Those who spend a lot of time outdoors often carry handguns not just for the situations one imagines will be preceded by ominous banjo music, but for the wilderness’s own dangerous denizens.  We don’t want “Deliverance” or “The Revenant” to be the template for our outdoor adventures.

My old friend Alan Kulovitz, retired from the Cook County, Illinois (Chicago area) Sheriff’s Department, turned me on to this excellent article.  It was written by Larry Mudgett, one of our leading experts in firearms and tactics.

I first met Larry thirty-some years ago at Chapman Academy in Columbia, Missouri, where he was training under founder and world champion Ray Chapman.  Larry, I learned, was a decorated street cop, SWAT operator, gunfight winner, and firearms instructor extraordinaire. He has continued the latter vocation since his retirement from LAPD, and he is well up on the list of instructors I recommend.

Read Larry Mudgett’s linked article.  It will enhance your appreciation of a potent handgun worn during outdoor pursuits.

23 COMMENTS

  1. I fear dog attacks while jogging. My neighborhood is safe but I always worry when passing a property and hearing a large dog barking. My worry is that one of those dogs could get loose and attack me. I do carry pepper spray when jogging and occasionally carry my Smith and Wesson AirWeight revolver. But sadly most times I do leave the Smith and Wesson at home. Last week I did see a Bobcat near a creek on the jogging path. the Bobcat was enjoying the sun in a grassy area and nonchalantly walked into the woods when he saw me. Hugs! kare

  3. On one of my news feeds last week (or the week before…that was, “Ago.” Which is a time reference of some variable point in the past), someone purported to have slain an Alaska brown bear bent on mayhem with a fusillade of 9mm rounds. One question, among many, is WHY would you venture into big, bad bear country armed with only a 9mm? Perhaps with which to commit suicide if the bear got you cornered?

    Never having encountered a belligerent brown bear, but knowing someone who has, and he made me a believer with his description, I think I’d have to have been there to witness it before I believe it (much like Elmer Kieth’s claimed 600 yard kill of a deer with his .44 mag. All respect to the late, VERY great Mr. Kieth, but….c’mon. 600 yards is a “fer piece”). Not that it couldn’t be done, but it would take luck, skill and a damn cool hand to pull it off.

    If so, the pistolero has my admiration.

  4. Dear Mas,
    My friend the late Kent Lomont was likely the single most knowledgable indivdual around about firearms of all types.He lived in Salmon Idaho and was typically in the mountains shooting 250 days a year.Bears were a real issue up there and for many years he carried a M29 Smith.But I am happy to report thanks to my pushing Glock pistols for such use his last carry weapons were a pair of M20 pistols loaded with hard cast 170 grain bullets going 1200 fps to allow him to get good pentration on bears as well as to be use on the odd escaped criminal he might encounter all alone in the mountains with a truck load of guns.An excellant choice and a pair no more trouble to carry than a 6 1/2 inch M29.

  5. My dangerous animal defense handgun would be my S&W Mountain Gun in .44 Magnum or S&W 29 with 6″ barrel, Loaded with 250 grain hard cast SWC from a RCBS 250 KT mold and lots of Hercules 2400 powder.

    I have more powerful guns such as two Freedom Arms model 82s in .454 Casull and .475 Linebaugh which dwarf the .44 Magnum in power. However, no handgun round will stop a large animal with sheer power alone and good shot placement is required. With a double action .44 magnum, I can hit a small target quickly and repeatedly with a good degree of accuracy. A head shot with a .44 Magnum is much better than a body hit with the .475 Linebaugh. Also, two legged predators may be encountered in the woods too, and a double action .44 Magnum with several speedloaders of ammo is much preferable over a 5 or 6 shot single action revolver.

    In a pistol, I would go with my Glock 20 loaded with 200 grain Hornady XTP and hard cast lead flat nose bullets at 1200 fps and several extra magazines would be good, more so for two legged attackers than furry beasts. I always carry more than one handgun, so my choice would still be a S&W .44 Magnum and something smaller like a Glock 27 with anti-personnel ammo in the woods.

  6. No big critters here, while I still lived in the country there were Black Bears and feral hogs but so few it seems most people don’t even know about them. My P-232 Sig is still my #1 suburban everything. In the country I bagged a lot of Armadillos and a few squirrels with the Sig, good practice.
    25 years ago in the factory I worked in we got into quite a debate about what would stop a bear and of course, me being a big fan of 1911s, I said a .45 ACP would stop bears. That was met with much derision, hoots and calls of B.S.
    Big Jim, I hope you read the article, LOL!!!

  7. I just got back from a backpacking trip into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness area in Montana with my son and his best buddy. (A great trip!) I had talked to a ranger who told me of recent black and grizzly sightings in the area. We each carried bear spray. We talked loudly while on the trail. Kept our food in bear vaults which we stored well away from our campsites. Did all the right things. We saw bear and wolf sign but had no encounters.

