Hunting is not normally the place where conversations about concealed carry and personal protection are raised. In most circumstance, hunters already have firearms with them, so why carry another? Let’s consider why having a back-up gun, especially one designed for personal protection, is truly warranted for hunting. And why, having a CCW Safe membership protects you in any hunting scenario.
Any activity in life that exposes a person to the unknown carries potential risk. Driving the car to the grocery store carries risk; statistically, more than hunting. Motor vehicle deaths are annually more than 44,000 nationally while hunting related deaths are only near 100. But our ability to consider risk means that we can plan for situations that might put us in danger. Hunting, while not as common as a trip to the grocery store, can carry some serious risks; the more we plan to mitigate or handle those risks, the better.
When you get in your vehicle for the grocery store, you don your seatbelt for safety. When you hunt, you usually wear brightly colored clothing for safety and practice safe firearm handling. However, situations can arise while hunting that require more than blaze orange and pointing your gun in a safe direction. If you are not prepared to defend yourself, your hunt could take a bad turn.
The good news for hunters is that the biggest dangers hunters face are human error and injury from using a tree stand. This means that educating yourself and those in your hunting party, as well as following safety rules, can set you up for safety.
Four-legged predators are a real consideration while hunting, especially if you hunt in remote areas where bears, wolves or mountain lions could intersect with your hunt. In fact, many people have been attacked by bears while hunting, hiking or scouting hunting locations in isolated areas. Carrying an additional firearm, if you are in bear country, is completely warranted. And carrying something you could kill a bear with – not your concealed carry, but something with the power needed to end a charging bear – is a plan that experienced back country hunters would advise you to heed.
If you know that you will be in bear country for a hunt, in addition to your hunting firearm or bow, a chest rig with a handgun capable of killing a bear is necessary. Look for a round designed for the purpose of stopping large game – something with penetration through fur and tough hides and stopping power. “Terminal performance” and “stopping power” are two phrases you are looking for when choosing ammo.
Unexpectedly stumbling upon a bear over an animal it has killed is a common bear encounter story. It’s not a story most people want to tell. The steps required to complete your hunt, like field-dressing the game and packing it down from a mountain, are other opportunities for predators to cross your path. Having a rifle sitting nearby or slung while you drag a deer or elk, could leave little time for defending against a charging bear. Carrying your bear defense gun on your body is a practice that could save your life.
There is a very intense story, complete with the guilty mountain lion, at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming. Elk hunter John Stach was tracking an elk he shot, when unbeknownst to him, a mountain lion was hunting the same elk. John was finishing field dressing the elk and turned just in time to see the mountain lion. It did not run after a warning shot and actually came at him. This story might make you re-think solo hunting altogether.
One other way that hunters could invite four-legged predators and should consider carrying an additional firearm is when they hunt with dogs. In my home state of Wisconsin, 20 dogs were killed in 2024 by wolves. So if you hunt with dogs, consider that carrying an additional firearm might be warranted for your dog’s safety as well as yours.
Two-legged predators are another consideration for carrying an additional firearm while hunting. Often, hunters must travel to their destinations. Traveling through secluded, back-road areas warrants carrying a firearm for personal protection. A broken-down vehicle or other unforeseen setback that leaves you stranded could put you in danger. It’s not as easy to have your hunting rifle on you if you run out of gas and have to walk for gas or accept a ride from a stranger. And keeping your rifle or shotgun close at hand while fixing a flat tire might not be feasible, but a concealed carry firearm is much easier to have on your body.
Additionally, hunting in remote areas puts a person alone, often without cell reception. A person on a hunt without connection to help is in a situation where it is of the utmost importance to address personal safety – from tethering into a tree stand to protection from a predator.
So, while an additional firearm might feel like too much, ask yourself if you want to be staring at a rifle five feet away as a bear charges or facing an attacker who is waiting at your vehicle when you exit the woods with your bow during archery season.
Protecting yourself from any legal issues while using a firearm is simply part of living in society; there are laws in place to protect everyone and we follow the law because it’s the right thing to do. We obtain hunting and concealed carry licenses, we obtain permission for the places we hunt. What other steps can you take to protect yourself legally?
Knowing the state laws where you are hunting and how they regulate concealed carry, especially in state parks, is an important step. As an example, my state allows hunting in certain state parks, and the DNR has a web page with info on it. But if I want to carry a backup gun and it’s concealed (a chest rig under my jacket), I should know if the state park allows concealed carry.
In the end, hunting is ranked as safer than bowling. So don’t let planning for the “what if” questions plague you. Resources like CCW Safe are there to help you in the event of an unforeseen situation and with support to help you navigate those situations where using a firearm to protect yourself might be your only choice.
Becky Yackley primarily competes in 3 Gun, USPSA, Bianchi pistol, but has competed in shooting since 1989 in disciplines from service-rifle, to NCAA Air Rifle and Smallbore, air pistol and a little bit of long range rifle. She shoots guns and cameras at competitions around the country, and writes in her fictional spare time. View all posts by Becky Yackley
As always, you are absolutely right!