What was your very first experience enjoying the ability to defend yourself from dangerous animals by carrying a firearm?

[Longwalker]

I grew up on a turkey farm. Male turkey breeders are 25-35 KG, large and aggressive. I was just five years old or so. Decided to explore a pen of big breeder toms in the hen barn.

Those aggressive buggers started to peck and flap and kick, big sharp beaks going for my head and eyes. Chased me so hard the only way out was up, so I climbed onto the lid of a self feeder. Seemed like hours crouched there with a dozen big gobblers strutting and circling below and trying to get me. Yup, turkeys are very scary when they are head height and weigh the same as you!

Eventually a trusted and respected member of our farm staff heard my yells and rescued me. I always liked Alex, but I liked him much more after that incident. The whole experience was emotionally formative.

Turkeys were my families livelihood, and were to be respected, so I’ve never told anyone, only my sisters after my parents were both dead… full disclosure? I avoided the Tom pen for a few years. When I was nine years old I bought a Daisy lever action BB gun from another hired man for $2, all the money I had. That gun was old and weak, and could barely kill a barn sparrow.

One day when I shot a sparrow and wounded it, the bird dropped into the Tom pen. I knew my responsibility and had to track that sparrow down and finish it off. The Toms tried to attack me again. I discovered a BB to the wattles is a great deterrent to an aggressive Turkey and they respected me much more after that.

It’s not socially fashionable any more I suppose, but to this day I feel much more secure in the bush while carrying a firearm, whether to deter Grizzlies in British Columbia or Buffalo in Zimbabwe.

What's your story?

 

[Pondoro]

I was hunting black cock and capercaillie in northern Norway.. Came upon fresh bear tracks and dung.. went back to town and bought Brenneke rounds for my 12G..

 

[CBH Australia]

I had to shoot a feral pig coming at me on a walking track. It was coming at me as it felt cornered so I shot it at my feet with a .300wm.
I was looking for pigs at the time but didn’t expect this.

 

[Wyfox]

Close call with a Grizz

 

[BJH65]

 

[CJW]

I grew up on a turkey farm. Male turkey breeders are 25-35 KG, large and aggressive. I was just five years old or so. Decided to explore a pen of big breeder toms in the hen barn.

Those aggressive buggers started to peck and flap and kick, big sharp beaks going for my head and eyes. Chased me so hard the only way out was up, so I climbed onto the lid of a self feeder. Seemed like hours crouched there with a dozen big gobblers strutting and circling below and trying to get me. Yup, turkeys are very scary when they are head height and weigh the same as you!

Eventually a trusted and respected member of our farm staff heard my yells and rescued me. I always liked Alex, but I liked him much more after that incident. The whole experience was emotionally formative.

Turkeys were my families livelihood, and were to be respected, so I’ve never told anyone, only my sisters after my parents were both dead… full disclosure? I avoided the Tom pen for a few years. When I was nine years old I bought a Daisy lever action BB gun from another hired man for $2, all the money I had. That gun was old and weak, and could barely kill a barn sparrow.

One day when I shot a sparrow and wounded it, the bird dropped into the Tom pen. I knew my responsibility and had to track that sparrow down and finish it off. The Toms tried to attack me again. I discovered a BB to the wattles is a great deterrent to an aggressive Turkey and they respected me much more after that.

It’s not socially fashionable any more I suppose, but to this day I feel much more secure in the bush while carrying a firearm, whether to deter Grizzlies in British Columbia or Buffalo in Zimbabwe.

What's your story?

A BB to my wattles sure would deter me.

 

[CJW]

I was hunting black cock

Wait!!! What???

 

[CJW]

View attachment 725232
Close call with a Grizz

That glock would feel like that dang bb gun at that point.

 

[mark-hunter]

What's your story?

Mine isn’t as sophisticated or high-tech as yours.

As a kid, I started fishing very early.

By the age of nine or ten, I was already fishing with gill nets.

Within two seasons, I had become quite skilled — and soon I was catching more fish than I could store. The deep freezer would be full within the first month of the season.

So, I began giving my extra fish to the neighbors every day. They appreciated it — and many still remember it to this day.

One day, I was carrying a bucket of fish to my elderly neighbor, a widow who lived two houses away.

She had a dog — chained on a short leash near the front door. The chain gave him a radius of maybe four meters, while the doorbell was about seven or eight meters away.

That poor dog had never been free to run in the garden. He was a mixed breed with a fair amount of German Shepherd in him — strong, nervous, and very aggressive, though usually no real threat since he was chained.

