Originally Posted by
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I carry a pistol only if I am hunting with it. I see no reason to tote the extra weight and very very few people practice enough with a pistol to be good enough with it to protect themselves from something like a bear etc...
Face it if you can't kill it with a rifle then you ain't going to kill it with a pistol. I grew up in country with a lot of bear and cougar and I never saw an instance in which having a pistol would have been any benefit. As always, feel free to disagree and if you want to tote an extra 3-4 lbs around every day, have at it. Not a big deal if your hunting style is sitting in a stand but if you walk and hunt like I do, I don't want the weight.
If 3-4 pounds makes that much of a difference then its time to get in better hiking shape or drop some other gear imo.
I'm not sure the type of places you all hunt, but I go miles into the woods and into places that most likely wont see human foot prints until I return the following year. To not take a pistol would be moronic on my part.
What if I fell down the mountain side and injured myself, forced to spend the night in the woods and possibly on the ground. What happens if you lose the long rifle during the fall? If something crazy were to happen and I had to run from someone/something I'm dropping the long rifle and covering ground while still having my pistol for protection.
Further more, if you're not taking it because you don't think you are good enough with it, then my recommendation would be to practice more.
If I'm hunting in a more populated area then I might not carry my pistol, but in the very remote areas I hunt, I actually worry if I don't have it on me.