I carry a Ruger GP100 in .357. Works great, killed a few pigs with it already.

Glock 20 - 10mm is what I carry in the woods. I have it in a Blackhawk holster which allows me to carry without worrying about it falling out of the holster and allows for faster drawing than a traditional thumb break holster...

I love my Bond Arms Ranger 45/410. Its small, compact, and does the damage. Plus, its a pretty cool gun.

Glock 40 cal. with rail mounted TLR 1 flashlight,nightsights
and a holster to accomodate it,works great.I always use my petzel head lamp,but I like to have a extra bright light at times,figure it might as well be mounted to the pistol,works
great on those dang pigs,were covered up with them.

Since the hogs are getting thicker at my lease, I am leaving my 22 revolver at home and picked up a S&W 29 with a 6"bbl that I carry now while I am out there working or hunting.

I think most of you guys just like to carry your pistol

I know this post is a few days old, but I've been seeing a lot of people questioning carrying a weapon for protection when hunting. Some state a rifle is adequate protection. Well a lot of us are bowhunters, and in some circumstances trying to draw a bow or rifle and getting any sort of sight picture in close range in any kind of hurry is difficult using such a small apeture such as a peep sight or a magnified scope...is difficult one that a sidearm could accomplish much easier. Some people out here may not end up having their rifle on them the moment it's needed. Be it a dropped rifle, or maybe left behind in the treestand when "mother nature calls".

Although, I'll agree a vast majority of us will never encounter a situation where you will ever need to ue a firearm in self defense in the field, at home, or work IF YOU ever do I'm sure you'll be a heck of a lot happier having come prepared.
Cuz sometimes a situation can turn on you very quickly, and all you are a few seconds to turn the odds back in your favor.

I am a CHL holder and take it very seriously. I am always willing to learn from other peoples mistakes AND smart decisions. I came back across an article from Combat Handguns February 2008 issue. I'm going to paraphrase it hoping to get a message accross. They make a great magazine and I'd recommend checking them out.

A retired police officer is fishing in a quiet spot. He's normally isolated and alone. Off in the distance he sees an unmarked white van pull up. Two twenty something males and two 15-16 year old girls get out and use the park's restroom several times. He thinks the situation looks fishy...maybe the girls are runaways. He ignores them and goes back to fishing. A couple minutes later he realizes that to his left one of the males was creeping up trying to blindside him. When he realizes and faces the young man the young man backs off. A few minutes later the same thing happens as the young man tries to approach again. Several minutes pass after the young man's attempt to sneak up on the senior citizen and he realizes its quiet. He finally realizes that the young man's within 25 feet as he had circled around and approached at a different angle. The young man bends down and starts to pick something up concealed in his sock which the retired officer assumed was a knife..

The retired officer decides he doesn't want things to go any further. He decides to push back his vest momentarily flashing his Star Firestar 9mm stainless steel pistol and to adjust his waders. Needless to say the young man went back to the van and left with his friends shortly thereafter. As far as any onlooker could tell the retired officer just needed to adjust his waders and his legally concealed firearm was momentarily exposed.


There are other stories I could account in wilderness situations. Many more grizzly in nature. Accounts of mountain bikers being found partially consumed from Mountain lions. One of a biker who survived thanks to the help of a friend and several other mountain bikers who played tug of war with the hungry lion. Of course that mountain biker lost a lot of her physical appearances to put it politely. There's also another story. One of a West Texas man hiking with his dog. His dog continued growling at something behind them. A moutain lion finally ambushed attacking the dog first. The prepared West Texas man drew his Smith and Wesson 629 in .44 Magnum and took the mountain lions life. He lost a dog that day, but it could have been much worse.

I apologize for the long post, but I hope this helps a few people make a decision as to whether or not to carry.

Oh and I'd done some more research on the Taurus Judge. Apparantly it comes in a 2 1/2 inch barrel model. Not too bad of a size to be honest. You could carry .410 with the first two rounds to deal with snakes and .45 Colt for anything more serious after that.

I'd also suggest checking out guns chambered in the new .327 Federal Magnum. Been getting some good reviews. Although it will pack slightly less power than a .357Magnum it'll give you more punch than a 9mm and if I recall similar or better ballistics to a .40? You could get a smaller package in .327 Magnum than The Judge if that ends up being to big for you.

I don't have personal experience with The Judge or .327 Magnum, but these are suggestions based on reviews. If you have semi-automatic questions I spend more time with those.

Was toting around an XDm 45 today, but I have several flavors of .40 and .45 to pick from. I'm a little different when it comes to carrying a pistol while hunting. If I have a deer walk really close it makes it easier to draw a pistol versus trying to contort into some awkward position with a rifle. Secondly I really want to take an animal with a handgun sometime. Right now 40 yards is my max until I get more practice.

It's also nice to be able to carry my full size pistols since they don't get handled much unless I'm going to the range.

I find the retired officer story a bit off. Why would a former LEO not act on a suspicious person after two attempts. I doubt he was more interested in fishing to let a individual go harass another member of society who probably isn't armed.

Well the article said after the first attempt he was put on "high alert".

And if there was some confusion the retired law enforcement officer was the one being approached upon. There wasn't another person being harrassed. I referred to him as senior citizen/retired officer.

Any actions of drawing a firearm or anything to that nature without eminent threat is actually illegal because you're then the one threating the other person with lethal force.

So I'd imagine that's why he waited until the suspicious person knelt down.

Sig Sauer P229 Elite in 40.