So, I never paid much attention to his barking or his mean look.

I rang the doorbell.

The dog was sleeping in his box — but he woke up and charged straight at me!

Then, just as he reached the end of the chain, it snapped.

Now he was free — and running toward me with deadly intent.

All I had in my hands was the bucket of fish!

Instinct took over. As he lunged at me, I swung my leg and kicked him hard in the nose.

He staggered, then came at me again. I kicked again.

He tried once more — and again, I kicked. I didn’t stop.

Amid all the noise and barking, the old lady opened the door.

At the sound of the door opening, that dog — who had never been inside the house before — suddenly turned away from me, ran right between her legs, and dashed into the kitchen, squealing.

I looked down — the bucket was still in my hand, and not a single fish had spilled!

From that day on, the dog never attacked me again. In fact, he never even barked at me whenever I brought fish to the neighbor after that. I earned his respect!

 

[RedTag]

Have had a .45 in hand on a couple occasions when bad men tried to do bad things, and seeing the gun quickly changed their minds. Have killed a couple aggressive dogs over the years. Moose don’t get enough credit. I’ve been charged by moose on three separate occasions. Was able to take cover in a vehicle for one, but had a gun in my hands for the other two. Didn’t have to shoot either but they were both really close calls. Never had any serious problems with bears.

 

[Ridge Runner]

What was your very first experience enjoying the ability to defend yourself from dangerous animals by carrying a firearm?​

Hmmm.....I was the aggressor in my first encounter with a dangerous animal; actually a reptile(?) it was a snake, a copperhead or moccasin. Either one it was still tasty.

I attacked it with an Ol' Timer or Uncle Henry folding pocket knife with a 4 inch blade.

Fast forward and another encounter with a copperhead snake a again it died by my folding pocket knife.

Fast forward and another copperhead or moccasin. These damn things can jump. This snake lived to real the story of a human attacking it with a fishing lure, to be exact it was a 1/8 ounce rooster tail fishing lure.

Fast forward next encounter was with a rattlesnake. And again I was the unintended aggressor. I attacked it first with a ~12 inch dead stick that broke when I first hit it in the head. The stick broke in half when I struck it. That's when I found out it was a timber rattler; it started rattling. It died by my 6" fixed blade knife retrieved from the saddlebags on my horse.

Fast forward wasn't so much my first encounter as previously stated, but my first encounter using a firearm as the alternative.

We, me and another fellow at a public shooting range were retrieving our brass. We both reload. We had passed by this 18 to 20 inch copperhead at least a dozen times between us before I spotted it. The moment I spotted the snake the snake coiled up to attack. I retreated to our shooting bench. Between the two of us I was the only one that had any ammo left. That snake took four .357 mag hollow points; and two .357 mag snake shot rounds that I had to go to my truck to get.

In Zimbabwe we, my PH, his wife, one of the PH's trackers that was with us, and myself, chased after a black Mombasa to get photos and videos of it. The Momba had retreated high into a nearby tree.

My first cape buff, was a herd of 6, we the bull and I were squared off facing each other, about 25 to 30 feet apart. The bull dropped from my 375H&H and my PH's 458WM, we fired simultaneously.

Hippo my first and only so far was a 100 plus yard shot in water. No excitement there.

Fourth or Fifth buff, in RSA, a cull cow, broadside shot at 50 yards with my 458WM. 1 shot kill, second shot a security shot. The excitement came when the rest of the herd first ran, then turned and encircled around the fallen buff cow. While 3 buff cows tried in vane to nudge their fallen friend the rest of the herd stood vigilant protecting it. My PH started moving forward, unarmed, yelling and waving his arms, at the herd while I stayed ready with my rifle for any sign of a charge. The herd retreated at a run.

Second and third, encounters (pretty sure it was with the same, non-aggressive) cape buffalo while possessing a firearm. Was with my 22 Hornet. At night. Fourth (a more aggressive) cape buff at night, encounter I also was only armed with my 22 Hornet.

First experience with dangerous animals? All of these were first experiences in there respectively own way. Just not all while in possession or using a firearm. All were an adrenaline rush to say the least in there own way.

 

[Sarg]

Wait!!! What???

On this, I was traveling with a friend on a road trip, he has a small museum with Duck Decoys, callers & old shotshell packets, he had just starting to add a few mounted birds.

We called into a Second Hand/Antique Shop, there was a Black Grouse on a table, I said that’s a cool bird mount, he said never seen one, we left as we drove off he said what’s the story on that bird back there, so I got my phone out & Googled - yes you guessed it Black Cock !!!’

