Really had no idea what I was going to get myself for Christmas, but a little hike in the woods last July pretty much scared the crap out of me. Coming face to face with a black bear while out berry picking with nothing more than my voice and a stick as defense kind of put a gift for myself in the back of my mind.

Christmas Eve I bought myself a Ruger SR9 9mm.

Spent yesterday at the local range with it and absolutely fell in love. Nice Pistol.

I'm sorry to break this to you, Outlaw, but a 9mm may not be terribly effective against black bears. I highly recommend bear repellent from UDAP.

On the other hand, nice pistol!

Ha!

I actually carry that Bear Repellent now. The gun is for other uses as well.

It may be like shooting a tank, but it's sure as hell better than a stick!

Congrats on the purchase

Bear Repellent? Such things exists?
Personally I would really like for some wild boar repellent. We have a lot of those out here, and I'm to be frank more scared of them than bears (bears being more predictable and less hostile towards humans).

Yeesh. I've hunted/trapped boar and it's not a pleasant experience. If ever there was a need for greaves...

Here's the link for it, Fnord.

http://www.udap.com/

Since pigs have better senses of smell than people, they should be affected by the repellent as well. But the distance at which you need to use it pretty much mean you're still in grave danger. Personally, I'd feel better with a boar spear.

We don't need to ask the bear question any longer, but we do have another one....

Doe's an Outlaw #%&*$# in the woods?

One man's bear repellant is another bear's tobasco sauce.

The rangers at Yellowstone said the bear repellent was effective some of the time.

Wow, just read the story about the hunter getting attacked by the bear at that link and the photos are horrific but could have been fatal if he hadn't played dead I guess.

Well, if you're out there in the woods with someone else when the bear shows up, you can always use it to pop one of your buddies knees. That is sure to raise your chances of escaping the bear considerably

Nice Ruger!

I have a Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm and I love it too. I also have a lifetime concealed carry permit.

About the bears and boars, I'm glad I live in Indiana where there's nothing in the woods that wants to eat me. The only time I've ever even been nervous outside here was when I was a kid riding my bicycle in the country and happened upon a group of white tailed deer around a corner in the road. I stopped my bike about 20 feet from them and the big buck snorted at me so I slowly turned around and rode the other way.

LMAO! The same tactic works for zombies if you're overrun.

I had a similar experience when I was mountain biking a few years back in Hamsterley Forest which is really deserted the further you go in and up the hills. One sunday morning cruising along a trail surrounded on both sides with densely packed trees that looked pitch black within them, and rounded a corner to see a male with his huge antlers. I stopped and he raised his head, starred at me then bounded off into the forest. It was a fantastic sight.

Outlaw you are definitely an evil person because you take personal responsibility for your own safety rather than entrusting your well-being to the state. Shame on you!

I went in to renew my CCW today(no such thing as a lifetime permit in AL) and in the 5 or so minutes I was in there 8 people dropped off new permit apps(and 3 of those were women). I said something to the effect of "it does me good to see so many new apps" and one of the ladies behind the counter said "it's killing us" and then proceeded to explain that they have had more applications for new CCWs in the last 3 months than they did all last year. So you're not alone Outlaw. Welcome to the club.

That baiting should be in the PWEC forum....

I went to Timmins in northern Ontario a few years ago and sitting in the cafe listening to them talk about having to shoot a Black Bear that was running around the town centre the day before, 1stJuly and it was snowing Brrr it sure was a cold town. Timmins is at 48N and COLD I lived at 58N in Scotland and it was a hang of a sight warmer there!

I also have a Ruger 9mm. I have the P95. l love it.

Jason

Nice!

Bear Repellent . Also works quite well on wild boars. Just not in Far Cry 3....unless you craft a hunting potion, which somehow makes your bullets more "lethal".