Personal Security When Solo

[Reece]

Kinda reminds me of the trial scene in "True Grit"

Defense Lawyer: I believe you testified you backed away from Aaron Wharton.
Rooster Cogburn: That's right.
Defense Lawyer: Which direction were you going?
Rooster Cogburn: I always go backwards when I'm backing up.

Seems to me that when you shoot straight up, it's a pretty sure bet that the bullet will go "straight up."

Nobody taught me to shoot a hole in my tent but it's my dang tent and I'll ventilate it any way I want to.

All I'm saying is hind sight is always 20-20 but you never know what you will do until you're in the situation so lighten up on my pal.

[steelfrog]

There's a very simple answer to this:

Machete!

[perterra]

Not in the slightest bit upset about this, but I'm wanting a casual reader to realize that is not SOP for someone with a gun. That bullet that went up, comes right back down.

I'm really not trying to be a horses butt, but gun safety is something I drill into the grandkids, all kidding around stops when someone pulls a bone headed stunt with a gun. Juan got scared, heck I know the feeling. I nearly tore a mummy sleeping bag all to pieces when my motorcycle fell over at 2 am at a back country campsite. I would be willing to bet I tore up the sleeping bag trying to fight my way out of it a lot more than Juan did the tent.

And I would argue that wasp spray might not be the best unless your fighting off wasp. Just buy a small pepper spray, if you want the strongest make sure it's not approved in Michigan. But I would advise not trying to shoot pepper spray up through the ceiling.

[Reece]

Seems like it's hard for some people not to be a horses patoot.
You're not talking to your grandkids here!

[perterra]

Seems like it's hard for some people not to be a horses patoot.
You're not talking to your grandkids here!

Horses patoot, yeah well I love you too.  Thats the problem with the internet, you never know who your talking to. I'd be willing to bet theres been more than a few young people reading this forum. Putting a bullet through the roof of a tent because a skunk is chewing on it, thats not good.


I'll leave this one now, nothing else I have to offer that I havent said.

[Reece]

Yep and neither is three rounds of brow-beating a good teaching method for either the young or the old.

[trtlrock]

it begs the question......did you patch the tent? 

I'm still waiting to here the answer to this.   

Juan?

[dkerr24]

Sure hope threads like this are not going to be more commonplace on this forum.  This is one of the few forums I actively read as the topics aren't so polarizing. 

Before anyone accuses me of one side or the other, I can honestly say I am about as middle of the road politically as you can be.  I think both extreme liberals and extreme conservatives are basically nuts and not deserving of a voice in a civil conversation.

Big Bend Chat may drop off my watch list if this waste of bandwidth continues.

Darin

[perterra]

Sure hope threads like this are not going to be more commonplace on this forum.  This is one of the few forums I actively read as the topics aren't so polarizing. 

Before anyone accuses me of one side or the other, I can honestly say I am about as middle of the road politically as you can be.  I think both extreme liberals and extreme conservatives are basically nuts and not deserving of a voice in a civil conversation.

Big Bend Chat may drop off my watch list if this waste of bandwidth continues.

Darin

I'll tell you what Darin, I'll move along.  No hard feelings.

[mule ears]

perterra, no need to move along.  Your points are good ones and dkerr24 is just correctly expressing that this forum is normally very civil.

Lets all get along and no reason for calling people animal parts.

I'm thinkin' that Juan's tent has been patched by now.

 

[perterra]

perterra, no need to move along.  Your points are good ones and dkerr24 is just correctly expressing that this forum is normally very civil.

Lets all get along and no reason for calling people animal parts.

I'm thinkin' that Juan's tent has been patched by now.

 

Thanks mule Ears, I'm not in the slightest up set or butt hurt, it's just that firearms safety is something that is very important to me. Right up there with driving drunk, the life it saves may be one of my kids.

I'm not baling on the forum, I just don't want this thing to proceed to the point somebody feels they must leave this forum over it. Wasn't my intention at all, nor was browbeating. It's the simple fact that firearms are dangerous, and once someone is shot, all the well wishes in the world, brow beating or anything else will bring them back. No harm intended and I will just drop it.

[Al]

Have come to the conclusion that the best device for personal safety in the woods is a small can of wasp spray.  Simple, effective, low cost, lightweight.  If you really want a pistol strong enough to protect you, a one shot stopper, it's going to be so heavy you won't carry it much anyway.  Carried a lightweight .380 auto for years, finally had to use it ca. 4:00 a.m. deep in the Gila Wilderness, thought a bear was coming in the tent, so fired the pistol straight up to scare the bear off with the noise - turned out to only be a pair of skunks, which didn't run ten feet from the noise of the pistol.  A bear probably wouldn't have bothered to walk away at all.  And your aim doesn't have to be near as good to spray bug spray at something.  Enjoy the outdoors.

JCL, Perhaps testimony that  it is best to avoid tents when possible!

Al

[fartymarty]

Big Bend Chat may drop off my watch list if this waste of bandwidth continues.
   Darin

 I just don't want this thing to proceed to the point somebody feels they must leave this forum over it.

Nah, no worries perterra, Darin was just bluffing. I've read his posts, he loves it here. 

I'm thinkin' that Juan's tent has been patched by now.

Well OK, if you can live with that uncertainty then I guess I can too. 

[Infosec]

Now if we can just refocus the thread to incidents we've had in the park while Solo or in a group, and how the situation was handled. This thread would be very usefully :icon_biggies:
I'd to hear about where we've had run-in so I can avoid them. I Solo hike mostly, PS is my top of mind concern. Not really worked about wildlife, but more worried about stupid people doing stupid things for stupid reasons.

Btw I with Darin on this one.

[Reece]

HEY DUDE! Who are you calling stupid?
Come on...just kidding. I could have taken offense but I didn't and that's what free speech is all about. You have to be free to offend me and I have to be free to be offended or not, or to answer your remark in kind, or to escalate the tone or bring it down a notch, or to simply ignore you.

Three conditions of the Socratic method of dialogue: intelligence, candor and goodwill.

I shouldn't have to teach such basics in a country with free speech as one of its founding principles.

Political correctness and fear of confrontation has too often rendered our conversation useless milquetoast. I would much rather have someone challenge my foolish assumptions than to acquiesce for the sake of keeping a phony peace while leaving me in my ignorance.

Whats that proverb? "Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses."

When someone spins a yarn, confessing to rash behavior and then suggests what might be a better alternative, I'd think he has learned his lesson. The teachable moment for him has passed. Now, it's up to us readers to learn form his mistake if possible. Further flogging is inappropriate in my opinion and so long as I have breath...

One last question; Have you ever heard of a "warning shot"?