Big Cat Charge Shows You Need to Carry a Wilderness Defensive Gun

Always keep a sidearm handy for the unexpected. Here in Idaho I’ve heard of several accounts of dealing with a big cat or a grizzly
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A video currently going viral on Reddit proves an age-old adage among many of us: Stay strapped! It also should provide a tale of caution as well, especially for some of us that might think we don’t need a handgun–namely hunters. But your hunting gun and your wilderness defensive gun usually aren’t very equal to the tasks at hand.

Carrying a Wilderness Defensive Gun

When we hit the woods each Fall, we’re typically pretty strapped to begin with. A bow or crossbow, a high-powered rifle, these tools make most of us feel pretty darn safe. I mean, come on. We practice our bow shots out past 50 yards. And forget about it, you know we’re rocking that rifle way farther than we can see, right?!?

Of course, a cold hard truth remains–it’s tough to deploy the average hunting gun as a defensive gun in many scenarios. When we head afield, many of us chase adventure just as much as the game we aim to shoot. That pursuit often puts the body in compromising positions as it relates to safety from predators while afield.

Where’s your rifle when you operate that badass ATV? In the carrier? Slung maybe? Can you reliably get that bolt gun into action while facing a charge from a cat or bear, exploding out of the thicket??? You might be able to. You might not. In fact, attacks happen so fast, you might not even get a handgun out of a belt or shoulder holster in time. That’s the truth of hunting where big, toothy critters live. It’s part of the allure that calls many of us up the mountain. But it remains a threat to our safety as well.

Have a Plan

The best self-defense plan blends awareness and precaution, continually. Just because we step outside, that doesn’t mean it’s time to put up our self-defense pistol. Now a .380 may not be the best plan here, for sure. But pistols chambered in .44 Rem Mag, 10mm and even .45 ACP bring a lot power to your plan.

Better still, practicing to effectively deploy that pistol in a wilderness defensive shooting should marry your basic EDC training anyway. The majority of your focus should be on safely and effectively clearing leather and presenting to target. Shoot movers at your range if possible. And train hard to take aim-small types of shots, shutting down the central nervous system of a dangerous predator.