Felt safe until now

[Penns Woods]

Great!! Just what i needed, Up until now I have always felt safe sleeping in the car or camping while in the Adirondacks. Now I'm not so sure.
NY state Police has a warning for the lookout for Anthony Bechand, considered armed and dangerous. He was last sighted near Thirteenth Lake.
Whereabouts now unknown. I guess even in the mountains you have to e careful.

 

[Phoenix]

I used to take my dog everywhere. For companionship, but she also made a great early warning system. I hope they get the guy soon!

 

[Rusty Ole' Bucket]

Man, that's a shame. There's getting to be nowhere to hid from the modern world woes.

 

[Phoenix]

Man, that's a shame. There's getting to be nowhere to hid from the modern world woes.

I was thinking that too, and you are right as far as world woes one can remove oneself from. For example by not being connected to news...etc. On the other hand, I wonder whether the idea of safety from two-legged wildlife (excluding birds) in the woods, always was a bit of an illusion. I suppose the further away one is from so called civilization, the less likely it is to run into trouble with the unfortunate byproducts of said civilization.

 

[Alan Gage]

I wonder whether the idea of safety from two-legged wildlife (excluding birds) in the woods, always was a bit of an illusion.

Movies ands stories about western exploration aren't full of unicorns and rainbows.

Alan

 

[lowangle al]

I’ve always been a little nervous in the bush after watching “Deliverance” I would think you can minimize the risk with a portage or two.

 

[ppine]

Humans have wild imaginations.
Bring dogs for the first line of defense.
Practice situational awareness.
Bring a heater just in case.

 

[memaquay]

I was guiding a couple down the Steel River. As we approached Deadhorse Creek bridge, there was some debate between them about ending the trip early. I said I would go up on the road and stop the first vehicle that came along, ask for a ride back to my truck, and return for them. There was only one vehicle in three hours. I was pretty rough looking, but I asked the guy if I could go in the box of his truck at least to the highway. He said no and took off. I found this to be quite strange, as usually nobody leaves people stranded in the middle of nowhere. I told the pair that we would continue on and finish the trip.

When we got out, I found out that for that entire week there had been an escaped convict in the vicinity, hiding in the bush. I'm guessing my rough appearance and popping up in the middle of nowhere was fairly convict-ey looking, so that explained being stranded.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Humans have wild imaginations.
Bring dogs for the first line of defense.
Practice situational awareness.
Bring a heater just in case.

Can't pack a heater in a bunch of states. My wife and I just returned from a New England trip. We couldn't carry in several of those states so we left our irons at home.
So I bought a Byrna Launcher because all the commercials say "It's legal in all 50 states". When it arrived I realized that there was some fine print. After digging deeper, I was so confused by the wording of some state's "weapons" regs that I decided to return the Byrna.
And I gotta say, there was a few times up there in some sketchy hotels when I wish I'd been carrying and this was not the 1st time I felt that way on vacations...some shady stuff going-on these days in a lot of hotels.
But I always feel the most safe when we actually reach our camping destination.

 

[ScottS]

Stay home

 

[memaquay]

Interesting perspective on heaters. In Northern Ontario, we are allowed to carry long guns for wilderness protection all summer long. No hand guns of course, but a short barrelled 12 gauge is a fairly offensive looking thing. The thing is, we only carry if we feel like bears might be a problem, the human equation never enters into our thoughts. The thought of carrying a heater daily in non canoe situations is completely foreign.

 

[lowangle al]

Are short barrel shot guns(18.25") allowed in Canada?

 

[scoutergriz]

Are short barrel shot guns(18.25") allowed in Canada?

basically under 18.5" is restricted for any firearm, under 18" is prohibited, but there are some minor exceptions, there's also the caveat that they are only for animal defence outside of hunting season, never for defense against humans

 

[Penns Woods]

UPDATE on the manhunt for accused murderer continues near Paul Smiths in Adirondacks. Bechand is accused of stabbing his girl friend in the chest on Saturday near the town of Cohoes NY. It seems after the killing Bechand headed North to the Adirondacks. His abandoned Chevy truck was found Sunday near Paul Smiths. giving him a head start. The area is about 50 miles south of the Canadian border.

 

[Alan Gage]

The thing is, we only carry if we feel like bears might be a problem, the human equation never enters into our thoughts. The thought of carrying a heater daily in non canoe situations is completely foreign.

I'm surprised to hear that. Canada is a pretty rough place. I've spent months traveling and sleeping out of my car, including less than a mile from the Mexican border, all without a firearm. I would often leave my vehicle unattended for extended periods of time. But Canada is the only place where someone has broken into my vehicle and stolen things.

I worry about my Canadian friends up there and I fear for their safety. Take care of yourself, Mem, and remember: if things get too rough up there you have friends down here that will shelter you.



Alan

 

[Jim Dodd]

I'm surprised to hear that. Canada is a pretty rough place. I've spent months traveling and sleeping out of my car, including less than a mile from the Mexican border, all without a firearm. I would often leave my vehicle unattended for extended periods of time. But Canada is the only place where someone has broken into my vehicle and stolen things.

I worry about my Canadian friends up there and I fear for their safety. Take care of yourself, Mem, and remember: if things get too rough up there you have friends down here that will shelter you.



Alan

So long as there's no " Wanted Posters" out on you !

