Survival Guns

With hunting season upon us, hunters begin to seriously talk about guns. What is the best gun to carry in the bush for survival purposes. We have all heard stories about the hunter who puts his rifle down to clan and elk, only to be surprised by a grizzly, or tales about people getting lost and perishing in the bush.

I must admit although I am comfortable sitting down and watching a bear at close range, I do get a little concerned when I have others along with me. Sitting and eating a sandwich a scant fifteen meters from a black bear while he gorges on raspberries is s pleasant experience when you have your big game rifle along. When a bear charges out of the bush towards you and your son as you hike into a like is a fit more unsettling. Having a good gun along is a handy in case the bear dos not turn aside.

In another instance, my younger brother and I got lost while hunting. Cold, wet and hungry we plodded through the heavy snow, large wet flakes reducing our vision to a few meters. After about an hour we came upon some tracks, which after a while we realized were our own, we had walked in a circle. Fortunately we had managed to get a grouse and stopped, built a fire and ate while collecting our thoughts and bearings.

What makes a good survival gun? You want some knock down power in case of those unexpected encounter with the unpredictable bruins. However being able to get some small game for a fire is also nice.

My first choice would be a pair of pistols, but unfortunately, they are not legal to take into the bush for the purpose of hunting in Canada. (In the several States in the United States hunting with a hand gun is legal) If I could I would carry both a .22 and a .45 calibre  pistol with twenty three centimetre barrels. Shorter barrels greatly decrease the accuracy and so are of little use. Both these guns with a little practice are accurate enough at close range. The lighter .22 calibre would be great for getting a supply of birds and other small animals. The .45 calibre has the close range knock down power for bears and other large dangerous animals.

Having to choose a rifle instead, I would love to have a .22/306 over and under rifle. Carrying it around would be easier than two rifles and it could be used for both small and large game. The largest draw back to this rifle is the high purchase price. One other thing that needs constant vigilance in suing an over and under rifle is ensuring the hammer is on the proper chamber. Using a .306 to bring down a bird would often result in a shower of feathers and no meat. Still I believe it is the easiest and most versatile gun to use in the bush.

Whether the Federal Government will scrap the gun registry remains to be seen. Rather than a gun registry, all that should be required is a permit to use a gun. The current registry does not identify which guns are used in a crime or even if they are registered or not. The only way to accomplish this would be for all registered guns to have ballistic samples takes at the time of registry. An unregistered person using a gun would have to be under the direct supervision of registered, fire arms user. Requireing all guns to have trigger locks on when in storage or during transport to the range or to the hunting area would also serve as a control over usage. A person registered to use firearms would be able to purchase new firearms or to dispose of his or her firearms to another registered gun user.

It is time for the law to protect the responsible firearms users and to get tough on those who use guns for illegal purposes.

 

Lower Clarke Lake and small waters

Lower Clarke Lake

In the old days, we used to hike into Mclean Clan Lake from Lower Clarke Lake. Lower Clarke Lake is one of those lakes which have a drastic draw-down in the fall. Take the first road to the left once you have passed where the Allendale Lake road crosses the Weyerhaeuser 201 road. It’s fairly easy to spot, just take it easy. You can drive right on to the dam or if you prefer, park well back and walk in so you know the condition of the road.

This lake is stocked quite regularly and when I checked it out, action was reasonably fast. The fish were between 5 and 9 inches, but when you land about 25 in an hour and a half on a light leader and tiny fly with a peacock feather body, as well as getting many more strikes, it is lots of fun . A blue heron gliding down to the shore was a real bonus.

In the fall the shoreline is a mixture of slippery mud, rocks and fallen trees. I used the canoe, but a person could just as well use a belly boat or fish from shore. Shore fishing does limit the coverage of the lake, but with a reasonably heavy float and a light line you should be able to get out where the fish are rising. More adventuresome fishermen might try edging out on some of the trees down at the shore, but be extra careful trying this.  I still have a four-inch scar on my thigh from when some bark peeled off under my foot and I fell, gashing myself on a sharp branch. So much for that fishing expedition.  I hobbled back to the car with my kids in tow while keeping direct pressure on with my free hand .

Little beaver dams can hold a surprising stock of fish both in number and size. Once behind Nickel Plate Lake my cousin and I pulled about 200 fish out of a hole about half the size of a bath tub. Even then the waters still boiled when we set our fly in and we hardly made a dent in the swarm of fish in that little hole. These fish were very thin-bodied and obviously starving. Not all beaver dams produce small fish, as I have landed trout up to about 14 inches in length.

We usually tend to fish near the tangle of trees or weeds along the shore and wish the fish we see rising there would come out in the open water. One way to fish these tangles of trees or weedy bays, is a method call dapping. Dapping is best done with a fairly long stiff rod and a reasonably heavy line. (Note, hard core dappers use poles from 12 to 15 feet in length with short lines attached.) This is because you need to quickly get a fish under control before they wrap around a weed or branch. Keep the line short and use a small weight so that the fly or plug hangs straight down from the tip. Dip the fly down dapping it just into the water and often just holding it above the water between the logs or lily pads.

You will undoubtedly lose a fair amount of tackle, but sitting there quietly and patiently just might land you some bragging size trout. Try dragging a small imitation frog from pad to pad, or try to match the insect life with your flies. Never be afraid to try something new or to try even the smallest bit of open water. I’ve seen trout near 50 centimetres in length in a tiny creek less than a half metre wide.