imported post
ParaWarthog wrote:
Hawkflyer wrote:
Spending time alone in the desert mountains of west Texas and southern New Mexico was very cathartic.
I am a week and a half away from a trip to the isolation and solitude of Lander, Wyoming. I'll be going solo, too, as it's my last vacation before I begin working for a living until retirement. Additionally, it will be my first open carry experience. I appreciate your account of your trip, as I hope mine will be very similar.
(P.S. I bought a Glock 20 [10mm] last week and some Double Tap ammo. since I'll be in bear country)
HankT - Well if I was not alone, the other folks were very well hidden. Now as to wildlife, I know I was not alone. The "Mule Deer" joined me for breakfast almost every morning, and long about sunset they would show up again just to check things out. I know there were some big cats around too. I never saw them but I saw lots of fresh sign.
Parawarthog - I had a Para Ord 12.45 for personal defense while on the road, but once in the bush I had a 4" .500 Magnum for mountain wear (treeed areas) , and a 3" .44 Mag for flatter ground (open desert).
I was moving a lot between Texas and New Mexico, and the rules are very different between these two locations. In NM open carry is allowed, but they do recognize a VA CHP. In Texas, open carry is NOT allowed, but they also recognize a VA CHP. Even profiling a handgun through your cover garment will get you in trouble in Texas as a violation of the OC restrictions. Also Texas has some odd laws on knives. In fact the Bowie knife is specifically outlawed. Who would have thought?
But where I was I went for many days without seeing another human, or even hearing any for that matter. I was in the Brokeoff and Guadeloupe Mountain areas and it is just plain remote. So basically, since you can see or hear anyone coming from a long way off, you could pretty much do what you wanted, and "get legal" before anyone could see you. For me that meant do whatever felt right at the time.
When I was in the city, for the most part I was in Carlsbad NM. That can cause problems. You are not allowed to carry into any establishment that sells alcohol for either on premises or off premisses consumption. In NM a lot of gas stations, mini marts, all Walmarts, and a lot of less likely places sell liquor, and there is now way to know before you get inside in many cases. So if you had to go inside for any reason, you had to disarm. Open carry is legal in NM, but it is "discouraged" by a lot of LEOs. In fact I was told (can't verify this) in Albuquerque they outright harass people who open carry.
In any case driving across Texas, I CCed all the time, and just never went into places that sell alcohol. In NM, I CCed in town, and OCed in the bush. I had no problems at all, and in fact was encouraged to carry by both the local Forest Rangers, and Sheriff's in NM. Even the Ranger in Guadeloupe Mountains National Park told me I could bring the guns into the park, if they were safely stored, and they were willing to provide me a carry permit for backwoods areas.
To be sure, some of this was because I was involved in searching for a downed aircraft, and the controlling agencies were more then cooperative in assisting me for that purpose. All of them know I was not there to hunt, but might encounter problems alone in the back country. This would be especially true if I found the airplane. (bears and lions eat things they find, and will fight to keep them)
I did get a car safe to lock up guns I was not using at any particular time, and also for crossing Arkansas. Arkansas does not recognize VA CHPs and they do not allow open carry. So obviously I did not stop in that state, and kept most things locked up as I crossed. However the safe was handy and could be opened in a matter of about 2 seconds to allow access, (or additions) if necessary.
If you are driving to Wyoming, I would recommend checking at Packing.org for all the states you are passing through to verify all the laws you might encounter. Of course if you are flying all you have to worry about is the airports and two states at either end of the trip. But you should not have any problems in Wyoming, i think they are fairly Firearms friendly.
You might rethink your caliber choice for carry in Wyoming back country. Where I was there were black bears (almost harmless really). Wyoming has Grizzlies too. The first 10mm will get the bear looking around. By your third shot he will figure out where it is coming from. By the time he gets to you, you will probably need to reload, and unless you got real lucky, the bear will be pretty pissed by the time he gets to you. About an hour after he finishes you off, he might start to get weak from blood loss, and may rest for a few days. You would be better off with a .44 Mag, 454 Casull, or 500 magnum. Even better still a short "Scout rifle".
I was told that you should wear a small bell to make noise so bears know you are coming, and carry pepper spray for bear attacks when in bear country. But the most important thing is to be able to tell the difference between black bear and Grizzly sign. Black bear droppings have a lot of berry seeds and leaves in them. Grizzly bear droppings contain a lot of small bells and smell like pepper.
Regards
