Posted on 04/25/2005 4:43:06 AM PDT by rellimpank
Walk loudly and carry a big stick.
That's my approach to hiking in mountain-lion country.
I've fashioned a stout walking stick out of a pine branch that now is as much a part of my hiking gear as a water bottle and bug spray.
(Excerpt) Read more at rapidcityjournal.com ...
My self-defense approach to hiking in mountain lion county is to carry, not a stick, but a .30-30 rifle.
How 'bout a firestick, instead?
LOL! I sing so badly, it could provoke an attack! I'll stick with a firearm, thanks...(8^D)
That definitely will do it!
Yeah, this guy is completely clueless about how to defend himself from a wild animal attack. He must be one of those "let's get back to nature" freaks. I'm from the Southwest Virginia mountains, where we have all kinds of potentially dangerous critters, such as the occasional mountain lion, black bears, bobcats, feral dogs (which run in packs), and coyotes. Needless to say, whacking an attacker with a stick while singing Kum-ba-ya will not make any appreciable impression upon said attacker. "Bang" sticks are definitely the way to go if you want to survive an encounter...
Little music with your dinner sir?
mountain lions need to eat too. those who hike in their territory unarmed have the brains that God gave to squirrels and are therefore best incorporated into the food chain as intended.
natural selection at its best.
I dunno...I've hiked a lot of miles in VA and NC and the most I've encountered are some deer and a couple snakes. Its always possible but it really borders on the "getting struck by lightning" realm of possibility.
My suspicion is that most humans are simply too noisy for most beasts...hard walking, backpack jingling. I carry a stick...sassafrass but hardly a weapon...as an aid in hiking.
Of course, you have to be cautious and aware. But from what I have seen, the biggest danger to hiking armed would be shooting yourself in the foot or something similar.
The idea that "[m]ore people are hurt or killed by firearms in accidents and so forth than are ever injured by animals" is breathtaking illogical and irrelevant in considering whether to arm oneself to deal with a potential attack by a mountain lion. All anyone needs is basic firearms safety training and the ability and willingnesss to apply it to avoid any serious risk of injury when carrying for self protection against a lion. Also, this nitwit lumps together all accidents "and so forth" to come up with his assertion, instead of looking at what actually happens to people carrying guns to protect themselves against attacks by lions. He wouldn't even be able to get past the first week of Statistics 101.
FWP in Montana has a pamphlet that encourages you not to use a gun against a grizzlies, "You'll only provoke them." They go on to encourage you, "If you are attacked by a grizzlie, strike and slap them on the nose to annoy them."
Kevin and FWP - idiots of the same cloth.
I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.
Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"
I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.
High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.
Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!
-agree--I know more who have had Lyme Disease than were et by painters--
Yeah right, just the way they are going to find you, laying there with that big stick.
Seriously, a walking stick and a happy tune are fine but a 44 magnum on your hip would be better.
I used to feel the way you do. I have talked to several people,(even gun owners) who use the phrase, "shoot themselves in the foot." I call this phenomenon, the Barney Fife effect. I love Barney, but he has done some damage to the responsible gun owner.
Suffice it to say, a careful look at the statistics of gun accidents within their proper context do not support the image of Gomer, Goober and Barney going around shooting their toes off. Carry permit holders by and large are a cut above the average citizen in terms of their education, training and lack of criminal records.
It is a responsible act to arm yourself against potential attack from any two-legged or four-legged beast.
Another habit to break.
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