Leaderboard

I was a cop for 27 years. I carried, in one flavor or another, a Glock model of some sort/caliber depending upon the whims and tides of the agency. I started with a Glock 17 in 9mm in 1990, then the department became convinced that we needed 40 cal, so we went to the Glock 22 in 1994, then for what seemed to be about five minutes in the early 2000s we went to the Glock 21 in 45ACP..........then back to the Glock 17 in 9mm again. Ugh. That said, I trust the Glock platform 100% and have carried Glock on duty, off duty, shooting in multiple competition disciplines for over 35 years and now since I am retired from LE and a practicing attorney....I still carry a Glock 19 in 9mm. That said....in the woods, mountains, or desert....I carry a Glock Model 20 in 10mm with Buffalo Bore Hard Cast 200 grain TCFP. It screams out at 1300fps, penetrates deeply, and gives me 16 rounds on tap with a pair of 15 round magazines on my belt for very little weight cost versus ballistic payload, and weight is a consideration because of two knee and a hip replacement as the result of a line-of-duty injury. But, let's be clear....I don't carry to defend myself from a Sasquatch primarily....it's probably 10th down on my list. The reality is I am convinced that they are dangerous, but not aggressive unless you push the action and so I consider the likelihood of having to engage one to be incredibly remote just based on the number of interactions I have had (1 in 1993) compared to the thousands of hours I have spent in the woods, mountains, and desert over the decades. Add to that the credible interactions that others have had where no one had to shoot one. Ape Canyon notwithstanding, but let's face it Fred Beck shot one of them, so yeah...they's be pissed. I'm not convinced Justin Smeja shot one as he claimed, so I am not going to say he did or he didn't, only that I am not convinced he did. So, the reality is that I carry my 10mm as insurance against bear, mountain lion, feral dogs, wild hogs which I consider to be the most likely threat, and of course humans with bad intent. Looking back to 1993 when I had my face to face encounter, with decades of hindsight....the thought I had back then that I was going to have to defend myself from the Sasquatch was PROBABLY initiated by ME and my body language or a scent I gve off that caused a defensive posture reaction response in the creature. I had been a cop for 5 years by this time and my thinking was "threat focused" and "threat management" and "aggression response" and the stimuli of being face to face with something I didn't believe existed back then, or at least didn't believe was a "Michigan Thing" reset my brain clock in a microsecond and my whole reality changed. I am still nine out of ten toes in the "no kill" camp, and I sure as hell don't want to ever be forced to shoot one. I'd like to see another one, not just hear wood knocks and a couple of suspected vocalizations, and see some suspected prints...but just have that moment where I could experience it again and NOT be thinking "tactically" but more like "Okay, what can I learn?". Sorry for the long post. Once I got to typing, I got too lazy to stop.

After having numerous encounters, with others having sightings at the same time, I became a little fearful of hunting and hiking alone in the woods. I enjoy it too much to stop and I face my fears. After being stalked by a mountain lion at close range, I fear that more than sasquatches especially after 56 years of being in the woods and no sasquatches or mt. lions for that matter have harmed me. So, I think that falling or having a medical emergency alone in the woods is much more likely to kill me than any critters large or small in the Oregon woods.

Bragging rights. He was the most amazing horse I had ever seen. And he was a real Appy. Ugly as sin. Rat tail, chicken specks all over him. But he was tough and super calm and smart. We shot a real nice mule deer buck up by bear pasture above the meadows. Almost killed two horses trying to get it out. Finally gave up in the dark. Took Chislum up the next day and loaded that deer up and he walked it right out of there. Big ravine we had to cross. No problem. Just an awesome animal. Worth his weight in gold. Packing was the most rewarding hobby I have ever did in my life.

IMO, a successful group would be an anarcho-democratic confederacy, all agents capable and willing to operate solo, have a shared view on the approach and enough experience to recognize the best option in any circumstance, even if it isn't one's own. Doesn't sound difficult to pull together but I'm sure it is.