I envy you my American friends!

[GioTheGreek]

Here's why I envy you guys.

When I'm out and about pacing the deep woods of New Brunswick enjoying our awesome geology and looking for hidden goodies, there's nothing I'd like more than to be able to carry a concealed weapon.... for protection. I've even gone too deep for comfort a few times looking for old homesteads or looking for that special outcropping and such along old paths/roads.

Am I a wimp!? Yes, yes I am. But, better safe than sorry. Putting those headphones on just isn't going to happen unless I have a partner in crime with me... and usually I don't have a buddy along with me.

I have bear mace, but that just doesn't seem like enough for me. What if it's windy!?

I know that I don't live in Alaska where the bears are massive, but I still feel paranoid out in the middle of nowhere here in N.B.

C'mon CDN govt. ease up! Let prospectors carry a 'lil weapon :P

 

[GioTheGreek]

Guys like us would only use it if necessary...

I'd go through all of the training necessary and carry a gun locker too if needed.

I think it's foolish that in a country with as much wilderness as ours, they don't let us properly protect ourselves.

Maybe there's some sort of law I don't know about, but I'm pretty certain it's a faux-pas.

 

[stefen]

If you decide to arm yourself, carry something with knockdown power such as a .357 Mag or a .45 ACP and preferably a revolver as opposed to a semi-auto....9mm semi-auto are like bee stings...

Sure don't want to have a jam or malfunction at the wrong time...

Another example is the 'JUDGE', which is a 5 shot revolver that can be loaded with a combination of .410 shotshell and/or 45 ACP...shot shell probably good for maybe 25 yards...

 

[Tin Nugget]

To many things can go wrong in the woods. Coyotes, wild pigs etc. Especially alone. Have to always pack in that situation. Fortunately, so far anyway, we can still obtain a concealed weapons permit. And that Judge by the way is a perfect self defense weapon for home or in the woods.

 

[GioTheGreek]

Wow. SImply awesome.

I love the JUDGE. That's exactly what I'd want out there.... if I was allowed to carry the bloody thing.

I need to look deeper into our gun laws. I'm sure some people are allowed to carry a concealed... but the average joe sure isn't. (as far as I know.)

 

[Urban Prospector]

I can't immagine living under a regime that didn't trust me enough to own and carry a firearm. Just plinking with a 22 is such a treat let alone living through a violent attack due to a pound of fashioned metal.

 

[Tnmountains]

Look into your laws and see if antiques or reproductions are legal. They are not considered a firearm here as they are black powder and anyone may own and carry one. They make a Howdah Hunter in a double side by side in 50 cal or double 20 gauge. May be black powder but it will cut anything in half.
Better than nothing. Good luck.

 

[bigwater]

Well my intuition tells me that if you get caught it would be major trouble... but if you happen upon one, pick up a little Ruger SP101 snubnose. It's a 5 shot .357 revolver with no spur on the hammer, so it can't get hung up in your clothing if you have to dig it out in a hurry. The thing's not much larger than a pack of cigarettes and will easily fit inside your hip pocket, being completely concealed to a casual observer. It packs quite a wallop when you fire it though, so you might want to practice with it first so it doesn't go flying out of your hands if you ever actually need to use it. We have tons of black bears down here, but I don't worry about them as much as I do the rabid racoons and fox, and the occasional wildcat that will show it's face when you least expect it. I carry my Colt Python .357 holstered when I'm walking around in the woods, and keep my Glock 17 in the console of the truck no matter where I go, but that little SP101 is handy when you need to walk the 1/4 mile to the mailbox or are just hanging out by the burn pile at night.

 

[Saturna]

If you're out in deep woods and are worried about bears, etc. , why does the firearm have to be concealed ?

Can't you bring a short barrel (18"?) rifle or shotgun with you ? Ruger 10-22 maybe ?

Not as packable as a handgun for sure, but an option if you wish to carry a firearm.

 

[Iron Patch]

I have several friends from different parts of NB and none have to hunt the deep woods to make great finds. I'm not sure where you are, or if you just like the adventure, but my experience hunting in NB I definitely didn't have to track through any woods to make many Colonial finds.

PS... If I'm going that far back in the woods I would carry a weapon regardless. I'd rather a fine than be a find, by a bear.

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

Wow. SImply awesome.

I love the JUDGE. That's exactly what I'd want out there.... if I was allowed to carry the bloody thing.

I need to look deeper into our gun laws. I'm sure some people are allowed to carry a concealed... but the average joe sure isn't. (as far as I know.)

In the states they have many jurisdictions where you can become a "dollar a year man". They are unpaid auxiliary police used during emergencies and for crowd control during festivals. They work maybe one day a month. That would make you legal to carry and also maybe get a discount to purchase. If the Mounties or local cops have something similar you are good to go. siegfried schlagrule

 

[bigwater]

LOL. Where I live it's easier to get a concealed carry permit for a gun than it is to get a driver's license. The ironic part of it is that we have almost zero crime around here, because the criminals are worried that their potential victims might be armed themselves.

