Handgun, yes or no....?

[Gun Nut]

Handgun... yes or no?

I carry one when I kayak on rivers and explore islands. We had a cougar stalking us for a while a couple years ago. I also carry when hiking in the woods and back country outings. Outside of that, I don't feel the need.

I carry my "bear gun" (.357M revolver) on my hip when I hike less-traveled backwoods trails (mountain lions and bears are a potential threat in the Rockies).
I hiked deep into the Bisti Badlands in New Mexico just before the pandemic got rolling and a badger started stalking me. From a distance it looked like a dog.. but when it got closer to me I realized it was a dangerous wild animal - more badass than either a mountain lion or bear. The later two would most likely run away if I yelled at it... this thing would be all like "you want some of this, human?" It was the first time I readied that particular gun in preparation to use it against a living thing.

 

[ZiprHead]

This guy really needed a gun.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/p25MgRZ9rJc[/YOUTUBE]

He got extremely lucky.

 

[Gun Nut]

This guy really needed a gun.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/p25MgRZ9rJc[/YOUTUBE]

He got extremely lucky.

Saw that fairly recently and analyzed it in depth. Notice how as the angle of the camera (implying the height of the hiker) gets lower in some parts, the cat gets closer... as the angle of the shot rises, the cat backs off..
This seems to be happening as the hiker looks on the ground and reaches for a rock or stick or something he can use to defend himself.
Big cats look at how tall you are and which way you are facing to decide if they want to pounce... you need to stay tall and facing it. never show the back of your neck and never get low. That was this hiker's mistake... getting low to pick something up.
Had he had a sidearm, he could have discharged his weapon into a nearby tree without loosing his appearance of size and that would sent it running off in hurry.
All that said, he had the right attitude... saying "fuck off cat" repeatedly and sounding less like a screaming deer and more like a dangerous human was helpful.

Edited to add... Jsut watched it again and noticed for the first time that towards the end the hiker says, "shit, where's my gun".
"shit" is right. Keep it at your side.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

This guy really needed a gun.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/p25MgRZ9rJc[/YOUTUBE]

He got extremely lucky.

That guy needed a brain, not a gun.

If he hadn't been so stupid as to go to up to her kittens in the first place there never would have been an issue. And note that mamma isn't attacking, she's driving him away.

 

[Harry Bosch]

This guy really needed a gun.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/p25MgRZ9rJc[/YOUTUBE]

He got extremely lucky.

Saw that fairly recently and analyzed it in depth. Notice how as the angle of the camera (implying the height of the hiker) gets lower in some parts, the cat gets closer... as the angle of the shot rises, the cat backs off..
This seems to be happening as the hiker looks on the ground and reaches for a rock or stick or something he can use to defend himself.
Big cats look at how tall you are and which way you are facing to decide if they want to pounce... you need to stay tall and facing it. never show the back of your neck and never get low. That was this hiker's mistake... getting low to pick something up.
Had he had a sidearm, he could have discharged his weapon into a nearby tree without loosing his appearance of size and that would sent it running off in hurry.
All that said, he had the right attitude... saying "fuck off cat" repeatedly and sounding less like a screaming deer and more like a dangerous human was helpful.

Edited to add... Jsut watched it again and noticed for the first time that towards the end the hiker says, "shit, where's my gun".
"shit" is right. Keep it at your side.

very interesting. I assume that he was bending down to pick up rocks to throw at it. I'm keeping my gun when we're exploring the Islands!

 

[Coleman Smith]

A gun is like a parachute, it only works when you have it with you.

 

[Arctish]

This guy really needed a gun.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/p25MgRZ9rJc[/YOUTUBE]

He got extremely lucky.

That guy needed a brain, not a gun.

If he hadn't been so stupid as to go to up to her kittens in the first place there never would have been an issue. And note that mamma isn't attacking, she's driving him away.

I think the guy handled the situation pretty well.

The cougar wasn't trying to kill and eat him. If she were, she would have been stalking him from the upper hillside. She was escorting him away from her kittens.

The guy was unharmed, the kittens were kept safe, and mom ran back to take care of them when the big scary human was far enough away - a happy ending for all.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

This guy really needed a gun.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/p25MgRZ9rJc[/YOUTUBE]

He got extremely lucky.

That guy needed a brain, not a gun.

If he hadn't been so stupid as to go to up to her kittens in the first place there never would have been an issue. And note that mamma isn't attacking, she's driving him away.

I think the guy handled the situation pretty well.

The cougar wasn't trying to kill and eat him. If she were, she would have been stalking him from the upper hillside. She was escorting him away from her kittens.

The guy was unharmed, the kittens were kept safe, and mom ran back to take care of them when the big scary human was far enough away - a happy ending for all.

I'm saying he needed a brain because he triggered the situation by going to the kittens. I do think he handled it well after that.

 

[none]

I think the guy handled the situation pretty well.

The cougar wasn't trying to kill and eat him. If she were, she would have been stalking him from the upper hillside. She was escorting him away from her kittens.

The guy was unharmed, the kittens were kept safe, and mom ran back to take care of them when the big scary human was far enough away - a happy ending for all.

