Wildlife Threats Require Forethought
Many concealed carry permit holders are firm believers in keeping their weapons with them no matter what happens. Some take this strategy further than others by finding a convenient and dry place to literally stow their firearm in the shower. Others take it to unnecessary extremes, like the fellow who shot himself in the leg while fumbling for his cell phone in the dentist’s chair.
Unfortunately, familiarity breeds contempt and carrying your weapon 24/7 can foster a sense of invulnerability.
Confidence is a wonderful and necessary attribute when it comes to dealing with two-legged adversaries, but when it comes to the four-legged foes, caution, common sense, and preparedness are far more crucial skills.
If you spend any time at all recreating outdoors, you know that wild animals come with the scenery. It’s woefully naïve to believe that once the urban landscape has disappeared in the rearview mirror, vigilance can be relaxed and situational awareness can drop a notch or two. While there are certainly some violent criminals lurking in the rural backwoods of America, there are several more instances of large predators attacking humans in wild and sometimes not so wild locales.
Historical data shows that victims are rarely armed when attacked by animals despite an increase in recent years of more attacks from a myriad of large predators. Mountain lions have attacked and sometimes killed several hikers and bikers in the Western states. As author John Caile points out in his article “Some Threats Have More Than Two Legs…” at USConcealedCarry.com, bears are not the cuddly creatures often depicted on television:
“Black bears inhabit much of the nation, are [less] fearful of humans, and contrary to their ‘cute’ TV image, can be quite deadly. Wild hogs have taken over much of the Southern half of the United States, and they are getting bigger (and more aggressive) every year.” (Read more at USConcealedCarry.com)
Heavy duty bear spray can be an effective deterrent if you choose not to carry or are uncomfortable carrying, a firearm. But it begs the question “Will it work on other animals such as mountain lions, wild hogs, or wolves?”
The answer is yes since the active ingredient is capsaicin -- the same stuff that is used in almost all self-defense sprays, but in different percentages. However animals’ attack patterns vary and your ability to implement a pepper spray barrage may be severely limited.
If you are planning an outdoor sortie into your local national forest, the best plan is to first know which wildlife species pose potential threats, then adjust your EDC to meet the threat. As always, check local concealed carry regulations before leaving.
