DieselRanger
Well-known member
Front country - i.e., urban/suburban state parks: Generally lots of people around. Homeless camps sure, but most of those people just want to be left alone. If I feel I need to carry, I don't go there, and here in Colorado the vast majority of people are recreational trail users. Avoid conflict by studying the particular park and trail system - know of any special trail use rules (e.g., mountain bikes only on odd days or whatever) - when news-making encounters happen, it's usually because of a conflict over trail use and/or perceptions of what proper trail use is.
Side country - i.e., NF near suburban areas - here in Colorado, this is now becoming the homeless suburbs, and there are lots of people with questionable judgment. I conceal carry always. Shooting is legal in most NF areas here - unregulated except for the eye-of-the-law-enforcement-officer's "reckless use" judgment, and always consult a map and your surroundings before ripping off some rounds yourself. Was approached on the trail five miles from the trailhead an hour out of town one day by two fully tactically kitted USFS rangers and a Sheriff's deputy looking for someone they said was camping in the area and was dangerous - asked if I had seen any signs of camping or happened upon anyone strange or standoffish or outright violent. Turns out the dude had been living in a cave on a meth binge and was breaking into cars at trailheads and held up a couple of young women for their car. There have been several murders, shootings, and bodies dumped up and down the Front Range sidecountry in the last ten years, concentrated near the usual urban areas. Have heard automatic weapons fire and fully automatic shotguns. This to me is the most dangerous kind of area - people of questionable character and judgment can get to it easily, but it's far enough outside of civilized areas that they feel they can get away with anything. Most of the time, they too want to be left alone and don't want to threaten anyone. Policy: be polite, conceal carry, and have your spidey senses up and your radar calibrated to your surroundings. Seek out local knowledge if you're going to a new-to-you sidecountry area.
Backcountry - I open carry because the biggest threat is wildlife, and sometimes people's large dogs that are off-leash, and I want speed vs. discretion in those cases. Most people you meet in the deep backcountry are not threats, and chance/surprise encounters in the Rockies and intermountain West are not generally with criminal elements. I've surprised more couples engaged in "afternoon delights" than people doing things they shouldn't. Again, always be polite, stay aware of your surroundings, and be keen to red flags. Some people are uncomfortable when they see you have a firearm, but they'll generally scuttle away. Ignore any snide comments, and don't talk to people with your hand resting on the butt of your sidearm like you're ************** John Wayne. Once I've sized up the other party and determined they're not a threat, my hands are on my pack straps near my chest the whole time when I'm wearing a drop, or if I have a chest rig, they're on my waistbelt and I don't move my hands toward my weapon or touch it - unless I feel I need to draw it.
Regarding concealed vs open carry - this is a debate as old as America - but I tend to land on the side of being the "gray man" in the most high-probability encounter areas. Don't advertise you're a tacti-cool ************ (including don't put your "Smith and Wesson Still Beats Four Aces" sticker on your truck), always look for cover, retreat paths, and exits. Advertising your ability, equipment, and intent in those situations can make you the first target and object of tactical surprise if someone intent on doing people harm see you first. In deep wilderness, open carry means faster access to your firearm when you need it, with a statistically zero chance of meeting someone intent on doing you harm.
Firearm vs bear spray: bullets don't blow back in your face or your companions', and there are studies that show between a firearm and bear spray, firearms are as near to 100% effective a can be at stopping a predatory or otherwise violent wildlife encounter, whereas pepper spray is measurably less effective (~85% or so for *effectively* employed spray). There have been a few documented cases where pepper spray has turned brown bear encounters from what was likely a bluff into a full-on attack. Carrying the right gear for the job is also important - there was a recent report in Alaska of a dogsled team attacked and stomped by a bull moose, the musher dumped her magazine (a .380) into the moose and it turned away from her, but just stood there and took it while it stomped the dogs, for over an hour. Took someone with a rifle to come from the nearest town to kill it. Guaranteed had that been a caliber with power behind it, that moose would have dropped or given up. After that she decided she needed more firepower.
Side country - i.e., NF near suburban areas - here in Colorado, this is now becoming the homeless suburbs, and there are lots of people with questionable judgment. I conceal carry always. Shooting is legal in most NF areas here - unregulated except for the eye-of-the-law-enforcement-officer's "reckless use" judgment, and always consult a map and your surroundings before ripping off some rounds yourself. Was approached on the trail five miles from the trailhead an hour out of town one day by two fully tactically kitted USFS rangers and a Sheriff's deputy looking for someone they said was camping in the area and was dangerous - asked if I had seen any signs of camping or happened upon anyone strange or standoffish or outright violent. Turns out the dude had been living in a cave on a meth binge and was breaking into cars at trailheads and held up a couple of young women for their car. There have been several murders, shootings, and bodies dumped up and down the Front Range sidecountry in the last ten years, concentrated near the usual urban areas. Have heard automatic weapons fire and fully automatic shotguns. This to me is the most dangerous kind of area - people of questionable character and judgment can get to it easily, but it's far enough outside of civilized areas that they feel they can get away with anything. Most of the time, they too want to be left alone and don't want to threaten anyone. Policy: be polite, conceal carry, and have your spidey senses up and your radar calibrated to your surroundings. Seek out local knowledge if you're going to a new-to-you sidecountry area.
Backcountry - I open carry because the biggest threat is wildlife, and sometimes people's large dogs that are off-leash, and I want speed vs. discretion in those cases. Most people you meet in the deep backcountry are not threats, and chance/surprise encounters in the Rockies and intermountain West are not generally with criminal elements. I've surprised more couples engaged in "afternoon delights" than people doing things they shouldn't. Again, always be polite, stay aware of your surroundings, and be keen to red flags. Some people are uncomfortable when they see you have a firearm, but they'll generally scuttle away. Ignore any snide comments, and don't talk to people with your hand resting on the butt of your sidearm like you're ************** John Wayne. Once I've sized up the other party and determined they're not a threat, my hands are on my pack straps near my chest the whole time when I'm wearing a drop, or if I have a chest rig, they're on my waistbelt and I don't move my hands toward my weapon or touch it - unless I feel I need to draw it.
Regarding concealed vs open carry - this is a debate as old as America - but I tend to land on the side of being the "gray man" in the most high-probability encounter areas. Don't advertise you're a tacti-cool ************ (including don't put your "Smith and Wesson Still Beats Four Aces" sticker on your truck), always look for cover, retreat paths, and exits. Advertising your ability, equipment, and intent in those situations can make you the first target and object of tactical surprise if someone intent on doing people harm see you first. In deep wilderness, open carry means faster access to your firearm when you need it, with a statistically zero chance of meeting someone intent on doing you harm.
Firearm vs bear spray: bullets don't blow back in your face or your companions', and there are studies that show between a firearm and bear spray, firearms are as near to 100% effective a can be at stopping a predatory or otherwise violent wildlife encounter, whereas pepper spray is measurably less effective (~85% or so for *effectively* employed spray). There have been a few documented cases where pepper spray has turned brown bear encounters from what was likely a bluff into a full-on attack. Carrying the right gear for the job is also important - there was a recent report in Alaska of a dogsled team attacked and stomped by a bull moose, the musher dumped her magazine (a .380) into the moose and it turned away from her, but just stood there and took it while it stomped the dogs, for over an hour. Took someone with a rifle to come from the nearest town to kill it. Guaranteed had that been a caliber with power behind it, that moose would have dropped or given up. After that she decided she needed more firepower.
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