack. None of the straps interfere with each other during use.



You can get those M3s for about $25 delivered. Here is 1911 M3 modified for a Ruger BH with a reflex sight.