I'm saying he needed a brain because he triggered the situation by going to the kittens. I do think he handled it well after that.

well of course, he didn't have his sidearm... lol

 

[ideologyhunter]

I think it was James Michener who wrote, concerning handguns, that he had spent years expressing his pro-gun control views, but had concluded that 'we are stuck with the damn things'. I think that's a close paraphrase, and it says what I think. The book may have been his essay collection This Noble Land, and I probably read it 20 years ago. It's a book that makes too much sense for who we are. (He also wrote that our economy and society would ultimately collapse unless we enacted a far more progressive system of taxation, and again, with me, that's preaching to the amen corner.)

 

[ZiprHead]

I think the guy handled the situation pretty well.

The cougar wasn't trying to kill and eat him. If she were, she would have been stalking him from the upper hillside. She was escorting him away from her kittens.

The guy was unharmed, the kittens were kept safe, and mom ran back to take care of them when the big scary human was far enough away - a happy ending for all.

I'm saying he needed a brain because he triggered the situation by going to the kittens. I do think he handled it well after that.

Where did this idea come from that he actually went to the kittens? Is there some part I'm missing?

 

[TomC]

I think the guy handled the situation pretty well.

The cougar wasn't trying to kill and eat him. If she were, she would have been stalking him from the upper hillside. She was escorting him away from her kittens.

The guy was unharmed, the kittens were kept safe, and mom ran back to take care of them when the big scary human was far enough away - a happy ending for all.

I'm saying he needed a brain because he triggered the situation by going to the kittens. I do think he handled it well after that.

Where did this idea come from that he actually went to the kittens? Is there some part I'm missing?

It came from Loren Pechtel in post #24.
And it's quite plausible, since the cougar doesn't seem to be hunting the hiker.
Tom

 

[ZiprHead]

Where did this idea come from that he actually went to the kittens? Is there some part I'm missing?

It came from Loren Pechtel in post #24.
And it's quite plausible, since the cougar doesn't seem to be hunting the hiker.
Tom

Oh, I agree the mama was protecting her kittens. The guy says to her to go back to them. But that doesn't mean he intentionally approached them, as Loren seemed to imply.

 

[TomC]

Where did this idea come from that he actually went to the kittens? Is there some part I'm missing?

It came from Loren Pechtel in post #24.
And it's quite plausible, since the cougar doesn't seem to be hunting the hiker.
Tom

Oh, I agree the mama was protecting her kittens. The guy says to her to go back to them. But that doesn't mean he intentionally approached them, as Loren seemed to imply.

"seemed"? "imply"?

If he hadn't been so stupid as to go to up to her kittens in the first place there never would have been an issue.

Looks like a clear statement to me.
Tom

 

[ZiprHead]

I was trying to be polite.

 

[TomC]

I was trying to be polite.

Sometimes you're better at that than others. So am I.
Tom

 

[Arctish]

I think the guy handled the situation pretty well.

The cougar wasn't trying to kill and eat him. If she were, she would have been stalking him from the upper hillside. She was escorting him away from her kittens.

The guy was unharmed, the kittens were kept safe, and mom ran back to take care of them when the big scary human was far enough away - a happy ending for all.

I'm saying he needed a brain because he triggered the situation by going to the kittens. I do think he handled it well after that.

Where did this idea come from that he actually went to the kittens? Is there some part I'm missing?

You can see it in the first few seconds of the video.

The cat silhouette on the trail is one of the kittens. The dusty brown lump in the grass strip in the middle of the trail is the adult. The man is slowly walking towards them as he records the video. The kitten runs away just as the adult gets up and moves to intercept the guy, which is when he says "Oh, fuck!" and begins to retreat.

Up here in Alaska the scariest thing to encounter on a trail is a bear cub. They're really cute but don't even think about stopping to record them. Just back away and clear out before Momma decides you're a threat.

 

[ZiprHead]

Where did this idea come from that he actually went to the kittens? Is there some part I'm missing?

You can see it in the first few seconds of the video.

The cat silhouette on the trail is one of the kittens. The dusty brown lump in the grass strip in the middle of the trail is the adult. The man is slowly walking towards them as he records the video. The kitten runs away just as the adult gets up and moves to intercept the guy, which is when he says "Oh, fuck!" and begins to retreat.

Up here in Alaska the scariest thing to encounter on a trail is a bear cub. They're really cute but don't even think about stopping to record them. Just back away and clear out before Momma decides you're a threat.

Ah, thanks. I'll have to rewatch.

We have black bears here and they're usually pretty timid. People have gotten very close to them with no issues, as long as it's not a momma with cubs.

 

[Elixir]

A gun is like a parachute, it only works when you have it with you.

And like a parachute, situations where it can actually help you are rare to non-existent.
But by all means, carry both with you at all times if you feel that you are at risk and know how to use them.

 

[TV and credit cards]

A gun is like a parachute, it only works when you have it with you.

And like a parachute, situations where it can actually help you are rare to non-existent.
But by all means, carry both with you at all times if you feel that you are at risk and know how to use them.

As someone who has stood countless watches wearing a 9mm on my hip, the desire to tote one around at all times wears off soon enough. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they’re great for storming the statehouse.