Originally Posted by Mountain_Hunter

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.

Dude I spent more than 25 years on active duty and I'll bet I can run circles around you any day if the week. Bottom line toting extra weight makes no sense.

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.

I have been known to spend 2 or 3 weeks living out of a backpack while hunting at more than 9000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. I don't hunt in day hikes. Depending on a pistol to save you is a fool's bet. Better to have good situation awareness in the first place.

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.

If a frog's butt wasn't watertight he would sink when it jumped in. Like I said, situational awareness is the key. Don't put yourself in those situations in the first place. Don't take a dangerous route. Take time to do things safely. If you are dumb enough to fall down a hill and make yourself totally helpless then nothing is going to make you safe since you're a careless hunter in the first place.

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.

My recommendation is leave it at home and learn how to hunt safely. Reliance on a pistol is foolish. Ever been in combat? Didn't think so. The only reason military people carry handguns is so they can fight their way to a long gun. Very few people can use one effectively and I'm willing to bet you $1000 I can out shoot you with one. I qualified as expert with both the .45 ACP and the 9mm and I often hunt with a handgun. But when 'm rifle hunting I tote a rifle.

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.

Exactly where do you hunt that is so "remote" that you absolutely have to have a pistol to hunt safely? I grew up hunting in CO before it got populated and I have hunted in WY, MT, UT, ID, AZ,NM, AK and Canada and not once have I ever wished I had a handgun for "protection" when I was hunting. I never go unarmed when hiking and will always have a handgun on my hip but not when hunting with a rifle.
If I can't protect myself with a long gun then all those years in the military were wasted when it comes to training.