For now I am leaving this in the Backcountry Health and Safety forum, but only if it stays focussed on the backcountry.
If the discussion strays away from that, but stays calm and reasonable (and experience does show that gun threads tend to have a strong pull away from staying calm and reasonable) then I will move it to Off Topic forum.
If the discussion goes off the rails and into the deep weeds, it will be deleted or locked, whichever route is indicated.
You've made a good point. This thread, I think, or what I read was actually related to carrying a firearm while hiking.
I know firearms threads can go south very quickly, but this one seems to have stayed very civil. So when I posted, what I actually had in mind was carrying while camping, rather than a pro/anti sort of thing. I should have added that I was referring to going way out in the wilderness, far from loop trails and such. We have such a huge problem with Meth labs, and to a lesser extent marijuana fields, being very candestine and out in the middle of nowhere, that I get a little nervous sometimes, especially if I smell something odd (like a chemical smell). Those types of people wouldn't think twice of harming a backpacker, just to keep the locations secret. That's pretty much what I had in mind, even though my post didn't address that point.
J.
A long time ago, I read a book called "Outpost" by Robert Heinlein. It was about a survival trip for teens to another planet. The hero's sister told him to only carry a knife for protection since then, he would be more likely to avoid danger than confront it.
In my opinion, there is very little danger if you stay on the trails as that's where the pot growers know you will be. The danger comes if you start going off trails, especially in flatter terrain near water where it would be easier to grow.
We did run across a marijuana farm on a recent hike. It had already been discovered, so it was surrounded with police tape. It was pretty easy to smell from the trail. I'd treat the smell like a bear. Don't look towards it and anyone watching may think you didn't see their farm.
Realistically, you aren't going to get off a shot if someone wants to shoot you. They will likely be behind cover with a rifle and you won't know they are there until they shoot.
If you are bushwhacking, I'd suggest coming out on a different route than you went in if you see something. That way, they won't watch for you to come back the way you came. It's like the bad guys laying mines for a patrol that comes back the same way they went out.
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