Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Advice for 2 issue's,please.

Well, I started doing some wilderness hike's a few years ago,and with the advice I got here I got me a really nice Gregory pack, and it has worked out great.
Now, my wife wants to start coming with me on some less extreme hike's and camping trips,so she's going to need a pack too,as well as hiking boots. What sort of pack would be good for someone 5'0, and to carry maybe 30lbs or so? She really only needs to carry her clothes,a sleeping bag and mat and a compact fishing pole. Should I still be looking for an internal frame pack for that?
Second issue-For my wilderness defense gun I've been carrying a Win. M94BB in .444 Marlin. It's fairly compact and light, but it's a bit too pretty for me to want to drag around and scratch up. I've been thinking that a really compact 12ga would be ideal. Basically the only critter that worries me much is Grizzly, although black bear and cougar are also around. I figure some good slugs, like the Brenneke's would be the ticket, if I could manage to find some out here. I want to get it as short as possible, to be able to hide it in my pack when around the more gentle and civilzed type. It's perfectly legal, but I prefer not to frighten city folk who might be found on the first couple miles of trail, though not much beyond that. Unfortunatley we can't pack sidearms up here, since that would be my preference, so a shortie shotgun is my best bet. Who has experience with shotguns in a 14" barrel or less? Would you lose enough velocity to make a dramatic difference/ Mind you ranges would likley be under 10 yards,as it would be strictly a self defense situation. Was thinking a Mossberg 500 or Rem 870, although any reliable lightweight gun would do. Any recommendations as to gun and ammo?

Shotguns have to have a barrel length of 18" or longer unless you go the NFA route and buy the tax stamp.

I don't know the regs for your area. But you'll find 14" shotguns still put the hurt on things.


Travis

As far as I can tell, out here as long as the overall length is at least 26", your okay. I know some guys are shooting 12.5 barrel shotguns, and an 8.5 is to be available soon. Out here they are labeled either restricted(handguns or guns under 26") prohibited(handguns with a barrel under 4", full auto etc) and non restricted. Apparently these guns are non-restricted and can be used anywhere a regular shotgun can.

Sorry, I didn't see the Canada part. The NFA laws are US laws.

In that case then yes an SBS would be ideal.

I'll go back to reading and asking questions now.

They make some inexpensive plastic stocks to fit that rifle. Then you wouldn't need to worry about a few scratches. If it were mine, for that purpose, I would have the barrel shortened and change the stock.

An Osprey Ariel pack would be a good pack for your wife. They have really good reviews and seem to fit women better then anything else. Just make sure you get the right size.

Your wife might want to look at the Granite Gear Vapor Ki . It's designed for women, with a different cut on the shoulder straps and the hip belt having a little more forward pitch to better accommodate a womens different pelvic structure.

First issue: I recommend that my boy scouts buy an REI Cruise UL 60. It's reasonably priced, small and lightweight but carries enough stuff for a couple of nights. Too lightly built for hauling out elk quarters but it doesn't sound like that's an item of concern for your wife.

Second Issue: wilderness defense gun. I have been backpacking for fifty years and gone on maybe 300 trips into the wilderness and never had the need to defend myself from anything. I carry a firearm only when I'm hunting. When I'm not hunting big game and backpacking is the primary agenda, I ocasionally carry a .22 magnum rifle for small game such as squirrels, rabbits, ptarmigan, etc.

KC

If I were worried about grizzlies, a good rifle, throwing a tough, heavy slug would be my choice. Certainly nothing smaller than a .44 Magnum or a .30-30 rifle.
Shotguns and their ammo all tend to lack penetration on things like bear skulls.
The choice of a pack would depend on what fits her properly, just like you. I would load her down with more than 1/4 of her body weight unless I was certain she could handle it. E

xxclaro,

If you have an MEC close by, they have some good sales on right now. Especially on some 50-60L. Arcteryx packs. Might be worth a look.

