how to carry personal protection when running?

RedfishGuy

TOPIC: how to carry personal protection when running

I just went ahead and got a vasectomy. Plus, I never have the opportunity to hook up during runs.

davideickelmann

You can run with a shoulder holster and a .357.

It might be a little uncomfortable at first, but good lord, BEARS!

I'm glad all I have to worry about are leering tourists and jellyfish.

I don't even know that a .357 would stop a bear. I'd be incredibly uncomfortable trusting my life to a pistol. Bears have incredibly sensitive noses, which are pointed right at you when they're charging. If you open up with the bear spray they're going to stop. Apparently the pain situation is akin to being lit on fire.

I'm not an expert on concealed carry, other people in this thread appear to have much more knowledge. Stay safe out there.

Doodlewhopper

Shooting someone is not like in the movies. The victim does not get slammed back nor dies immediately unless hit in specific areas. Generally the victim bleeds out over time if not treated. Gunshot victims have a 70 – 80% chance of survival.

Generally when a person is shot he will go down, but primarily the reason is psychological…”my gawd, Ive just been shot! I need to go down so the shooter wont shoot me again!”

An animal or a drugged maniac doesn’t subscribe to preconceptions and they will continue to move until they bleed out; unless hit in a vital spot that instantly incapacitates. Deer, bear, big cats, squirrels, dogs, etc. all will react in the same manner.

The pistol lacks the velocity of a rifle and other than that one in a million shot, will not stop a determined aggressive animal, especially the grizzly who has a thick almost impenetrable skull. The FBI concluded that only a pistol loaded with ammo that will penetrate 12 -14" is an effective weapon. (9mm minimum); and again, this is applicable only for humans.

Im not anti-gun. About 90% of the time I carry a Ruger LC9 everywhere I go, except when I run. I suggest considering a dog, bear bells and spray.

cbeckl

HipSister has some nice waist packs that can easily carry pepper spray, I personally carry in my hand "at the ready", I run in the early morning/later evening and have come across coyote on my runs. I don't want to take the chance of not being able to get to my pepper spray when needed. I also run with my 2 german shepherds which are a big deterrent.

RivenV

I know diddly about bears but the general agreement on this thread seems to be that a hand gun will only piss off the bear ;/. Good knowledge for me to know if I ever have one chasing me...

It's a matter of power. Bears are heavy, hard, durable freight trains of potential fury. There are stories of bears being shot through the heart multiple times and still mauling people, only to crawl off and die later. (Browns) We're not talking a coward like a cougar, or something a little soft like a coyote or a man.

The bullet required for work like that is quite specialized and heavy. You'd need to carry a 10mm or larger round. For best effect, a shotgun, but that's not practical. So, that leaves bear spray as a good choice. For bipeds, in a concealable package, I think the 9mm is your best bet.

Thx! Great info. I'm glad to hear that my 9mm Glock will do some damage if I need it. No bears here in TX that I'm aware of . At least not on my run. Not that I run w my weapon. Just mace for the wild dogs or humans. Though I have recently heard about hog issues.

A 9mm might dissuade a black bear. Brown no. A human, it's effective enough for NATO. For a rampaging hog? I really don't know. Those are big heavy animals. The 9mm will keep you well though. I'm looking to get a new LC9 for riding and biking as a just in case. Just like keeping a 20 in your running shorts or on your bike. Better to have it and not need it.

Thoughts on an SP101 against a brown?

dbmata

Thoughts on an SP101 against a brown?

Honestly, if I had such a small round, I'd want more of them. I really don't think a 357mag revolver would be sufficient.

Granted though, unless you are in AK, the chances of having a run in with a marauding brown are pretty slim.
A 357 would be sufficient to put a great deal of hurting on a black if needed, but those puppies are cowards compared to browns. If I were running in AK, I'd nut up and take a loaded shotgun strapped to my back if I had to run in bear territory. Or a .22lr pocket pistol and a friend with easy to shoot knees.

I'd say though for most runners, bear spray is good to go unless the concern is bipedal predators, then a 9mm.

