[duck911]

Well, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I did it but I recently purchased a 4 inch .357 revolver for carrying while in the Colorado woods hiking and hunting. I figured it would be enough for a large cat, and *barely* enough for a small blackbear.

(I also wanted to be able to put a lot of rounds through it at the range, so I could be confident I could hit a spot if need be. Better to be comfortable and confident with a .357 than afraid and unsure with a .454!) All arguments about .357 as woods protection aside, it's what I wanted.

HOWEVER........

Come to find out in the Colorado hunting regulations, under legal hunting methods it states that a handgun load must produce a minimum energy of 550 ft-lbs at 50 yards to be legal for hunting.

Short of some stout reloads, the average over-the-counter .357 does not meet this requirement.

Does this mean I can't even have it on me at all? Or, is it legal to carry for 2-legged and 4-legged problems as long as I'm not actually actively hunting game with it?

Open carry is legal in Colorado so couldn't I say it wasn't for shooting an animal but for self-defense?

Seems like a slippery slope. Any ideas? I will be contacting the DOW for some answers, as well...