I've used both the 500 and 870. Both great, reliable guns. The 500 is lighter with less aftermarket parts available, IE. short barrels. My current shotgun is a 870 with a 18" barrel. Quite a bit heavier than my old 500. Should be great with a 14" barrel from Dlask though. Someday soon...

Thanks for the suggestions,I'll look into the packs suggested, and I do have an MEC about an hour away.
As far as the firearm situation goes, I did consider synthetic stocks for the .444,and may still go that route. I'm loathe to shorten the barrel though, as this gun is one in a set of 4 that took me many years to find,and was in new unfired condition when I bought it a couple years ago. As for the bear situation, the area we go to has quite a number of grizzly,and since they can't be hunted seem a little less afraid of humans. I have encountered bears a couple times up there,and a member of our party was charged and forced to kill a grizzly in self defense some years ago. I'm not a big believer in regular Foster style slugs, but have heard good things about Brenneke's. Even for the .444 I'd prefer something a bit heavier and tougher than the 265gr. bullets I normally use.

Just pickup a Ruger M77 Hawkeye Alaskan and be done with it.

The 444 is a good one, but I would feel better with a bolt gun myself. The Ruger is a winner in bear country.

MtnHtr

Excellent advice. Way better than ANY 12 gauge. Actually the reason that my 870 still has an 18" barrel is I hardly carry it in the backpacking role since getting my LH Alaskan.

If it's in your budget of course...

No problemo. Just make sure the granola munchers know it'll be for hunting and such...

The Arcteryx are really great Canadian packs. I've been using a Bora80 for a number of years now.

Here are some links to the packs I was thinking of:

Arc'teryx Briza 62 (Women's)

Arc'teryx Bora 65

For the pack, Gregory makes some women's designed packs as well: narrower shoulder straps to get around breasts and an adjustable hip belt for cant. Having fit many over the years, they work well.
My wife, 5'0", 105 lbs, carries a Dana Astralplance, way more expensive, but she carries more than half her weight at times, way more than the 30 lbs yours will start with.
Go to a shop and have her try a bunch on, that is the best way, we can all gloat over what we like, but fit is king.
I also have an REI UL 60, as mentioned above, great, lightweight, holds plenty, carries well.

Regarding the topic of US NFA regs and shotguns in general, I learned something new a few days ago. IF the original, as shipped from the manufacturer, "shotgun" was equipped with only a pistol grip - then the ATF has ruled that the GCA '68 does not include it in the description as a "shotgun" - it falls in the category as "Other".
You might ask "So what?", I know I did at first.
Well the "So what?" is that you can cut the barrel of an "Other" down below 18" with only a $5 transfer tax (and all the other paperwork, of course) as an "Any Other Weapon", instead of the $200 transfer tax needed for a "Short Barreled Shotgun".

Just an FYI - cause I didn't know this, and I spend a LOT of time talking guns with a LOT of folks, so I'm betting quite a few here were not aware of it either.

This was a USFS article on firearm bullets intended to be used against bears. It basically states you should be practicing once a week at 25, 15 and 10 yards, practice multiple shots (using the bolt while at the shoulder), practice "hip shots" because you need a gun you can use quickly, and don't carry it with a sling because if confronted with an attacking bear you may not have time to get it off your shoulder. It's not a really recent article, but the calibers used then are the calibers you find now. The .444 did very well in the test, and depending on the bullet weight and barrel length did better than the 375 H&H.

This link keeps hanging up for me, but the report is "Safety in Bear Country: Protective Measures and Bullet Performance at Short Range"

General Technical
Report PNW-152
March 1983

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr152

How many bear hunting guides that are worried about having to stop a bear carry shotguns?

My relative who used to live in rural Alaska said a lot of folks up there use slug loaded shotguns as bear defense especially around salmon creeks. The hard cast slugs at close range are like an elephant gun. I have no personal experience shooting enraged grizzlies, but it seems like a fast working short barreled and short stocked pump gun would be quicker to get on target in the short time you would have to react. It seems kind of like the same situation as point men in the SE Asian jungle who also often carried sawed off shotguns.