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Old September 7, 2013, 06:52 AM   #51
shafter
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With a few exceptions I don't feel the need to carry a handgun when I'm hunting with a rifle. I don't need the extra weight or bulk. On occasion I will bring the Single Six long for grouse. I don't do it often though.

My other exception is I'll sometimes carry a handgun when bird hunting. Again, its just a sometimes thing and not my standard procedure.

I don't have any problem at all with a guy carrying two guns though.
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Old September 9, 2013, 06:28 AM   #52
bird_dog
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this seems like a hard law to enforce. obviously if you are caught shooting a deer with a 22LR in a state that doesn't allow it the obviously you have no defense but until you use it to try and kill a game animal there is no proof that you intend to use it to do so and there is no law anywhere in the US(except maybe DC) that says you can not carry a handgun on your person, while in the woods while hunting.
As the Ohio poster said, this is not so.

Here in NY you can not carry a handgun during archery season. I wish you could, but you can't. Don't make blanket statements about "no law anywhere in the US". Do a little checking, and you'll be amazed at the number of senseless laws in the US regarding most things, including what you can and can not carry during a hunting season.
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Old September 9, 2013, 07:19 AM   #53
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there is no law anywhere in the US(except maybe DC) that says you can not carry a handgun on your person, while in the woods while hunting.
Not so.

Quote:
you'll be amazed at the number of senseless laws in the US regarding most things, including what you can and can not carry during a hunting season.
This is so.

Nebraska, by the letter of the law, does not allow anyone to carry a centerfire anything during deer season if they do not have a deer permit.

Stupid? Of course, but some idjit convinced some other idjits that "Why, there oughta be a LAW!" ..... and that if someone had anything bigger than a .22 during deer season, well they must be poaching .......
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Old September 9, 2013, 10:43 AM   #54
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I carry a M625 in .45 Colt or a 1911 in 10mm When grouse hunting in the U.P. Only because I think a black bear might get a little peeved at being shot with a 20 gauge and # 8 shot. Grouse & bears seem to frequent the same areas in the fall.
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Old September 11, 2013, 09:00 AM   #55
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After receiving my pistol permit this past spring I fully intend on carrying a sidearm with me while hunting. I am def excited about attempting to harvest a whitetail with my Ruger Blackhawk.
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Old September 12, 2013, 12:43 AM   #56
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Before I was a hunter I was a soldier. I didn't carry a handgun then as I had a rifle that was far more powerful than any handgun!!! The same goes for rifle hunting!!! When I bow hunt, which is almost always I carry my 45 for protection from people not for killing game. There is absolutely no reason to carry a hand gun while rifle hunting!!! You sure don't need it for small game as you don't need to be making any noise killing them when your hunting big game.
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Old September 12, 2013, 06:18 AM   #57
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There is absolutely no reason to carry a hand gun while rifle hunting!!!
Unless you choose to do so. That's reason enough for me and many others and we don't have to justify it to you or anyone else. You have your opinion and we have ours.
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Old September 12, 2013, 10:58 AM   #58
Art Eatman
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A fair number of folks carry a .22 pistol of some sort for small game or for a coup de grace. A centerfire deer rifle isn't quite the thing for ptarmigan, rabbits or squirrels.

In camp, with a rifle leaned against a tree or in one's tent, a pistol on one's hip can be very useful on some rare occasion.
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Old September 12, 2013, 11:04 AM   #59
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No reason for carrying a handgun when rifle hunting? Here are a few:

1. Ability to administer less messy coup de grace, if needed;

2. Ability to keep weapon on person and ready while eating, answering calls of nature, sleeping in tent, etc if in area with predators (4 or 2 legged);

3. Pursuit of wounded animal into very dense brush (had this happen on a hog hunt, where another shooter's shoulder hit did not drop the hog; maneuver in the palmetto scrub with long guns proved extremely difficult, so people switched to magnum revolvers).
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Old September 12, 2013, 11:20 AM   #60
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Also, depending how you carry your rifle when trekking to or from location. A rifle tied to your pack while going to/from your campsite can be pretty cumbersome to get ready compared to a handgun at your side, should a need arise.