Dropped my phone yelling you stupid bastard, what did i expect !

 

[Muskox]

Painting a target with our aircraft and calling in a strike from an A-10, F-15, F18, or C-130 Gunship.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

1964, I was 13 years old. I went to hunt mallards in the river near our home, with a family servant. I was carrying my uncle’s 12 gauge 3” Magnum full choke BSA Model XII loaded with a paper cased Eley Alphamax heavy load 40 gram No. 3 shell. On the way back home, I saw a huge reticulated python coming towards us from a tree. I knew even then that reticulated pythons are the only snake species in South East Asia which intentionally hunt human beings with the objective of eating them (by suffocating them to death and swallowing them whole). I didn’t waste any time. I fired at it’s head and killed it. It measured 17 feet 2 inches. Even then, we (with some local assistance) brought it back home with the intention of tanning the hide. My mom (who is severely disgusted by snakes even now) wanted to have nothing to do with that hide. I remember her words clearly “Son, either that snake is leaving our house, or that snake AND you are BOTH leaving our house. But there’s no way I’m keeping that thing in the Habib family home !”.

At the time, I felt that mom was being a little too harsh. But in hindsight, she has always been extremely proud & supportive of all of my hunting trophies. It’s only reptiles which she has an aversion too.

 

[BeeMaa]

Geese. As a young boy I was chased and bitten several times by Canada goose in the field next to our house. To say there was a reconning is an understatement, but it took many years to happen.

 

[Wyfox]

That glock would feel like that dang bb gun at that point.

That it did, bought a 10mm the next day.

 

[Flbt]

very first time I was 10. I had won enough prize money with the 4-h cattle club to buy a used single 6 with just the 22 mag cylinder. (50$ if o remember right)
I had headed out to the hay barn to give the horses there hay.
I was coming out of the barn heard this nasty hissing sound. Look around there this big old Tom cat fomeing from the mouth.
Walking towards me falling and get back up.
I pull the 22 mag miss try again miss the cat not paying the noise or blast a bit bothersome.
I hit the cat and then hit him aging in the head.
By this time my dads there asking what was the shooting about showed him the cat.
He said rabies and that the pistol did good ( dad thought they were useless)

It thought me a few things 22 mag is loud in a barn
When you need a hand gun you need it badly
And if I was going to use one I needed to learn to shoot better.

At that age and my dad not a big handgun fan. I did something stupid I shot lr in the mag cylinder. But I did learn to use the handgun split 22 lr cases and all

And yes that was young to use a handgun
I had been using a song shot 410 for a few years it was different on a farm back then
And no one really cared if your parents thought you were old enough to use one.

 

[Flbt]

1964, I was 13 years old. I went to hunt mallards in the river near our home, with a family servant. I was carrying my uncle’s 12 gauge 3” Magnum full choke BSA Model XII loaded with a paper cased Eley Alphamax heavy load 40 gram No. 3 shell. On the way back home, I saw a huge reticulated python coming towards us from a tree. I knew even then that reticulated pythons are the only snake species in South East Asia which intentionally hunt human beings with the objective of eating them (by suffocating them to death and swallowing them whole). I didn’t waste any time. I fired at it’s head and killed it. It measured 17 feet 2 inches. Even then, we (with some local assistance) brought it back home with the intention of tanning the hide. My mom (who is severely disgusted by snakes even now) wanted to have nothing to do with that hide. I remember her words clearly “Son, either that snake is leaving our house, or that snake AND you are BOTH leaving our house. But there’s no way I’m keeping that thing in the Habib family home !”.

At the time, I felt that mom was being a little too harsh. But in hindsight, she has always been extremely proud & supportive of all of my hunting trophies. It’s only reptiles which she has an aversion too.

Your mom and my dad would have gotten along grate.
I killed a big rattlesnake and I wanted stock skin it and have a belt mad.
Simple dad said no and years later I was going to buy a pare of snake skin boots. He I didn’t because he would not let them in the house.
Snakes are the only thing that I knew my dad to be scared of.
The only good snake was a dead snake to him

 

[Rare Breed]

First DG was black bear hunting in Canada with my Black Widow recurve with hand made wooden arrows. My first with a gun was my first cape buffalo

 

[BryceM]

I didn’t actually have to defend myself, but during my first experience around DG in the Caprivi, a .416 Rigby in my hands, it felt awfully small when the elephants got a little cheeky.