Who carries a pistol in the woods?

[RTBRICK]

I plan on using a .257R next year on Whitetails in Viriginia.  It seems this year there were quite a few black bears in and around the areas where I hunt (I live away from VA).  Apparently they are getting rather bold coming in and staying in close to populated areas.  Given the lighter caliber I plan to use, I'm thinking it would be a good idea to carry a pistol for the bear issue.  If I suddenly come across one I may not have much time to wield the rifle appropriately.  Does this sound crazy?  How many of you carry a pistol and, if so, what kind/caliber?

[THE#1hunter]

My father for many years carried his .357 for whitetail, now he just sticks to the .308 Win, eyes are gettin bad, but he still out shoots me with the .308 against my .270 :roll:   :lol:

[New Hampshire]

Since I deer hutn with either a .50 cal muzzleloader, 12ga slug gun or .30-06 Im not too worried about being undergunned.  However, my sister and I have started getting into hiking.  So far we have started with low goals and thus stick to more heavily used trails which means the likelyhood of seeing any bears is nill.  But I want to start venturing into some more "wild" places.  When we do my 6" Ruger GP 100 will be with us all the way.  Its a bit heavy, but the only other choice I have is the Sig 220.  The short bbl and "less potency" of the cartridge is why Im sticking to the Magnum.  Our bears dont get exceptionally huge anyways.  A lot of people will tell ya "aww the odds of ya ever SEEING a bear, let alone have one attack ya, are rarer than getting struck by lightning."  Well thats probably true.  But people do get struck by lightning and they do get attacked by bears.  Better to have it and not need it then have a bear feasting on ya and no way to defend yourself.
Brian M.
P.S. If you have a REAL serious bear problem or a really that worried carry a sidearm as well as a stout knife of 6" or so.  It may be the WORST last defense, but at least its a defense.

[iiibbb]

10mm semiauto... like a Glock 21 (15 rnd capacity).

[bb44]

yeah i carry a ruger super blackhawk 44mag. it is a little hefty but i like it for spotting and stalking in thick brush. i use a handload one of my buddy loads for me and trust me it would take bear.  250gr solid lead bullet over 20gr of #2400

[SamSpade]

At times I carry my 454 Casull but from now on due to recent circumstances in the north woods in Wisconsin I will carry it all the time.  :?

[JPSaxMan]

At times I carry my 454 Casull but from now on due to recent circumstances in the north woods in Wisconsin I will carry it all the time.  :?

Kinda stinks ya have to do that, doesn't it?

I don't but my one huntin buddy usually packs a .357. I guess it never hurts. One of these days when I get money I'll pack a Ruger (some larger caliber....44 or 357). Stay safe!  

[greenjeans]

Ruger GP 100, .357 mag all the time. Never know what you will run across and I usually hunt with a single shot rifle.

[gwhilikerz]

Your 257 will kill a black bear no problem.  On the other hand I always carry a pistol whether in the woods or not.  Never know when the two legged animals are stalking you.

[johnboyncsu]

I occasionally carry a 40 automatic with me.  I figure it would be good to finish off a deer with if necessary.  I've never seen a bear where I hunt, but if I was worried about them I'd definitely get something bigger.

[dawei]

I plan on using a .257R next year on Whitetails in Viriginia.  It seems this year there were quite a few black bears in and around the areas where I hunt (I live away from VA).  Apparently they are getting rather bold coming in and staying in close to populated areas.  Given the lighter caliber I plan to use, I'm thinking it would be a good idea to carry a pistol for the bear issue.  If I suddenly come across one I may not have much time to wield the rifle appropriately.  Does this sound crazy?  How many of you carry a pistol and, if so, what kind/caliber?

Taurus® Mdl 617SS loaded with Federal Premium® 180 CastCore. Once I'm back to civilization I load Remington® 125gr Golden Sabers.

[myronman3]

the rifle will serve you way better than any pistol.  the time you would waste putting the rifle down and getting the pistol out, said bear would have you.  better off sticking with one weapon.   the 257 will do fine against a blackbear.  
   now for hiking or bowhunting, i would carry one, if you feel the need and if it is legal in your area.  
  and if you are just looking for and excuse to buy one, just get it if you want it.  handgunning is a very fun pasttime.

[Lawdog]

RTBRICK,

There is a BIG difference between hunting a Black Bear with a .257 Roberts and depending on that same rifle for protection against a Black Bear that is coming for you.  Hunting wise will the .257 Roberts kill a Black Bear?  Yup, but it is well suited for the job?  No.  Do you really believe that a handgun in a holster will do you any good?  Bears don't attack from 100 yards or more away.  They come for you at closer ranges, say 40 yards and less.  A charging bear will cover that distance in 3 seconds or less depending on how far away they are.  I carry a handgun but it is for snakes not bears.  If you are worried about running into trouble with a bear then get a bigger rifle.  Lawdog
 

[James B]

I usually have my Taurus 357 Mag with me. Its just for finishishing shots on deer or Black Bear. I would not count on it to stop a Black Bear although with a perfect shot it would do the job with the right bullet. A 44 Mag is the smallest pistol that I would feel good about stopping a Black Bear and I would sure pick almost any rifle first. My Game stopper is the 30-06 7600 Pump Remington. I have faith in it to stop anything on this planet if anything will. Its the only rifle that I can be pretty sure to get off 5 200 grain 30 caliber bullets in as many seconds. I would rather get off three or four 30-06 rounds than one 458 round.

