When you cruise alone...

[williamgriffin]

Do you go unarmed? This could be a really dumb question, but I'm a student and though I won't be put in this situation for a while I'm curious as to what the consensus is. I'm in Mississippi and hope to work in the southeast somewhere, and the thought of running up on or spooking feral hogs/"wild" dogs/druggies/black panthers/whatever without some form of protection is a little unnerving. Anyways, just a random thought for the evening. Thanks in advance for input!

[sandsawmill14]

not a forester but i carry most of the time in the woods but not all time but then i do hate some snakes >:( ;D :D :D :D

[Ron Wenrich]

I never carried and was never in the position where I needed to.  Your area may be different.

[WDH]

If you work for one of the larger Timber Companies, they most likely will not allow you to carry a gun.  Because of some cases of workplace violence in the company that I worked for, even having a gun in a work vehicle or in your personal vehicle in the parking lot was a firing offense. 

[petefrom bearswamp]

I'm with Ron  almost no dangers in my area..
I almost always had my pooch with me.
Had 2 dogs both good company in the woods.
Louie lived to be 14 and Otto got to 9 before second encounter with a porcupine made me have to put him down.
I did take my .44 mag with me for a short time in the 80s  in case I saw a deer, but only succeeded in peppering it with blue paint.
I was charged by a feral dog once but a faceful of tree marking paint made him change his mind.

[Texas Ranger]

I live 70 miles north of Houston, Texas, and started carrying after a half dozen bodies were dropped off at the ends of firelanes and woods roads.  After all that died down I took to carry a short barrelled .22 revolver with rat shot.  And what Ron said, every area is different,  now we run up on meth factories and walk away, so started carrying a little heavier.

All in you interpretation of the  danger in your area, personally, a handy tree is better than a handgun for hogs.

[celliott]

When I did some contract cruising in Pittsburg NH, I carried my revolver during the moose rut. They can be pretty aggressive, and you don't want a 1000lb bull moose acting aggressive towards you. I had a big bull pretty close one time, and he was stomping and snorting. He was close enough that I flipped the snap on my holster and kept quiet. Didn't go looking for trouble and he passed by.

Other than that, I went a whole summer without it, no problems. Although walking through blackberry patches where your only path is the one the bears stomp down eating berries is a little unnerving!

[Magicman]

First, Welcome to the Forestry Forum, williamgriffin.   

My forester has never carried when cruising or marking property lines on my or the adjacent property in Jefferson County, Ms.  Yes, he occasionally encounters a rattler so he always wears leggings.   

[Ron Scott]

Usually not do to the added weight, but as stated it depends upon the area I'm working in, should there be some known hazards and activities that I've been made aware of, ie, problem bear, meth labs, marijuana growers, trespassers, etc.

[timberking]

I never carry a gun going on 40 years.  Don't need the extra weight and have had numerous encounters with hogs I could have shot but it wouldn't have been in self defense.  Wait till it heats up and decide what is essential.

[Clark]

...I prefer to be by myself.

There are only two times I've wished to carry a gun when working in the woods. One is to bag a grouse or do the world justice and shoot a porcupine. The other time is when I briefly worked in grizzly country. For me, it works out to never carrying a gun.

Clark

[timberking]

Will add, I think two of the worst hazards are something in the eye or stepping in that covered stump hole and blowing out a wheel.

[Swamp Fox]

I never carry. My employer doesn't allow it. I have been cruising 20 plus years and haven't had a problem. The scariest thing in the woods isn't bears or wolves or even moose. It's some crazy person or a hidden hazard that would mess you up. Twice I've seen coworkers rupture ear drums due to sticks poking into them. One was so bad he couldn't walk and was throwing up due to vertigo. He ended up losing most of his hearing in that ear.

I've taken some falls but been lucky so far.

[Texas Ranger]

Defensive carry is much the same as  real estate, the value is based on location, location, location.

[pwrwagontom]

I always have a hatchet with me, my biggest concern would be running into a coyote or bear.  In those instances, I'd be to busy running to use it!

