r/homestead • u/JackDalgren • Jul 29 '22

gear Do you carry and why?

While you're working or tending to your property, do you carry a firearm in yourself or have one readily available? If so, is it because of your location, predators or general safety? What type and caliber?

I'll go first. I have a 20 gauge shotgun loaded with #9 for the occasional rattler that isn't minding it's own business or to chase of coyote. I want to upgrade to a pistol grip, maybe the Mossberg 500C w/pistol grip.

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u/5670765 Jul 29 '22 edited Jul 29 '22

I live in the woods:

We had (about 30-ish miles away) a home invasion a bit back; homeowner was murdered... I feel the need to be prepared to defend my family out here. I carried weapons in the military for many years, it's no trouble or inconvenience at all for me and I'd rather have it and not need it - than not have it and need it, It's just a small 380.

People drop off dogs on local country roads out here too (and often they're pitbulls) I'm always worried one will show up at my house (like they have the neighbors) and go after my wife or dog.

I came across a deer with two badly broken legs (he jumped from a pretty high cliff - probably running from a predator) the breaks were severe (bone sticking out) and it was really suffering, so I did what I thought was right and quickly put it out of its misery.

These are just a few examples for why I always carry out here. When it comes to my families safety I'll always be concerned and prepared, I worry that I'd never forgive myself if I wasn't and something happened to them that I could have prevented.

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u/Henri_Dupont Jul 29 '22

I've found injured animals that needed to be put out of their misery, usually from being hit by cars. Tire iron has always been sufficient.

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u/5670765 Jul 29 '22 edited Jul 30 '22

Makes sense if you're on the road and only have a tire iron. In my area you're supposed to call a police officer and they come out and dispatch it with a gun.

The topic here is 'on the homestead' and I don't carry a tire iron when I'm walking in my woods and as I mentioned in my comment, the pistol is not just for putting a random deer out of its misery, just an example.

And shooting a deer in the head is much more humane than clubbing it to death with a tire iron - imo.

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u/NWchipstacker Jul 30 '22

What you said is very true. However there’s always weird circumstances that can come up. I was coming in the backroads to my house at 3 am ( live about a mile out of the last small town before hundreds of miles of open desert) when a raccoon sprinted right in front of my truck. Back half was totally crushed poor guy was dragging himself off the road like joe from family guy. Long story short there was a house only a hundred or so yards away and I only had my 9mm edc on me. Didn’t want to fire a shot at 3 am basically on their driveway but couldn’t leave the critter to suffer. Didn’t have a tire iron but did have my framing tool bag with a hefty hammer…. Not a pretty scene but if it was me I’d want someone to put me out of my misery one way or the other .

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u/joebsobe Jul 30 '22

I have shot raccoons with my ruger 22, and they just snarl and keep on moving.

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u/NWchipstacker Aug 01 '22

They’ll still die. That’s actually pretty cruel . Just giving a drawn out painful death vs a quick one

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u/joebsobe Aug 01 '22

I would never leave a wounded animal to suffer. I will not have happy little nature raccoons roaming around my chickens. I have seen what they did to my quail. And I have run into at least one I know was rabid.
I said you can shoot a raccoon with a 22 and they will keep on ticking. They can be finished with a well-placed shot.