As far as having to go to the woods to go treasure hunting. I have no choice. I live smack in the middle of the Chatahoochee National Forest, with a 300,000 acre back yard. Nothing but mountains and trees for as far as the eye can see. I can't walk out of my front door without spooking a half a dozen white tail dear grazing for acorns in my front yard on any given morning this time of year... and it's kind of scary when you're out walking up to the shop in the pitch black at night and you hear some sort of creature grunt at you from 30' away. Yeah, I stay armed all the time I'm outside around here.

 

[Iron Patch]

LOL. Where I live it's easier to get a concealed carry permit for a gun than it is to get a driver's license. The ironic part of it is that we have almost zero crime around here, because the criminals are worried that their potential victims might be armed themselves.

As far as having to go to the woods to go hunting. I have no choice. I live smack in the middle of the Chatahoochee National Forest, with a 300,000 acre back yard. Nothing but mountains and trees for as far as the eye can see. I can't walk out of my front door without spooking a half a dozen white tail dear grazing for acorns in my front yard on any given morning this time of year... and it's kind of scary when you're out walking up to the shop in the pitch black at night and you hear some sort of creature grunt at you from 30' away. Yeah, I stay armed all the time I'm outside around here.

Ok, I think I found you, in the middle?

 

[bigwater]

Well it's hard to say exactly where from the arial view, but yeah, generically that's pretty much it. I guess I'm more on the edge of the Chatahooche National Forest, about two miles inside of the south eastern border of it... and it extends for about sixty miles off of my back deck... so I guess "smack in the middle" was a gross exaggeration.

 

[stefen]

There may be laws regarding concealed weapons, however, visible holsters should be acceptable...

There is a vast difference between the definition of concealed as opposed to open carrying...

If, for any reason, a person is wormy about carrying a side-arm when in the back country, then don't go...and don't whine about it...

 

[mamabear]

I always pack when exploring the woods. not just for animals either. & to tell the truth, I keep a shotgun by my bed. there is no deterent better than the loading of "mamas little helper" that final click is hello, goodbye. might sound extreme, but we live on a back road where we have found evidence of "trunk meth labs" called the sheriff to come clean them up, cuz you can't touch them, too dangerous. I won't give up the beauty I have living in the country, but I will protect my family & home. yes we Are lucky to live in America.

 

[bigwater]

Hehe... yep. Shotgun by the bed and another one by the door and another one in the closet and another one under my desk and a handgun under just about every cushion in every seat in the house. Takes me 2 hours to sweep the place when one of the kids comes up with a grandkid in tow.

I'm not really as paranoid as I sound... more just fascinated with firearms. The more exotic the better. I've got a pistol my granddaddy brought back from WWII, a Walther P38. He took it off a German soldier that he'd had to kill in hand to hand combat, and smuggled it back home.. Have a couple of Walther PPKs, the same gun that James Bond always used in the movies. Sweet little gun, but don't shoot all that straight. Don't understand how they'd give a man a license to kill and give him that gun.

Also have a nickle plated Colt .45 70's series that is a serious show gun. It's about as accurate as a .45 can be. MMC combat sights and french walnut handgrips. That gun is one of my favorites. But my real favorite is the .50 Desert Eagle. That sumbitch is a hand cannon beyone belief. I have big hands, but it dwarfs both of them, and it takes both hands to shoot it. It can blast a hole completely through an 8 cylinder engine block and never even slow down.

Had a buddy from Australia up here once and he was mystified as to why I owned so many guns. Evidently they're completely outlawed in his neck of the woods, and they even took his bbgun from him when they outlawed firearms. I said come on out here and let me show you why I like 'em so much and took him to my firing range. After about he blew through about $400 worth of my ammunition, all he could say was "this stuff is COOL".

Needless to say there are certain areas on my property where detecting will never be practical. With about a million rounds worth of brass buried in the ground, I'd be digging up my own losses for weeks.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I have several friends from different parts of NB and none have to hunt the deep woods to make great finds. I'm not sure where you are, or if you just like the adventure, but my experience hunting in NB I definitely didn't have to track through any woods to make many Colonial finds.

PS... If I'm going that far back in the woods I would carry a weapon regardless. I'd rather a fine than be a find, by a bear.

Excellent point

 

[Monty]

Blame your rediculous gun laws on your friends and neighbors. They allowed those gun laws to be enacted several years back. You are not even allowed to take a firearm into Canada when you go across the borders. If you are caught toting a gun around in the woods it is a major thing in Canada, one that will get you time in jail. I'm not sure how hunters get their guns into Canada to pursue hunting of your tremendous wildlife such as Moose, Bear and Elk. I'm sure there are really difficult, time consuming hoops to jump through just to hunt at all in Canada. Since you are there it would be much easier for you to research your current gun laws than for one of we Yankees. If you decide to research it, please post it. I'm sure not many Americans realize just how restrictive gun ownership is in other countries. Monty

 

[Saturna]

I'm no expert on gun laws in Canada, but there is a big difference between handguns and long guns. There are plenty of hunters in Canada with rifles and shotguns in the country.

Carrying handguns around concealed is a whole different thing. Only gang members in our bigger cities do that.