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  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Malto View Post
    Also, according to the internet which has to be right, we average three bear fatalities per year but 90 deaths due to lighting. Perhaps a gun would put you more at risk due to the metal content and risk of lightning strikes.
    In this instance, relying on Wikipedia for stats is a bad idea. The real figures for lightning deaths are nowhere near 90.

    http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/fatalities.shtml

  2. #22
    Leonidas
    Join Date
    04-26-2016
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    Birmingham, Alabama
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    Last year I believe it was, a guy had a bear get his pack, he was carrying a 9mm and the rangers told him to fire in a safe direction to deter the bear. Turns out the gun was in his pack that the bear already had...
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by JC13 View Post
    Last year I believe it was, a guy had a bear get his pack, he was carrying a 9mm and the rangers told him to fire in a safe direction to deter the bear. Turns out the gun was in his pack that the bear already had...
    That brings a new meaning to bear arms.

    Was that Saunders Meadow Shelter? Now that you mention it, I remember a story about someone being armed - but I don't recall anything about them leaving their firearm in their pack - just that they didn't use it.

  4. #24
    Leonidas
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    The only location point I think I remember was somewhere in VA.

    I was following someone's journal, they had stopped at the shelter for a break and found an unattended pack and a bear fiddling with it. They and the other hiker with them started calling to see if someone was nearby but no one answered. They recorded the bear getting the pack and as they were leaving, ran into the hiker and a ridgerunner. The hiker had apparently gone to get water and left his pack unattended.
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  5. #25
    Registered User Just Bill's Avatar
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    07-06-2013
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    Chicago, Il
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    Quote Originally Posted by GaryM View Post
    Valid point. On a state level they might not be but on a federal level they are. But seeing as how I am in Florida that isn't much of a concern for me.
    I don't want to argue if they are a good or bad idea, I am just curious if there have been any known incidents where a firearm was used in defense or offense on they trail. The only one I have heard of was the local who went out and murdered a few hikers.
    For the most part they are still illegal, so for the most part you won't hear about them unless there was an official police report.
    Many parts of the AT are local trails with local names so unless you were really scanning them there's decent chance the police report might not report it as AT related per say.
    Last edited by Alligator; 08-29-2017 at 02:09. Reason: Supposition-Not SF Enough

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by JC13 View Post
    The only location point I think I remember was somewhere in VA.

    I was following someone's journal, they had stopped at the shelter for a break and found an unattended pack and a bear fiddling with it. They and the other hiker with them started calling to see if someone was nearby but no one answered. They recorded the bear getting the pack and as they were leaving, ran into the hiker and a ridgerunner. The hiker had apparently gone to get water and left his pack unattended.
    We watched the same video. Skip to the 8:00 mark. The hiker had a can of bear spray and a gun on his person but ran away instead. Pasted below because this is the type of information the original poster was looking for.


    Since someone brought it up, firearms can be legally carried for the overwhelming majority of the AT. All of the states along its path have either shall issue, may issue permit policies and 4 actually require no permits at all. The only sections of the AT where I'm certain firearms are prohibited is Baxter and I believe Maryland has a specific prohibition. Otherwise, it's fine - subject to state law. I believe a police officer or a retired police officer could technically carry from end to end.

  7. #27
    Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by GaryM View Post
    Since firearms are now legal while hiking I am curious to know if there have been any incidents where any people or bears have been shot. Either defensively or offensively.
    Yes there have been cases. Although I can't cite any AT instances, in their research article Tom Smith et al. analyzed 269 incidences of human-bear conflict in Alaska involving firearms involving black, brown and polar bears. A statistical analysis of the incidences revealed that "...firearm bearers suffered the same injury rates in close encounters with bears whether they used their firearms or not."

    On the other hand, in a related article, the authors found that bear spray was more effective at stopping the bears' undesirable behavior and concluded that "Bear spray represents an effective alternative to lethal force and should be considered as an option for personal safety for those recreating and working in bear country."

    Smith, T. S., Herrero, S., Layton, C. S., Larsen, R. T. and Johnson, K. R. (2012), Efficacy of firearms for bear deterrence in Alaska. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 76: 1021–1027. doi:10.1002/jwmg.342 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.342/abstract

    SMITH, T. S., HERRERO, S., DEBRUYN, T. D. and WILDER, J. M. (2008), Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 72: 640–645. doi:10.2193/2006-452 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1.../2006-452/full

  8. #28

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    Most of the gun threads, if not started in Straight Forward, necessitate a move there (or are moderated for drift nearly as strictly) because the members are unable to focus on the questions asked and instead inevitability spin the topic into debating whether or not one should carry on the trail. It's been done to death. Without moderation, they get ugly pretty fast.

    What did the OP ask for in this thread? Anecdotes regarding possible firearm use against bears or people. How many people actually answered him vs how many just flew off on tangents concerning guns? A majority didn't answer the question, even after it was cleaned up and a warning was placed that the thread was in SF.

    3. Topics that have been closed, deleted, or moved by an Administrator or Moderator have been done for a reason. Users will not open new threads on the same subject or continue to make posts about subjects that have had these actions taken. Failing to comply with this policy can result in being placed into moderated status.
    Thread is now closed.
    Last edited by Alligator; 08-30-2017 at 12:38. Reason: Clarification
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