I live in mountains with bears, cougars, coyotes. Self defense is a priority as I'm alone a home alot.
134955
In order to gain back your civil rights, you might be able to vacate your felony depending on the type of conviction.   Once the court vacates the record of conviction, you may state that you have never been convicted of that crime, even though the court file remains in existence. \n\nUnfortunately for your situation, the vacating or sealing of a court record does not necessarily change or delete the records maintained by law enforcement agencies, the Department of Licensing or other government agencies handling gun ownership. \n\nThus, it would require an attorney's assistance on how a vacated felony would apply to your situation.  Speak with your local bar association and they will be able to give you an attorney's referral.
401633
The .357 magnum has stopped bear attacks before and killed a bear, in AZ a bear got through a fence and attacked a girl in a camp who didn't wipe the smores off of her face the counselor shot the bear with his shorter .357 magnum, the bear didn't die really fast. \nThe .357 magnum has been proven though not to penetrate the skulls on bigger black bears and grizzly bears. The best gun would be a 12 gauge shotgun, they will stop a bear at closer ranges, they stop lions and bigger and nastier stuff in Africa. My uncle lived in Africa, the shotgun should do it, a rifle is a good choice, better at longer ranges and even close up, but you need a bigger one and sometimes it takes longer for the bear to sucumb to the wound. A rifle is significantly more powerful than any pistol. For black bear a .30/06, .338/06 or .35 whelen or even a .45-70 are good rounds. If it is charging a big rifle at least the .338. The .450 marlin which is a souped up .45-70 is an awesome round and can be found in short marlin lever actions which would help you in bear country and be better for grizzlies. The grizzly definitely would need a shotgun or .338 winchester mag at the least. I would prefer a .50 caliber BMG rifle but they have yet to make them compact and light. \n\nAs for handguns, the .44 magnum is the least minimum I would recommend. It is not the best but is a mild recoiler compared to some other except for the .480 ruger but that has less penetrations due to the heavier bullet but it is still a great pistol round. The .454 casul and or a S&W .500 magnum or whatever they call it would be good except you will pay a premium for the .500. Pistols are a last defense weapon and do not reliably kill but are better than nothing. \n\nIf you do have a bear problem always have someone with you with a shotgun and you yourself carry a .338 winchester mag or higher and or a .450 marlin. The two of you will be alot better off and only one can get charged at a time hopefully allowing the other to get a good shot. The best scenario is the shotgun guy gets charged and opens up with 3 rounds of one buckshot one slug and one buckshot, where the riflemen gets two shots in from the side at the heart while he is preparing to charge as it is difficult when they are moving. The side shot is better for penetration and kill, then a direct on shot, but both can be fatal if hit right. I have hunted bear, it is alot harder with a frontal shot because of the placement of the heart and the uncertainty of the head shot. Plus even at 100 yards I was scared!!!!! In Africa they will have the main hunter with the rifle and a guide with a rifle and then a couple others with shotguns. There are alot of nasty stuff over there like hippos, but they use shotguns and spears at times. \nBears are definitely not something with which I would like to tangle with . If it is just a camp gun, a .450 or .45-70 would be good or a .338. \n\nP.S.\nOf course an m-2 .50 cal BMG machine gun would probably be the best, its rapid rate of fire would ensure the bear would be dead but they are a little heavy and costly and hard to find outside of the u.s. army. \nBut, you sure do feel safer in camp with one of those and that is for just people! If bears attacked in numbers at least a .50 cal m-2 The bears would likely to hear the noise it makes and run away! \n\nExcept for that last part, hopefully this helps you!
130076
I think i would need a Bow, knowledge of survival, and a companion. A bow to hunt with..Arrows can be made rather easily, Knowledge of survival to guide me, and a companion so I dont start talking to myself and die of lonliness
501424
Yes we are few and far between but we are a growing group.  I have been hunting since I was big enough for my dad to pack me from stand to pit.  I just got my second buck a couple of days ago.  Gun is in here although I am a fan of my muzzleloader so it will be what I use.  Duck season is also in so I have a many of sleepless time ahead.  Goodluck on the big one though,
538875
I live in Alaska, where hunting and trapping are part of everyday life. I don't personally do either, but most people I know at least hunt, and many of my friends trap. (Say what you will about fur - it's a renewable resource and it's WARM) \n\nMost animal rights groups are extremists, boarding on terrorists. I know from personal experience - my brother is a hunting guide and a trapper and has spent YEARS under various types of attack from these idiots. One group went so far as to post his home phone number on their web site with the message, "feel free to call him and tell him what you think." My nephew couldn't answer the phone at home for months after that. The same group also admitted, in the same post that gave his phone number out, that they have a history of harassing my brother. They have a biostitute (a biologist who sells his "knowledge" to the highest bidder) who flew over my brother's house so low that my nephew was afraid to go out in his own yard. They admitted THAT on their web site, too. \n\nAnti-whaling groups freak out when our Natives hunt whales - tradition in coastal Alaska. It's not like the people who live in a small village that's not on the road system can just pop up to 7-11 or Safeway if they need to eat. \n\nIf someone ever throws paint on my beautiful coat, they'd better hope to God that I don't see them when I'm driving.\n\nWhy aren't they going after poachers? Or the jerks who shoot an animal just "for fun"? How about the puppy mills? Or the (@&! who abuse their pets? There are plenty of illegal activites out there they  could focus on, but they prefer to ignore that. I don't get it.\n\n"Fur is more violently opposed than leather because it's easier to pick on rich women than motorcycle gangs." - bumper sticker
254171
The Second Amendment like all the Amendments were to protect the States and the Individuals from the power of the Federal Government.\n\nSecond I had a Secret Service Agent tell of a time that he was being wolf packed and he pulled his weapon and the bad guys disappeared.  I have had a couple of instances where I was glad I was armed.\n\nThird protection from wildlife.  In this state we have had a couple attacks by mountain lions.\n\nFourth, hunting.  I rely on deer hunting for meat for the winter months\n\nFifth, in this state a deputy might take as long as half-hour to forty-five minutes to respond to a call.  It takes thirty seconds to bleed out if your throat is slashed.\n\nSixth, doctors and cars kill more people than firearms.\n\nSeventh, people use all sorts of weapons to kill from a rock, to a pair of scissors.  If someone is intent on harming another limiting the weapons isn't going to stop it, but someone has the choice to bring a gun to a rock fight to defend themselves isn't that a better idea?