    I carried my Smith & Wesson 629 44 magnum loaded with 320 hard cast flat-nose in a chest holster. I did not expect to have to use it any more than I expect to use my everyday carry gun when I strap it on each morning. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

    “Mousegun” Mike

  8. Thanks Marc, but the real thanks go to Larry Mudgett for researching and writing it, and to “Big Al” for passing it along.

  9. Since I live in the Southeastern U.S., rampaging grizzlies and bull moose are scarce in these parts. Nevertheless, there are other concerns when out and about in the outdoors.

    I once had a nasty encounter with a big cottonmouth who wanted to put the bite on me. I was armed only with a fishing rod at the time. However, there was a plentiful supply of nature’s ammunition (aka rocks) nearby and I used them to discourage the snake. In the end, the snake and I mutually agreed that détente was the best policy and we went our separate ways.

    I have encountered black bears on several occasions. With only one exception, each black bear took one look at me and then ran like he had just seen the devil! Rather insulting when you think about it.:-)

    The one exception occurred when I was out hiking with a small group of friends. As we hiked along, I happened to notice that there was a black bear cub halfway up a tree just downhill from the trail. We paused to watch the cub. At that point, we then noticed, from the noise of movement, that some larger animal was in the brush below us. It appeared to be making a flanking move to our right.

    We naturally assumed that it was momma bear making this noise. Given that I was only armed with a camera and the other guys had even less, we quickly decided that there was a much more scenic spot further down the trail and we set off for it immediately at a brisk pace! I am very glad to report that momma did not follow us as we departed.

    I have also had the occasional encounter with a dog that was acting mean. Also, of course, there is always the threat that one might be attacked by that viscous, two-legged predator known (scientifically) as Homo Criminalis.

    So, after the various encounters above, I have come to believe that carrying a handgun while spending time outdoors is a good idea. So, a few years ago, I procured what I believe is to be an excellent firearm for trail use.

    My selected trail gun is a Taurus Judge. It is the lightweight (alloy frame) version that accepts 2 ½ inch .410 shells and has a three-inch barrel. It only weighs 24 oz. empty. Fully loaded, it may weigh as much as 28 oz. depending upon the type ammo selected.

    I have a fanny pack that can be unzipped with a single rip of a cord to reveal the Judge in a cross-draw holster. This is great for hiking. If I meet other people on the trail, they think that it is only a fanny pack that I am carrying on my belt. Yet, I can draw the Judge in a flash if needed. The fanny pack also holds spare ammo.

    I typically load the Judge so that the first round is a .410 shell with ½ oz. of birdshot. This is to deal with snakes. The remaining four rounds are .45 Colt rounds. I typically use Buffalo Bore Heavy Standard Pressure ammo. If I am in an area where humans and feral dogs are the main threats, I use their 200 gr. JHP load. If I am hiking where there may be black bears, I load with their 255 gr. Cast SWC load. Either of these loads shoots fine in my Judge since they are standard pressure rounds. Buffalo Bore’s +P .45 Colt ammo is too hot for a lightweight gun like my Judge so I don’t even consider it.

    I figure that a 255 grain SWC at about 900 fps out of the Judge’s barrel ought to discourage even a big black bear. Certainly, the 200 JHP at about 1000 fps would discourage feral dogs and humans.

    With my Judge, I have a tool to deal with just about any local threat from snakes, to rabid skunks, to feral dogs, to human predators and all the way up to black bears if necessary. All in a package that I can carry concealed and which does not weigh me down on the trail.

  10. Thanks for passing this information along to us, Mas! This is by far the most interesting & informative article on this subject that I have ever read. I have often wondered what handgun calibers & loads would be most effective against bears & other large predators. Now I know. Larry Mudgett has performed a great service for us all.

    Several years ago, I read an article about someone who was attacked by a grizzly & managed to kill it by stabbing it in the neck with a Buck Folding Hunter! This, along with examples from Larry’s article, suggests that the neck is a very good place to shoot a large bear, which is important to know if threatened by an aggressive one.

    I am very happy to see that two of my favorite handguns, the S&W Model 29 & the Glock Model 20, were reported to be decent choices for this purpose. I have a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull, in case I ever need one, but I would much prefer to carry & shoot a .44 Mag. or a 10mm. Now I just need to pick up the appropriate Buffalo Bore loads in those calibers.

  12. I would depend on .45ACP, the heaviest load of jacketed ball I could find. Years back it would’ve been in my Sig P220, but that is long gone and nowadays in my Rock Island 1911. Since I am familiar with the caliber (and nothing heavier) I feel safer trusting it over any larger but unfamiliar rounds.

