This article will cover the authors opinion about the need for Firearms & Wilderness Protection.

If you know me or of me, you know I live in Montana. Pretty remote compared to most places. The state is the 4th largest state in the nation with 94 million acres and I believe we just hit over a million residents with the help of covid.

That Bear (down below if you are on a small device) was in my garage while I was loading up my truck. When he saw me, he walked off and I took that photo. That’s typical.

I live on the edge of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. To go on a hike I walk out my door, and walk animal trails. Human trails are great too, but they aren’t just outside my back door…And if you read my posts, I have a lot of backpacking experience. I fish and hunt, often.

So I get the question often: “Hey Brian, you ever carry a gun out there?”. This question of Firearms & Wilderness Protection comes enough that it was time to make a post for it. I do consider myself to have an opinion developed over a 20 year period.

The simple answer is “Not Often”. Only under certain conditions does the gun come out for a walk. I’m going to give you my opinions on this – the when’s and the why’s of Firearms & Wilderness Protection. Maybe if I get wordy, and start talking story, I might add some history. The next few hours will tell…

As a beginner backpacker, hiker – and without a lot of experience with the danger and threat of Grizzly Bears – way back, 20 years ago,  I did carry a pistol. The minimum caliber to protect yourself from a Griz is a .44 Remington Magnum with a big bullet. Many experts would recommend even a more powerful caliber. I bought a 5 shot Taurus revolver – a .44 Tracker. Add a holster, belt, and some extra bullets, and you’re sitting at 3.3 lbs+. I am not an ultra-light backpacker, but I am light. My pack nowadays with creature comforts, water, food, and Tequila weighs in around 28-30 lbs. Add the pistol, and that’s a 12% increase. Way back, when I knew nothing about nothing, I thought a 45 lb pack was fine, and I carried that pistol. “45 lbs is not a lot – right?”. Wrong. 45 lbs is way too much. I had black and blues on my shoulders that year from the backpack straps.

The next year I talked myself out of carrying the pistol. My mentality was it was too heavy – and wasn’t worth it. The thought process wasn’t about safety. It was about weight. This whole discussion is the sign of a novice. But I did learn.

Let’s talk about the threats. The Griz is the biggest threat and I worry about them. Black Bears also but to a lesser degree. I have encounters with bears in my vicinity every year. Sometimes more than once. They are concentrated near where I live, hike, and backpack. What I learned many years ago is that if you are alone you are at risk, you are food. There was a statistic I read many years ago that the number of bear maulings that have occurred to 2 or more adults is exactly zero – none reported. (Subsequent to this it did occur in Alaska a few years ago). Your biggest protection is to be in a group. Secondly, you must have bear spray. You do not need a firearm for protection under these conditions. Most encounters I have had in the wood – as soon as the bear knows I’m there – it runs away. They don’t like humans. In fact, I can’t think of a single animal in the wild that likes humans. Hmmm.

The only other large and dangerous animal out there is a Moose. And they do attack. But the attacks are very infrequent and usually in the fall in mating season. If you come across a moose, most of the time you just circle around, head down, eyes up, and retreat, move on. Do Not Agitate Them. If they start acting aggressive it’s time to hide, anywhere; behind a tree, rock, or bush. Once they don’t see you, they just think you are gone. Poof. If you had to shoot one, you’re back to needing a .44 Remington Magnum min. Personally I do not worry about moose.

The rest of the threats are much smaller animals; Mountain Lions, Wolves, Wolverines, Coyotes, Lynx, Bobcat, Fox, Martins, and Minks are ones I’ve encountered. Some of them are small, but they will attack you. Some of them are medium and could kill you. If I’m in a group, I am not worried about any of them. However, if I am alone, I do worry. For any of these animals, a .22 size bullet will kill them.

When I backpack, first and foremost I am usually with an adult group, with 2-6 adults. We all have bear spray. And I carry a hiking stick which I can use to bat away any stupid small animals that missed the better parts of their gene pool. I’ve never had to.

However, I do go backpacking with my daughter aka “The GG”. Now “The GG” was young when we started backpacking together, and she is a petite young woman now. I never felt like I was in an “adult group” with her. We both have bear spray. Dad (me) has 3+ extra pounds on his person cause the .44 Magnum always comes. Situation Numero Uno: Inadequate group size.

There is another situation.  I hike constantly and would guesstimate that I am alone hiking 60% of the time. And when I am alone, I do go off trail frequently. Curiosity. Shortcuts. Hunter brain.  For me personally, enjoyment and exercise increase when hiking wild animal trails. So more than once I’ve heard that suspicious noise, knew something was watching me, sometimes grunting. Stopping to have a snack on deadfall, all the sudden my hair is standing up on the back of my neck – some leftover 6th sense from my caveman DNA. At some point fear crept in, and I started carrying either a .44 Magnum or my .22 Semi with me, when alone. The .44 Magnum get’s carried more, honestly. It’s not like I’m carrying a 30 lb pack.  I have a daypack that weighs 10 lbs. max. Word to the wise – if you carry it you better know how to shoot it, and well. I do like my Smith & Wesson .22, and I shoot it better than the .44 Magnum. I do carry the .22 when I am in an area where I haven’t seen much bear sign historically, and maybe have seen some Grouse… Situation Numero Due: Alone hiking on wild animal trails. Note: My “Love” does not allow any backpacking alone, anywhere.

And that’s it for Firearms & Wilderness Protection. Nothing else compels me to carry the extra weight.

Another safety point that I feel must be made. I post a lot of excellent playlists because I’m into music. However, I never have earbuds in when hiking or backpacking when there is the potential for dangerous animals. Hearing is a necessity that could save your life.

To get more information on Safety in the Wilderness –  check out this article I wrote:

https://oceanbrz.com/backpacking-safety-staying-alive/

Equipment:

Taurus Tracker .44 Remington Magnum. Weight 38 oz loaded.  Holster plus sturdy belt 9 oz. Extra bullets with speed loader 4 oz. This is an exceptionally light .44 Magnum considering it’s made out of steel, has a 4″ barrel, and is ported. This makes it much easier to shoot than a carbon based pistol with a 2.5″ barrel. That was my tradeoff.

https://www.taurususa.com/revolvers/taurus-tracker/tracker-r-44-44-mag-matte-stainless-4-00-in

Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory with Threaded Barrel (Yes – I have the attachment…). Weight 38 oz loaded. Holster plus sturdy belt 10 oz. No extra bullets needed as it holds 10 rounds.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/sw22-victory-threaded-barrel