So, there are several very legitimate reasons to carry a sidearm. Despite that, because someone wants to and legally can is reason enough.
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Old September 12, 2013, 11:33 AM   #61
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I try to carry a pistol in the same round as my rifle when I hunt... May be its the old cowboy in me.

I typically hunt with my 357 magnum marlin and carry a matching revolver or my Coonan.

I ocasionally huntwith my 45-70 marlin and carry a BFR with it.

I also hunt small game with a 22lr rifle and carry one of my 22 pistols with it.

I cant do this (yet) with my shot gun but I am looking to make a SBS in the nearish future.

p.s. my S&W 640-1 goes every where with me (other than the gym) so naturally I have it in my pocket when hunting with any of my guns. The others I carry open.

Three guns may sound like a lot but I mostly hunt from stands or walk around the edges of my own property at a leisurely pace.
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Last edited by Deja vu; September 12, 2013 at 11:43 AM.
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Old September 12, 2013, 11:33 AM   #62
shortwave
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There is absolutely no reason to carry a hand gun while rifle hunting!!!
Stating 'absolutes' can be a slippery slop in most situations especially when in the woods. Not everyone hunts in the same place or has the same wildlife around them.

While there are no grizzlies,big cats etc., around my neck of the woods...people do hunt where there are some and a sidearm in camp would be wise when the long gun is less accessible.
Even at that, for those that camp out in the middle of nowhere around here, I don't blame em a bit for having a sidearm. Especially around camp. To many 2 legged predators have a habit of taking refuge from the law hiding out in the woods.

Last edited by shortwave; September 12, 2013 at 02:57 PM.
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Old September 12, 2013, 02:29 PM   #63
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ok say you are hunting for deer in a region with coastal brown bears. your rifle is a .223 bolt action and you run into a 1,200 pound bear. are you really going to try to defend yourself with a 223? according to most people, a 223 is not even enough for a 200 pound blackie so I'm guessing no. now if you were side carrying a wheel gun in 500 S&W then you would probably go for your wheel gun first.
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Old September 12, 2013, 03:32 PM   #64
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In MO, its not leagal to carry a firearm on you during archery season (while archery hunting). I have many times carried a pistol along with a rifle, usually when hunting from a tree stand, why because I wanted to take a deer with that pistol if the opportunity arose, especially as some of the deer I have killed with a rifle from it have been at less than 10 yards.
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Old September 12, 2013, 04:00 PM   #65
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panfisher, according to handgunlaw.us missouri page 6 http://handgunlaw.us/states/missouri.pdf it was legal to carry, concealed with a permit, during archery seasons for deer and turkey as of 3/1/11.

If this is inaccurate, you might want to let TFL member Gary Slider, who runs handgunlaw.us, know so he can correct it.
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Old September 12, 2013, 04:08 PM   #66
Panfisher
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YOU ARE CORRECT!! I had to look it up real quick in the hunting regs. It does indeed allow a Conceal Carry Licensed individual to carry, but doesn't allow them to harvest game with it. Honestly I wasn't even thinking CCW. I stand (actually sit) corrected. Thank you!!
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Old September 12, 2013, 04:39 PM   #67
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You are welcome. Gary frequently advises people to double check his data against their own state regs, so things could have changed. Since you said you found it in the hunting regs, I guess it's verified for now.
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Old September 12, 2013, 10:46 PM   #68
jimbob86
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There is absolutely no reason to carry a hand gun while rifle hunting!!!
IME, there certainly IS: If you shoot a downed but not dead deer in the head at close range with a .243WIN (and surely with anything larger, too) you will decorate yourself with blood and brain matter. BTDT.