 

[memaquay]

basically under 18.5" is restricted for any firearm, under 18" is prohibited, but there are some minor exceptions, there's also the caveat that they are only for animal defence outside of hunting season, never for defense against humans

The murkey world of Canadian firearms laws.....In actuality, a non semi automatic shotgun (break action, double barrel, pump) can have a barrel as short as 8.5 inches, as long as the overall length of the shotgun is 23 inches or more. However, the short barrel has to come from the factory. If you cut a barrel down below 18.5 inches, you are now a criminal. You can use the 8.5 inch shotty for anything a regular shotgun can be used for, hunting, target practice, wilderness protection, but let's face it, a shotgun with an 8.5 inch barrel is designed to intimidate people, both the person pulling the trigger and the person in front of it.

Mine is a pump action Mossberg with a black plastic stock, 18 inch barrel, looks like it means business. I also have a 26 inch field barrel for it for duck hunting, so it's multi-purpose.

Canada is subject to quite a lot of media manipulation. The media would have you believe that someone is hiding around every corner waiting to murder you. Last year there were 286 murders where a gun was used, 80 of those occurring in Hogtown, er, I mean Toronto. In a country of 40 million, and if you don't live in Toronto, or participate in gangs, that leaves a pretty low chance of being murdered with a gun. To compare, California has the same population as Canada, and last year 1,861 people were murdered with a gun. Canada is roughly 25 times bigger than California geographically.

So Alan, as much as I appreciate the offer, I'll stay north of the border. Generally speaking, the more guns around, the more people get shot, humans are naturally stupid and reactionary, so if someone cuts you off in a car and both parties have weapons, there is a greater chance that someone will shoot someone. In Canada, when road rage occurs, the finale is generally someone flipping the bird, then apologizing for it later.

However, if you are a partridge living in Northern Ontario, your chance of getting murdered is very high, in around an hour I will be actively seeking to terminate several of them, even though the only harm they have done to me is too fly up unexpectedly in front go me, making my heart go wonky for a few seconds.

 

[ScottS]

I just absolutely love it when canoe tripping becomes a discussion about guns. If you're going to the far north, fine, carry a gun as defense against the big bears. If you think you need a gun to go to the Adirondacks or the BWCA or Quetico, just stay home.
Let's just end this thread, please.

 

[scoutergriz]

The murkey world of Canadian firearms laws.....In actuality, a non semi automatic shotgun (break action, double barrel, pump) can have a barrel as short as 8.5 inches, as long as the overall length of the shotgun is 23 inches or more. However, the short barrel has to come from the factory. If you cut a barrel down below 18.5 inches, you are now a criminal. You can use the 8.5 inch shotty for anything a regular shotgun can be used for, hunting, target practice, wilderness protection, but let's face it, a shotgun with an 8.5 inch barrel is designed to intimidate people, both the person pulling the trigger and the person in front of it.

Mine is a pump action Mossberg with a black plastic stock, 18 inch barrel, looks like it means business. I also have a 26 inch field barrel for it for duck hunting, so it's multi-purpose.

Canada is subject to quite a lot of media manipulation. The media would have you believe that someone is hiding around every corner waiting to murder you. Last year there were 286 murders where a gun was used, 80 of those occurring in Hogtown, er, I mean Toronto. In a country of 40 million, and if you don't live in Toronto, or participate in gangs, that leaves a pretty low chance of being murdered with a gun. To compare, California has the same population as Canada, and last year 1,861 people were murdered with a gun. Canada is roughly 25 times bigger than California geographically.

So Alan, as much as I appreciate the offer, I'll stay north of the border. Generally speaking, the more guns around, the more people get shot, humans are naturally stupid and reactionary, so if someone cuts you off in a car and both parties have weapons, there is a greater chance that someone will shoot someone. In Canada, when road rage occurs, the finale is generally someone flipping the bird, then apologizing for it later.

However, if you are a partridge living in Northern Ontario, your chance of getting murdered is very high, in around an hour I will be actively seeking to terminate several of them, even though the only harm they have done to me is too fly up unexpectedly in front go me, making my heart go wonky for a few seconds.

I've only ever carried once in Canada, and it was actually the guide officially doing the carrying- it was an interior BC trip and there had been complaints about grizzlies stalking paddlers in one area. I've paddled in 5 provinces and the biggest "danger" I've encountered was almost being stepped on by a moose one night because we set up too close to a game trail even though I encounter bears, bobcats etc. on a fairly regular basis, heck I've already seen 2 black bears this month alone, although, to be honest, I've only seen their backsides as they tried their best to get away from me.

 

[Alan Gage]

Last year there were 286 murders where a gun was used....In a country of 40 million....To compare, California has the same population as Canada, and last year 1,861 people were murdered with a gun. Canada is roughly 25 times bigger than California geographically.

Yeah, but I think most of those were accidental. Imagine cramming everyone from the huge country of Canada in a small geographical area like California. Every time you miss a shot at a moose or grouse you're almost bound to hit someone by accident. If you think trying to shoot a moose in the bush is hard then try doing it in downtown LA during rush hour.

Let's just end this thread, please.

That's probably a good idea. I'm as guilty as anyone for egging on the thread to have some fun but they do have a tendency to turn contentious. I'm not going to lock it yet but let's keep it light.

Alan