[ihuntbucks]

I carry my SBH .44 mag when I deer hunt durning gun season and when I take my bow as well............Rick

[RTBRICK]

Excellent advice, opinions and points!  I've carried a pistol at times (9mm, .357), but don't know about being able to quickly draw and fire.  Especially when I'm wearing cold weather gear in November.  I was looking at the .454 Casull at Bass Pro last night (stopped on my way through Charlotte).  I've heard it is a heck of pistol to fire!  I wonder what accuracy would be with such a powerful handgun.  The .44 mag may be a bit easier to handle (Dirty Harry never had a problem).  I'll have to research my choices.  Bottom line, though, is this would be a perfect excuse for a new handgun.

[John R.]

When Hunting deer I sometimes carry my Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt. If a shot presents itself close enough then I use the pistol. I shot a doe last Sat. with it. A 250 gr. XTP through the neck at 35 yds. put her down instantly. You may want to consider the 45 Colt, plenty of knockdown without all the recoil. :grin:

[New Hampshire]

I wouldnt get the .454 unless you PLAN on using it as a hunting gunat some point or other.  For a "back-up" gun its just waay more power than you would ever really need (unless we are talking Alaskan blackies and browns.)  The .45 Colt, in a Ruger, can be loaded to very good potential and is quite a handy back-up.  If your talking straight up back-up gun then all you really need is 4" of tube.  But if you want to hunt with the handgun then Id say go for the .454 Casull.  You can still shoot .45 Colts, but you can also downgrade the .454 from max to .45 colt levels to suit your needs.  Again, Ruger makes excellent guns at a price any working guy can afford.  A Super Red Hawk in .454 will take ANYTHING you could possibly wish to hunt on this continent.
Brian M.

[Dave in WV]

Since you're concerned about bears why not load 120gr partitions and have the rifle capable to protect you?

[JPSaxMan]

I carry my SBH .44 mag when I deer hunt durning gun season and when I take my bow as well............Rick

Thing that bites is that PA won't let you carry a 'firearm' of any type while bow hunting. Which really isn't cool, but that's the law. But then again, it ain't illegal unless ya get caught, right?  :roll:  

[JKump]

Since I carry a single shot .243 hunting, I also carry a .357 mag with corbon 180 gr. bonded core soft points.  I've used it in thick cover for deer (shots within 20 yards.)  I would carry 200 gr. corbon hard cast flat points if bears were in the area.

[Robert]

Some people might say this is not enough for bears, but I bet if I empty eight 85 gr bullets loaded to about 1950 fps into a bear it is gonna really mess up his day.  The chances of needing to use it on a bear are slim, and these little pistols are amazingly small & light to carry considering the power that they deliver.  Can't go wrong with one of them especially when you consider the price tag of usually less than 100 bucks for a well made firearm.  They are a nice 'all-round' carry for almost any purpose.

[Lawdog]

Robert,

Some people might say this is not enough for bears, but I bet if I empty eight 85 gr bullets loaded to about 1950 fps into a bear it is gonna really mess up his day.

Most likely not before the bear ruins your day first.   :eek:   Lawdog
 

[ragdude]

woods, grocery store, church, ect. I carry 24/7. Better to have and not need, than to need and not have!

[Redhawk1]

woods, grocery store, church, ect. I carry 24/7. Better to have and not need, than to need and not have!

I do the same.  

[IowaBuckHunter]

I have shot several deer with handguns- nothing is cooler than blasting one with my Magnum research BFR 500 S&W.  Good round for deer, but i'll be honest, OVERKILL.  The best deer rounds would be old faithful .44 which has descent speed and a lot of knockdown power, and the underrated .41 mag.  This is a perfect round for deer.  They are more accurate than a 44, with less recoil, and a lot better velocities.  Poor ammo selection though.

A 357 is also a good choice also.  I like this one because you can also shoot 38 special ammo which is a lot cheaper, so you can do some plinking in the off season.  My only beef with the 357 and deer is that if you shoot a hollow point, there is awesome expansion, but little penetration unless the deer is really close.  This is why I shoot Federal Cast Core 180 gr. bullets.  There is not much expansion to them, but they will go through anything.  I would rather have a smaller hole all the way through than have a larger hole half the way through.

[Redhawk1]

I have shot several deer with handguns- nothing is cooler than blasting one with my Magnum research BFR 500 S&W.  Good round for deer, but i'll be honest, OVERKILL.  The best deer rounds would be old faithful .44 which has descent speed and a lot of knockdown power, and the underrated .41 mag.  This is a perfect round for deer.  They are more accurate than a 44, with less recoil, and a lot better velocities.  Poor ammo selection though.

OVERKILL, dead is dead. I guess a 50 caliber M/L would be over kill in your book. Both make a 50 caliber hole.

[JPSaxMan]

How bout a .50 AE? Is that overkill?  :eek:  

[glock29]

When deer hunting in the woods with one of my many rifles, I also have a handgun in the holster on my gunbelt, mainly for personal defense or for a finisher shot. Usually I carry my 357 mag with HOT handloads, but I have carried my 1911 .45 Super or my Glock 29 10mm (with a plugged magazine due to the IGNORANT Michigan regs regarding handgun capacity in the woods) In Michigan, the only regs for hunting handguns is if it is chambered in a handgun caliber it must be 35 cal or larger (yes, a 380ACP is LEGAL for Deer in Mich.) and can only hold 8 rds or less in the mag & chamber combined. If the pistol is chambered for a rifle cartridge, there is NO caliber minimum, other than it may not be a rimfire (yes, a .17 Remington is legal for deer in Michigan)
Other than the STOOPYD 8 rd capacity rule, we are pretty much left to choose the round of our choice in Michigan, with no stinkin' DNR interference.

[JOE MACK]

only a handgun. Usually it's some kind of .41Magnum.