[4x4American]

In the ADKs there is just about no cell service most places.  If you were to get hurt and couldnt walk and someone were to come looking for you, a gun would be pretty handy to make some noise.  And also if you were bleeding bad or something and a pack of coyotes found you in the middle of the night I wouldn't wanna be without one...And then there's the druggies.  Just last weekend there was a fight at a gas station and a guy was outnumbered and got swatted in the face with a 2x4 that had nails sticking out and now he's in the hospital in critical condition.  Me, I go by that old saying I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  Things can get ugly fast and in this day and age with all these lunatics running around and terrorists and stuff, yup, I'm carrying.  I heard a rumor that someone happened upon some ISIS looking training facility way up in the woods, they were hearing automatic rifles firing (illigel in ny) and not that a carry handgun would do much against a team of people armed with automatic rifles but..I'd like to have some sort of answer should a question arise. 

[Corley5]

  I never worried about being in the woods alone.  Bears are the only animal that could be a threat in this area.  I guess we do have wolves now.  Cougar sightings have been rumored since they were extirpated from the region.  Coyotes were never an issue.  But now meth busts are on the news on a regular basis, heroin use has become epidemic, timber poaching is on going etc.  I'm working by myself now too.  I've started to carry.  I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  Times have changed and not for the best :(

[OlJarhead]

Alone I carry.  I'm not a forester, just a guy who spends a lot of time in the woods in the NW.

Ever hear the story about the guy in the woods carrying that gets jumped by a cougar?  Me neither but I've heard plenty of them about people who didn't carry.

For me it's a personal choice and with years in the service it's just natural to me.  I'm fine with the weight of my .45acp and it will make noise if needed, or perhaps be a deterrent if needed and, god forbid, provide me the firepower to stop meth heads if needed ;)

I've had plenty of times I've run into people, animals etc in the woods but with my sidearm I wasn't worried and territorial animals decide to leave when I put a hole in a tree nearby (done that a few times in BC years ago though with a rifle or shotgun not a handgun since you can't carry up there), and I've had cars or trucks drive up onto my property (very remote with no way to accidentally do so) only to decide to leave and not come back when they meet me 'strapped' as one young lad put it.

I always say "Do you have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in your home or place of work?  If so why?  Are you expecting a fire?".  The answer of course is NO!  But if one occurs I want to be prepared to defend myself from it.  Same goes for firearms in my book.

[elk42]

x2 Well said OLJarhead

[Carson-saws]

Better safe than sorry.....unless it is not allowed.

[Ken]

When I did some contract cruising in Pittsburg NH, I carried my revolver during the moose rut. They can be pretty aggressive, and you don't want a 1000lb bull moose acting aggressive towards you.

We did some inventory work in the Pittsburg area about 15 years ago.  One of the foresters working for me stupidly starting grunting at a young bull in a cut while he was waiting for us to pick him up at the end of his cruise line.  Needless to say he was very happy to see us as the moose had been acting very aggressively towards him.   I've never been anywhere with a moose population that plentiful.  Seen several every day.

[4x4American]

By where my sawmill is now setup, the neighbors tell me there are a mess of rattle snakes all over back there..but they are protected in NYS.  Can't eat em or shoot em.  They can kill you or your dog if it came down to it but you can't them (legally).  Last I checked the fine was either $100 or a year in jail for the first offense...I always try to carry up in them woods.

And I'll do all I can to keep from having to shoot one but my dog cant leave nothing alone and if it was a choice between the snake or the dog, well, what would you do?

[OlJarhead]

SSS

Shoot Shovel Shutup

[ozarkgem]

I usually take one with me mainly for Armadillos. I hate those things. My cabin is remote and just packing is a kind of insurance. I am with Jarhead. Just the presence is a deterrent and I am getting too old or bare knuckle.

[gimpy]

SSS
Shoot Shovel Shutup

Pacific NorthWest (45 miles out of town) - Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, badgers, plenty of coyotes, more wolves than reported, trespassing poachers and thieves. A gun or two are just another necessary tool. Love to watch the deer, antelope and Elk.

3S rule is one to remember.