98764
brown recluse spiders and timber rattlers.  not sure what else but those are enough for me.  there are also many cases of rabies from rodent bites each year.
651872
i live in the southeast corner of BC or the kootenay region. bow hunting here opens sept. 1st for big game animals. there is a spring turkey season that a lot of people use bows in. i have friends and family that bow hunt and have been very successful on white-tail, mule deer and elk. in the last few years the deer and elk population has exploded. if you can't get an animal here you're lazy. don't forget your fishing gear if you are coming up. the fishing here is excellent and hunting season is the best time to do it. your set-up sounds like a fine choice for the area as the longest shot you would have to make with a bow and a little patience is about 30 yards.\n\nvery best of luck
227146
I note that you said "bite resistant", not "bite proof".  Good specification.\n\nLeather.  Not your suede leather, but good thick hide for your legs, and good leather hiking boots.  For your hands, if your REALLY worried, you can try the cut proof gloves.  They are basically small-linked chain mail.\n\nMost rattlers will hide or slither away when you approach, however, this does NOT apply when they are shedding their skin.  They are VERY aggressive during this time, and Eastern Diamondbacks are more aggressive than their western cousins anyhow.\n\nThe strike is hard enough to leave a bruise.
214799
Bear. Wolves are pack animals and it's pretty hard to outwit a determined group of anything that's working as a team (this applies to sports teams and kindergarteners looking for mischief). Besides, bears are pretty lazy and unless you're in the same vicinity as their young or after their dinner, they're usually content to go their way while you go yours.\n\nHad an encounter with a bear on a mountainside in Tennessee once. I think we scared him as much as he scared us, and we all parted (quickly) as friends.\n\nBest,\n~Tia~
409894
I live in a state where guns are just a part of life. Most Alaskans have guns, some for protection, but mostly for hunting. I get pissed when people who live in big cities sneer down at those of us who chose a rural lifestyle and want to regulate guns. Um - when there is a bear on your front porch, trying to get in, come talk to me about gun control. When wolves are eating your pet dog in your yard, come talk to me about gun control. (Both incidents have happened in the town of Healy, Alaska and both are pretty recent.) When you move out to a village that is off the road system, where ALL of your food needs to be flown in and you're paying more than $7 for a gallon of milk, come talk to me about gun control. (I don't know what a pound of ground beef goes for, sorry) I know many Alaskan families - even here in Fairbanks, the 2nd largest city, who wouldn't make it through the winter if they didn't get a moose. Until Rosie - or any other anti-gun person - is willing to come up here and spend a year in a village, where they HAVE to hunt to survive, I don't pay much attention to them.
53470
I love sleeping out the the mountains, but I don't bother carrying a tent if I'm hiking in the Northeast US, my home area.\n\nInstead I build a shelter called a debris shelter.  The link below will give you instructions on how to do this.\n\nIt is liberating and there is no joy greater than feeling competent and capable in nature.
601261
I could survive on my own in the wilderness. I know how to  make a snare to catch rabbits. Rabbit fur makes nice linings to buckskin shirts and skirts/pants. I can shoot with a pistol (like my Glock31 , .357) or a bow and arrow. Deer is good cooked over an open fire if you know how to do it. I can shoot quail,pheasants and squirrels with a slingshot. I know which plants that are edible or not. Yes, I could be self sufficient. No doubt, it would be a hard life, but I could do it. But, would a Mexican do it?  No way, Jose'!!
122966
We've had deer, coyotes, bobcats, rabbits, and squirrels in our yard.  Possums and racoons, too.  We live out in the country and see all kinds of animals in our yard, both wild and domesticated.
599778
I recommend a real gun, but don't shoot em.\n\nShoot up in the air to scare em
381927
call your local game warden the can tell you the names of fur buyers in your area
119697
I'm pretty big on species protection, but that being said, I don't really have a problem with the regional lifting of protected status. The ultimate goal of listing a species as threatened or endangered is to protect and manage the population so that it can recover to a point where it is viable enough to be de-listed. No?  Grizzlies are also a species that have political significance, because they are big, potentially dangerous, require large territories, and will wander into residential areas and/or begin to kill livestock if their population gets too large. Around Yellowstone this is beginning to happen, and people are starting to get angry. In order to keep the public from becoming anti-grizzly to a point where it affects the recovery effort elsewhere, grizzlies are going to have to be carefully controlled in areas where the population is healthy. However unfortunate for individual bears, population control is a necessary evil.  As for the comment about poaching: Poaching is illegal whether the bears are protected or not, and people who are going to poach bears will do it regardless of whether the bears are protected.