I carry a .45 ACP while I hunt but would carry a .357 Mag, or, more likely, a .357 Sig if I had one since both .357s carry so much energy and being out in the woods I wouldn't worry about overpentration. IMO, that would be the best round for the job.

Also, all you haters must be bigger badasses than anything you could possibly encounter in the woods...including a criminal with a gun. What an ignorant mindset some of ya'll have.

I'm baffled as to why any hunter would want to try and make anyone else feel and/or look stupid for carrying a sidearm for protection while in the outdoors. Sometimes it just pisses me off to see grown men act like cowardly 12 year olds hiding behind mommy's skirt while calling other kids names. If any one of you was in front of anyone of of us, I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't be so demeaning.

BS! I don't recall ever knowing a landowner (I'm one) who carried a sidearm around with him or even spent much time worrying about it. I guess it is possible that some psycho could be wandering the woods or some snake came by that couldn't be killed with a rock or a stick. More than likely, the psycho will be in the city and you can thank the buzztail for eating rats and field mice. Actually, a short gun is pretty useless outdoors.

I don't have a problem with a guy carrying a pistol if he wants to. More than likely he doesn't get much opportunity to shoot it (I guess).

What I really worry about is Billy Bob Badass from the city that needs an excuse to play with his toys. And, that guy would never get inside my front gate.

OH I do agree if you want to carry your pistol and you are more comfortable, I encourage you to carry it as long as you licensed trained and not trigger happy. Especially bowhunters or people camping and not hunting. If I am at a campsite I usually will carry my pistol for personal protection but if I am in the woods hunting I figure my shotgun or rifle will be good in most situations. I do carry my pistol fishing.

On the first part, I have seen quite the contrary. As an absentee landowner, I have had numerous poachers over the years. So I normally wear my regular carry pistol when I'm out on the place. Many other landowners around me also exercise their rights to carry on their land, even if they are not a CHL holder like me. I guess the difference is in mentality: If you're carrying to be a wanna-be-cop, that's bad news. If you're carrying for a potential defensive situation and you have the right mindset, that's okay.

I think this thread was more around the potential defensive situation against hogs -- though I'd prefer a rifle in hand for that situation.

On your second point, I completely agree! The same goes for blood-thirsty city boys that want to hunt my place. And Lord knows they've tried.

we carry a pistol in the truck, normally a single action .22 for snakes and dispatching hogs that have already been shot.


i carry a 9mm in my truck, but i don't strap it on when i'm afield, dang thing is heavy, gets in the way when i'm working, etc.

if anything needs to be shot, two or four legged, while i'm out hunting, then my rifle will be fine.

In this day and time if you don't carry or at the least have ready access to a firearm you are probably going to be one of those statistics or at least be in the news one day as an inocent victim.

I know I'm in south Texas and ranchers and hunters in this part of the country have a different mindset being so close to the border, but you have to understand that there will be a time you may be glad, and mainly for peace of mind that you were armed.

I've had more than a couple encounters, and I'm not going to go into detail, but I will say I don't go anywhere and not be armed, and alone especially in the remote areas I hunt, and if you choose not to, then that's your choice, and all I have to say is good luck!

I have a lot more confidence in four rounds of three oh eight than 15 rounds of 9mm or 12 rounds of forty or 8 of 45... and with my ability to hit something under stress in the open with a handgun. And I shoot more than most, and am quite capable with a handgun.

If you want to carry fine. Invariably what we have seen is that the dove hunters who want to carry a handgun, usually end up shooting the handgun more than the shotgun.

Just to point out the Keltec PF-9 is the smallest, lightest, slimest 9mm in production. It's a great choice for CCW or a trip to the stand.

Jimbo, if I were close to the border I think I'd carry a SWAT team with me. That's in case the artillery and land mines failed. That's a spooky place.

Mewshaw, I've had poachers and certainly don't wish them well. Trespass with a deadly weapon is a felony in Montague County and that scares me. I'm not sure which one might someday also get scared about going to jail. I could get hurt or dead. However, I doubt that wearing a handgun would help much against a guy with a rifle. Like Sig said, it's no contest.

My original point is that none of my neighbors have ever carried a sidearm. I don't. None of us have ever even considered it. Now, I gotta admit that I do have a big bore next to the bed in case anyone decides to break in.

We all carry side arms on our lease. In the past I guess it was in case we had a chance at a close shot on a hog but Saturday walking in I saw my first snake and it happened to be a cottonmouth. I was glad to have my 45 but was also wishing it was a Judge. Normally I can follow the road even in moonless dark but I'll be having a flashlight now to go with my 45.

This has got to be a joke!! Why on gods green would you feel that you need to carry a hand gun while walking with a rifle?? I just knew this was a joke but I guess not. I carry a rifle while walking to the stand. Hogs are not gonna jump out and get ya and there are no bears around here so it sounds to me like a buncha folks around here sleep with night lights!! LMAO

Now if your on the boarder thats another story.....

I only carry a pistol while doing work at the property in off season. Other than that I have a hard time thinking of anything that the ole .270 wouldnt take care of for me on the way to a stand.

I haven't carried a sidearm much, but my mind changed over this last weekend. I was walking to my stand Sunday morning just before daybreak and as I got to the treeline where my stand was, I heard a grunt right in front of me.

I hit my flashlight and there were 3 or 4 hogs about 15 feet in front of me. Never heard them until they grunted. Too dark to shoot with the rifle and my .45 was in my truck. If I had it on me, I could have shot at least one of them.