    Please forgive my ramblings, but this post brought back memories from my distant past wherein I was hired on as an armed spotter for a friend’s traditional boar hunt, by which I mean that my friend would wield a boar spear and I was supposed to make sure he didn’t get killed. The hunt never happened, but I had my .45 ready to go. I also had my Mossberg loaded with slugs AND another armed spotter, but that’s another story for another time!

  15. In the 1950s I read several magazine articles about a husband and wife team using Ruger .44 magnums hunting brown and maybe Grizzly bears, I was an impressed teen ager.

  16. Mas,

    Thanks for sharing this pertinent information. Very valuable to those of us who enjoy sharing the same terrain that is home to Ursus horribilis. I carry both bear spray and a 44 mag DA revolver while hiking in grizz country. I used to consider the firearm as “the backup plan” if the bear spray was ineffective. But I’ve since realized two things:
    1. in grizz habitat, windy conditions seem to be the norm
    2. reaction time will likely only permit the deployment of one of the two defensive options (spray vs sidearm)

    Simply put, I have more confidence that lead will likely do a better job of saving my hide than mist in a sudden attack where wind is a factor.

    This is one of the better articles I’ve seen covering this topic. My appreciation to the author as well.

  17. Same as any defensive weapon choice, the object is to survive the attack, two or four legged. There is much anecdotal evidence of seemingly weak weapons such as .22 rim-fire killing even grizzlies as well as powerful handguns such as .44 magnums failing to stop the attack.

    What would interest me would be detailed investigations of kills (especially those where “anemic” guns were successful) of what internal organs /nervous system were hit/damaged to accomplish the stopping of the attacking bear.

    I know that probably little info is available, but if anyone knows where such reports are available, I would appreciate the links.

  18. Karen: I have had good luck carrying a small rock when running. Generally if you toss the rock easily past an aggressive dog, the offending canine will stop to investigate the rock and forget about chasing you. Pepper spray can just encourage pit bulls, and is useless in very much wind, although I may carry it anyway. Plus a Tanto folding knife. I carry a short .357 revolver in a secure jogging holster when running through semi-remote cougar areas in the early morning. Aggressive, small dog packs show up occasionally, too. Shooting predators is more about the bullets, and your aim, than the caliber. In an inhabited area the best bullet to use will not be a perforator, but one that hits with impact, yet has lethal penetration. Look for close-contact shots to happen. Blank cartridges are also an idea, but noise alone doesn’t deter some predators.

  19. Two-gun,
    What is your support for your statement that pepper spray can encourage pit bulls? First hand experience, I am genuinely curious?

    There was a time when I was regularly chased by three junkyard dogs (not pitbulls) while I was bicycling. I decided to try pepper spray after one such incident caused me to dangerously veer onto a busy highway to avoid a possible bite. On a subsequent encounter I was successfully able to hit the lead aggressor with a blast of pepper spray to the face. Not only did he immediately stop dead in his tracks, but his reaction and accompanying painful yelp also caused his two accomplices to also immediately slam on the brakes, interesting to me as these other two dogs were not hit by the spray.

    Even more interesting, a few evenings later, the same trio stalked and began to chase me once again. I unholstered the bright orange mace container and pointed it at the three once again but didn’t have to press the trigger. All three dogs once again slammed on the brakes, apparently from just the sight of that orange container and the pain it caused, even the two that weren’t actually sprayed previously. They all apparently remembered.

    Yes, a single anecdote, yet that is my experience.

  20. William: A video from Europe, may have been from the Netherlands. Police with pepper spray vs. an unbelievably vicious, determined dog. I remember it as a pit bull, but it could have been Rottweiler or other. At least some some pit bulls seem to have Berserker personalities due to their being bred for pit fighting. Obviously some pit bulls are not vicious. You sure did a public service by training your three canine friends, though. Once they fasten on to somebody, they don’t want to stop chewing. Children are especially vulnerable. My father’s father fought pit bulls, and one of them mauled my father as a child to death’s door. The family doctor even predicted death after seeing the volume of blood loss.

  21. Very interesting article. It was great to learn of the existence of the Buffalo Bore 147gr.+P hard cast lead flat points as an option for large predators.

  22. Interesting article. I’ve always carried a Kahr CW45 loaded with Hornaday’s Critical Defense when out hiking in NH. I think perhaps I should change that and alternate rounds between the Critical Defense and flat point FMJ in the mag.

    I ran across a moose once and I know that black bear are certainly in the area. Generally, just making presence known as you hike is sufficient to keep large animals away, but not always and I imagine that at times, in some areas, that practice might be akin to ringing the dinner bell.

  23. One common denominator in the article is the use of heavy lead. I use Federal HST in my 40s and 45s in town. But appreciate a 240-300 grain SWC in all my 44s, which I reload to the max.

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