Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Bear Repellent?

I don't necessarily have a problem with someone carrying in the backcountry. I have done it before, but don't usually do it because of the weight issue. Even my compact .45 that I usually carry at home (Glock 30) weighs plenty with a full mag. And when I have carried, it was not with bears in mind, I have never had a problem scaring a bear off without resorting to firearms.

Unfortunately, there are occasionally people who act completely irresponsibly with firearms. Instead of restricting everyone, I would favor a more commonsense approach of confiscation from those who do stupid things and banning future firearm ownership on their part. A good example of that happened recently in the Tulare County Sheriff's office. Someone with a CCW went into the office with his pistol (ignoring the signs that say not to do so) and they asked him to put it on the counter and leave it alone. In the process, he had an accidental discharge. They promptly removed both the pistol and the CCW from his possession.

I'm not a big fan of firearms in any public place. But if it,s in a pack, out of sight then who's gonna know. Besides maybe we should trade those bear cans for guns anyway. Seems to me like we only need one or the other right? But seriously, the best safety any firearm has is what the operator has inside their head aka common sense. I am of the opinion that any form of bear repellent use should be the last resort, after you have done everything else and have no other choice. To shoot animal cause you fear for your life I can understand. to shoot an animal because the food you mishandled is now being eaten I don't understand. I would discourage firearms, but if you must then practice being discreet and low keyed.

I recently went with my wife to the museum in Independence. I was checking out the Norman Clyde exhibit and noticed a pistol. He carried one frequently on his trips. A note in the display said that the very pistol was given to him by none other than Jules Eichorn. I wonder what they would both say about all this? There's my 2 cents. Rub them together. Carry legally if you desire, or don't. Either way, respect both points of view.


Rafael....

I hate to post any thing negative here, but I think your comments demand a reply. I was with the group of cops or as you like to call us "dumbasses" who were hiking in Onion Valley the day you came in contact with us. I'd like to clear some things up. First of all as for as being above the law let me assure you as peace officers we are held much more accountable for our actions on or off duty. As far as carrying firearms in National Parks, we are not prohibited. The group of "dumbasses" you encounted was comprised of officers, who for the last several years have made hundreds of arrests resulting in the jailing of numerous violent gang members and drug dealers. Without exception, everyone of us had been shot at or involved in shootings. One of the group was still recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest he suffered while fighting with a gangster who had just disemboweled his neighbor and was attempting to kill his wife and family. We carry our guns 24/7 and dont leave them locked in the car. When we were picking up our permits, and bear canisters we informed the Forest Service we would be carrying our weapons(yes, we do follow rules,permits,canisters,fishing licenses, no open fires, etc). As far as carrying large packs, what business is that of yours, if thats what we like, why would it bother you. It was certainly not the intention of our group to upset anyone, we were just taking a vacation. However, if you are going to post something here, dont embellish your posts with converations that didn't occur, or make statements about things you saw that weren't there.

Desertseeker: Just to clarify, I think dayhiker was quoting an on-line journal from the PCT when the term "dumbasses" was used in relation to Police Officers. I agree that the original poster has zero understanding of law enforcement and the realities of dealing with evil people day in and day out. Had TSHTF, that same PCT hiker would have been very happy that the "dumbasses" were willing to lug the extra pounds that could have potentially saved everyone's asses.

While I do question why dayhiker would choose to quote such a highly offensive post in the first place, I don't think it's fair to attribute the quote to him/her.