ETA - Hm, MT. Are browns really a concern so south? Some folks claim they are legion out here, but we must have those invisible browns. I think I'd want a mag that's at least in the .40 caliber range with a hard cast bullet, and at least 300 grains. Now we're talking pounds of weight though.

debbieled32

i do not live in wooded area's, but i do like by some foot hills where mountain lions have been spotted and there are creeps out there so a girl has to protect herself
i keep my pepper spray on a neck chain and tucked in my sports bra with the top visible and easy access to

dbmata

i do not live in wooded area's, but i do like by some foot hills where mountain lions have been spotted and there are creeps out there so a girl has to protect herself
i keep my pepper spray on a neck chain and tucked in my sports bra with the top visible and easy access to

Question for ya.

Have you ever used it? Do you know how to deploy it? How it works in a wind? How to properly aim it?

These are good things to know.

Timshel_

Guess this fits here too.

You just need machine gun jubblies

bsdive

My OC spray has a holder that you can clip to your waistband so it could be out of the way but also easy to get to.

RivenV

Thoughts on an SP101 against a brown?

Honestly, if I had such a small round, I'd want more of them. I really don't think a 357mag revolver would be sufficient.

Granted though, unless you are in AK, the chances of having a run in with a marauding brown are pretty slim.
A 357 would be sufficient to put a great deal of hurting on a black if needed, but those puppies are cowards compared to browns. If I were running in AK, I'd nut up and take a loaded shotgun strapped to my back if I had to run in bear territory. Or a .22lr pocket pistol and a friend with easy to shoot knees.

I'd say though for most runners, bear spray is good to go unless the concern is bipedal predators, then a 9mm.

ETA - Hm, MT. Are browns really a concern so south? Some folks claim they are legion out here, but we must have those invisible browns. I think I'd want a mag that's at least in the .40 caliber range with a hard cast bullet, and at least 300 grains. Now we're talking pounds of weight though.

As far as I know, we don't have a lot of brown bears, but we make up for those with a preponderance of grizzlies, instead. In all honesty, I can't think of a circumstance where I think it would be my benefit to try to shoot a bear with a handgun. (Unless, of course, it was a black bear, but they're the *kitten* of the bear world, as you noted.) It would be an absolute last resort, which is the mentality I have in using any handgun on any other living thing. That said, it's still nice to have an answer to the question, "Just how effective would this be?" without a lot of "Guns r bad, m'kay!" protests.

Running in town, my concern is typically with other bipedal creatures. I don't go running about with my .357 strapped somewhere because I lack my CC. I'm aware that it's probably not the ideal choice (9 mm) if you're concerned about weight or round capacity. However, my criteria is a little different--I didn't want a safety, I wanted absolute reliability, and I didn't want to have to shoot twice.
... Uh... I take my personal freedom pretty seriously, I guess. Lol.

ETA: Speaking of AK, from what I hear it's not the bears you necessarily need to be worried about so much as the moose. Thoughts about encountering an aggressive bull while running?

HappyElizabeth

Have you considered running with bells on? I know...it would drive me crazy as well but I know when we ride horse here we put bells on them so that the wildlife know we are around. You could wear a ring of them around your ankle if you could stand the noise. They generally retreat into the woods when they here people coming. I would definitely carry bear spray as well though if you have been bit before. What area so you live in?

In addition to bear spray google "bear bells" - you can buy small ones that you can attach to your shoelaces giving bears and other predators advance notice that you're coming (most usually avoid humans as we're the most dangerous predator on the planet). You can also buy an item called a bear banger (ok everyone, get your minds out of the gutter.....) which will make a sound similar to a gunshot, usually adequate to scare off a curious bear.

I spent a lot of time hiking in the mountains of Colorado (lots of bears!) and I wore the bells without any problems. Also, the bear banger or a small blow horn definitely work to scare them away (they would often break into the house at night and eat out of the fridge!)

_Zardoz_

Run with a bigger bear

Doodlewhopper

Thoughts on an SP101 against a brown?

Honestly, if I had such a small round, I'd want more of them. I really don't think a 357mag revolver would be sufficient.

Granted though, unless you are in AK, the chances of having a run in with a marauding brown are pretty slim.
A 357 would be sufficient to put a great deal of hurting on a black if needed, but those puppies are cowards compared to browns. If I were running in AK, I'd nut up and take a loaded shotgun strapped to my back if I had to run in bear territory. Or a .22lr pocket pistol and a friend with easy to shoot knees.