And don't try to cut a deer's throat if he is not absolutely dead. I saw a grown man tossed over the deer and roll down a hill like a lost hubcap .....

A .22 to the top of the cervical spine is a neater off switch.
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Old September 12, 2013, 11:33 PM   #69
armoredman
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The gun has to be legal in your state for hunting your game animal.
AZ specifically modified hunting regs to recognize the right to carry a defensive sidearm while hunting, no matter what season it is. Restrictions are simple - if it's not a legal taking device for that hunt, don't use it to take game. I currently carry the same CZ SP-01 Phantom while hunting that I carry everywhere else. Now I have thought that the strange little Judge revolver might be an excellent desert hunting companion, with the first two chambers with .410 bird/snake shot and 45 Colt in the other 3. My senior hunting buddy always carries his 38 3 inch with three rounds of snakeshot and the rest SD ammo. Considering he killed a snake that was coming up BEHIND us while dove hunting on the first, I consider him a prudent man. Yes, the shotguns would have done the same job, but using the revolver let him bag it as a dinner entree and keep the skin whole.For those who think it is a waste of time and weight, hey, it's my time and weight to waste.
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Old September 13, 2013, 03:31 AM   #70
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Re: Carry a sidearm during a hunt?

Always carry a handgun when I'm hunting. Doesn't make a difference what I happen to be hunting. My primary hunting rifle is a Saiga, and with no magazine capacity restrictions where I live, except of course for migratory, I never feel as though I'm lacking firepower. I've never felt the need to use it, but I'm always glad I have it. Ya never know. I'd much rather have it...as the saying goes.
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Old September 25, 2013, 09:05 PM   #71
gaseousclay
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Carry a sidearm during a hunt?

I agree that a handgun would be useful during a hunt, especially if you wounded a deer (or whatever other big game) and needed to put it out of its misery. Plus, you don't know what sort of potential confrontations could arise with other hunters. Better safe than sorry. But, I would also add that it depends on the type of hunting you're going to engage in. Big game hunting, yes, bird or small game hunting, probably not.
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Old September 25, 2013, 11:32 PM   #72
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I did after my mom swore saw a mountain lion about 5 minutes up the road from where I hunt (North GA ). Bunch of other folks in the area had been hearing noises they couldn't identify and having livestock and pets turn up mauled in the morning.
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Old September 26, 2013, 11:40 AM   #73
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Old September 26, 2013, 12:19 PM   #74
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I imagine folks from sates like MT, ID, WY and AK may carry a handgun in the hunting fields for reasons the rest of you may not...Grizzly Bears! Sure, it may also be accompanied by a can of "bear spray" (pepper spray), but they will also carry a side arm!

Here is an example where a side arm may come in handy:

Imagine having just knocked down a nice elk in the thick, black timber. You rest your rifle on a log a few feet away and begin the arduous task of making that big bull into packable size chunks of good eats. The wind is blowing and it is cold! About halfway through the quartering process, a big boar grizz appears from behind a tree, 5 yards away! You rifle, is between you and him! You reach for your bear repellent, but in the excitement, you can't get the safety lever off! Mr. Grizzly is now standing and snapping his jaws, trying to claim that nice pile of meat between you and him! What do you do now? You reach for the .44 S&W revolver on your hip! That is what you do!

It is your best friend in this situation! You have practiced with it countless times, you know how it operates. You are proficient with it. It will save your life in this situation!

You see, "bear spray" is nice, but who really is willing to spend more than one can at $50 a shot to practice with it? Truthfully, no one ever practices with the stuff because it is so expensive, yet everyone shoots their pistol at least a few times a year. The gun is more effective than bear spray, in these situations.

That, folks, is why I carry a side arm while hunting!
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Old September 27, 2013, 02:38 AM   #75
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Either my Sig226 in 357Sig, my 586 357Mag or my Taurus M44 44Mag depending on the hunt.
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