I carry a fully loaded 12 gauge shotgun with me at all times when out in the woods..................when I'm bird hunting.
And only then.
Tayler, no offense bud but I've had all those experiences many times over and never even thought about needing a gun.
I've been eyeballed by a mama cat as a potential food source but a gun never crossed my mind. I waved my rod case and spoke and she vanished without a trace. Really, no trace. No tracks, bent weeds, tufts of hair, nothing.
Hiking back up out of the North Fork once I clearly heard a bear foraging it's way towards me. I stepped off the trail and leaned against a tree to wait and get a look. Well, I never got that look as the wind wasn't in my favor. With the sounds about 50 yards out it got real quiet except for a loud sniffing noise and then the sound of a freight train heading away from me. Never crossed my mind to shoot it.
These animals are out there all the time and they are very little risk to adult male humans. The cat "stalking" me is a curious cat. A large one I'll grant you but still fairly predictable. Coyotes do it also. Never seen a bobcat do it but I'm sure that's just because they're so sneaky.
Now if you're fishing where you may have trouble with two legged animals I can see your point. Shoot a tweeker save a (fill in anything here).
And I would never shoot a snake.
Maybe I'm just damned lucky to still be alive, or it may be that the bears and lions aren't all that dangerous to humans.
Could go either way.
Ed
Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it.
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