I'd say though for most runners, bear spray is good to go unless the concern is bipedal predators, then a 9mm.

ETA - Hm, MT. Are browns really a concern so south? Some folks claim they are legion out here, but we must have those invisible browns. I think I'd want a mag that's at least in the .40 caliber range with a hard cast bullet, and at least 300 grains. Now we're talking pounds of weight though.

As far as I know, we don't have a lot of brown bears, but we make up for those with a preponderance of grizzlies, instead. In all honesty, I can't think of a circumstance where I think it would be my benefit to try to shoot a bear with a handgun. (Unless, of course, it was a black bear, but they're the *kitten* of the bear world, as you noted.) It would be an absolute last resort, which is the mentality I have in using any handgun on any other living thing. That said, it's still nice to have an answer to the question, "Just how effective would this be?" without a lot of "Guns r bad, m'kay!" protests.

Running in town, my concern is typically with other bipedal creatures. I don't go running about with my .357 strapped somewhere because I lack my CC. I'm aware that it's probably not the ideal choice (9 mm) if you're concerned about weight or round capacity. However, my criteria is a little different--I didn't want a safety, I wanted absolute reliability, and I didn't want to have to shoot twice.
... Uh... I take my personal freedom pretty seriously, I guess. Lol.

ETA: Speaking of AK, from what I hear it's not the bears you necessarily need to be worried about so much as the moose. Thoughts about encountering an aggressive bull while running?

You should continue shooting until the threat is over.

The Mozambique Drill is a close-quarter shooting technique in which the shooter fires twice into the torso of a target (known as a double tap to the center of mass), momentarily assesses the hits, then follows them up with a carefully aimed shot to the head of the target. The third shot should be aimed to destroy the brain or brain stem, killing the target and preventing the target from retaliating.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique_Drill

akj_25

thanks everyone for the good suggestions.

first i am going to find a running buddy that is slower than me.

then - i am going to look into a belt pack to hold the spray, i know that i am prolly just overreacting because i have never seen the black bears closer than 300 yards while on my run, typically the bears would run when they see humans, it is just that instance that they have cubs. (what happened to me before is the cubs got scared and ran towards me up a tree where i was hunting, so when mom bear came to get cub i was wrong place wrong time)

i know that my hand gun would injury a bear (i have hallow point bullets specifically for the bear) but the thing is too dang heavy to run with.

my dog is a wimp, but i know the smell of the dog has kept the bears out of our yard, so i will keep running with her.

---- good thing deer are harmless because i have had them jump out from the ditch so many times, and nearly trample me.

uconnwinsnc

Won't having wolves and bears chasing you help you run faster and harder and burn more calories?

brower47

Those flat, square packages would fit right in any pocket. You must have a very exciting run route. Oh wait, you're talking about weapons. My bad.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I carry a sword strapped to my back. It's not all that useful, but it let's potential attackers know that I'm just crazy enough to not mess with me.

anro86

I have never had the bear fear.... but when I run I have pepper spray that has a strap around it and has a Velcro piece that keeps it snug in my hand. Doesn't get in my way, and since my hands are usually balled, my finger stays on the trigger. Plus, its pink

Hauntinglyfit

I carry my tampons in a little wristlet thing.

darkguardian419

That's why I only run in sleeveless shirts, that way everyone knows I'm packing guns... :laugh:

meshashesha2012

first i am going to find a running buddy that is slower than me.

is this partner to become bait then? :laugh:

sculli123

Bears attacking while running.....invest in a treadmill and stay safe. lol

sculli123

haha that would work too

edit: dont' know how to quote but was referring to running with a slower buddy

brower47

I carry a sword strapped to my back. It's not all that useful, but it let's potential attackers know that I'm just crazy enough to not mess with me.

Micchone?

jacquelynsylvan

I run with both of my dogs, so I kind of have my hands full. I found a small canister with a keychain hook, and attached one of those Wii controller wrist lanyards ($4 for a pack of 4 on Amazon, so quite cheap). I can hold both it and a leash in my hand, but if I need to pick up after my dogs, I can let it dangle without worrying about dropping it or forgetting it on the sidewalk. If my hand gets sweaty, I just loop my pinky through the keychain ring and let it hang--it doesn't bounce much that way.