Re: [Paddlewise] Guns? When and Where?

I carry a 30.06 on multi-week canoe trips on the Barrenground in
Canada...for grizzly. I have met other far northern canoeists with MANY more
years experience than me , who carry nothing of the sort.  Once in the Yukon
a 2nd-yearling  black bear cornered my wife in the tent one morning, 3
attempts to chase it off failed, so I shot it and felt miserable. Once in
Saskatchewan (on the northern Peace River), had an orphan (courtesy of
spring bear hunters)  yearling black bear, hanging around camp for 3 or 4
hours....unable to drive it away (despite repeated attempts)... same fate.
So it was useful twice, though perhaps not so much the 2nd time. But these
were multi-week one-way river trips, where the inconvenience of getting the
food  trashed by the bear, or a mauling, or the tent damaged  outweighed
other considerations. NEITHER of these trips are high on my "memory lane' of
trips, probably for because of what happened.

One in the Yukon ( on another trip to the Canol Heritage Trail) we were
chided by a group on naturalists who ran a nature lodge, for carrying a gun.
Though, after a moments hesitation they also mentioned that the natives
never went into the bush without a rifle, and admitted that they were often
saw grizzlies, near the lodge  but mentioned that they also travelled in
groups of 6-8 people.

On the Lockhart River (MacKay Lake) NWT  we met a solo  kayaker, who had
borrowed a "cap-pistol"  type device from an outfitter , which he though was
pretty worthless. Of interest was the fact that all of his campsites were on
rocky little islands in the lake because of his fear of bears (grizzly)...
his "ursaphobia"probably impacted his trip more than the weight of a rifle,
and/or the philosophical implications thereof!

This summer we will be  up on the Arctic Coast/ Bathurst Inlet  for 7
weeks...in the southern limit of polar bears, and in grizzly country. The
rifle comes along. Pepper spray ( which my wife now carries, because of her
aversion to shooting bears) is of limited utility in 20 mph winds. Often I
realize that for the 7lb weight  of a rifle I could carry 2-350 ml bottles
of 20 year old single malt Scotch. Far more useful in actuality.

I think it's a personal decision. At the risk of being flippant, I think
it's stupid, a waste of weight, a potential danger, BUT if you sleep better
for it, it's worth the foolishness. (Sort of like the nerdy  15 year old
virgin boy  who carries a condom in his wallet.. Semper paratus). My
opinion, which sells for < $0.02.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Sailboat Restorations, Inc." <sailboatrestorations_at_worldnet.att.net>
To: <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 4:17 AM
Subject: [Paddlewise] Guns? When and Where?


> I hope this isn't like opening a can of worms.  If it is, just everyone
> please ignore it and I'll get the idea.  Please, no flames.  I've heard
all
> the arguments, and I agree with all of them already <g>.
>
> I was wondering how many people like to carry a gun on trips in wilderness
> areas.  I'm thinking of doing some solo paddling in Northern Maine this
year
> (lakes and rivers).  I've read several accounts by people who were glad
they
> had a shotgun with them (moose, bears, etc).  The last thing on earth I
want
> is to ever have to kill a wild animal (my Mother tells me I cried as a
child
> when the neighborhood brats killed a squirrel).  But I do know how to use
> firearms.
>
> Also, if you do carry a gun, what do you carry?  And where?  There isn't a
> whole lot of room in the cockpit of my boat (CD Caribou).  I was thinking
of
> having a bag made to carry it on the foredeck, but that could send the
wrong
> "message" to humans I might encounter. . . .
>
> Thoughts, opinions, anecdotes. . . ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mark L
>
>
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