I’m doing a 13.5 mile Mt Carragain loop on 9/13 and I’m wondering what guns are allowed in the National Forest there. Of course the non res NH hunting license is needed if I’m hunting. Since it’s CC there are owb holsters ok for me, a Ma resident? I think for concealed carry I need the permit for $100.
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Hunt and hike in the Whites....what guns?
- Thread starter DJBrad
- Start date
Asaltweapon
NES Member
A 9 mm should take care of any and all threats.
Thread 10,762 covers the topic well.
Thread 10,762 covers the topic well.
KBCraig
NES Member
National Forest has no restrictions, other than 18 USC 930, which says you can't carry in "federal facilities" (which are defined as buildings or portions of buildings where federal employees regularly work).
So, stay out of USFS offices. You can use stand-alone restrooms, though.
So, stay out of USFS offices. You can use stand-alone restrooms, though.
NH has been constitutional carry for a few years now. No permit required to conceal or open carry no matter what state your from.
I've open carried a 357 revolver when back country camping and using the trail systems and never had anyone say a word. As has been stated the federal buildings have no fire arms signage so you can't go in those buildings with a fire arm legally.
All that said .......an ar pistol open carried while technically legal......may draw some "unwanted attention" from day hikers that don't know the laws. How much "attention" your willing to handle is up to you.
If I was going on a long hike I think I would carry a j frame size DA/SA revolver. Weight is important.
If youre wanting to hunt I think I would go for a break action single barrel 12ga. Carry a few different loads depending on what you’re after. Again, a single barrel is wicked light.
If youre wanting to hunt I think I would go for a break action single barrel 12ga. Carry a few different loads depending on what you’re after. Again, a single barrel is wicked light.
I just took a quick look at nh hunting season info and on sep 15 the only game I see open for a gun is grey squirrel red fox and grey fox......and of course red squirrel and coyote which are open year round.
one-eyed Jack
Manufacturer
If you have any kind of gun on you, be sure that you also have a hunting license on you. There is always something open and you can be charged for hunting without a license. Jack.
D
Deleted member 67409
I've done the NE67 (which thus includes the NH48), here's some suggestions and experiences:
*Carry your normal EDC: a black bear is likely to run away from you and you'll probably only see moose in the early morning before the throngs of hiker-tourists come out. If you see a moose and it charges, you're better off taking cover than standing your ground and attempting to get off a shot at an animal that weighs 1000+ pounds and can run up to 35mph. You're far more likely to run into 2-legged threats than agitated animals as the animals tend to become less visible once the people start taking over the trails. My three moose encounters weren't around Carrigain - one was driving up to Mt. Cabot and the other two were hearing a moose a close-yet-unseen distance away hiking to Mt. Hancock and Galehead Mountain. That being said, moose can be seen anywhere up in northern NH. They're just mostly seen further north and in the early morning, i.e. before 7am.
Alaska Moose | What to Do When You See One
Do You Know How to Respond to a Moose Encounter? - Appalachian Mountain Club
*You can open or concealed carry pretty much anywhere you need to while hiking, with the exception mentioned by @KBCraig. My suggestion is concealed as you run into many "crunchy granola" types while out and about hiking. Unless legal actions are your form of amusement, I suggest against open carrying to avoid any possible confrontation or incident. I never once saw a NH Fish and Game warden actively searching in the woods or in parking lots during my many trips up north. Call it luck, call it coincidence, but at no time did I have a problem with law enforcement - town, county, state, or Federal.
*Concealed is concealed and means concealed.
*I never saw anyone open carry while hiking.
*You could bring a rifle or a shotgun however you'd be far more conspicuous and you'd be adding 6-10+lbs of unnecessary weight to your day trip pack. I'm going to be blunt here: Carrigain is an easy mountain unless you're not in good physical shape and beyond an extremely rare angry moose or bear sighting, you're probably not going to need a rifle or a shotgun with you. If you're legitimately concerned about being attacked by bears, bring bear spray in addition to your EDC. You also can't really pack out a shot moose with normal hiking gear, so try to avoid shooting one in self-defense![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
*You do not need a concealed carry permit in NH. NH's Constitutional Carry does not have any caveats like Maine's where you still need a carry permit for certain state parks. You don't need a non-res permit to concealed carry a pistol while hiking the Whites. Now, if this is something you're doing regularly, it might be a good idea to get a non-res permit.
*If you stick to a concealed handgun, you won't run into the issue of "hey bud, where's your hunting license?" Also, casual hiking season in the Whites ends around late September, maybe leaf-peeping season on the smaller mountains that get less snow. NH Archery Deer Season begins on 9/15, so if you do another hike between 9/13 and say Columbus Day, wearing orange is a good idea, like an orange t-shirt or hoodie. Some hikers wear bells on them to warn bears and hunters - I think it makes you seem like a beagle or a hunting dog. Dogs wear bells.
Edit for one final one:
*NH basically has no knife laws. Feel free to OC or CC a knife. I've OWB'd a hunting knife a couple times but it can get in the way.
*Carry your normal EDC: a black bear is likely to run away from you and you'll probably only see moose in the early morning before the throngs of hiker-tourists come out. If you see a moose and it charges, you're better off taking cover than standing your ground and attempting to get off a shot at an animal that weighs 1000+ pounds and can run up to 35mph. You're far more likely to run into 2-legged threats than agitated animals as the animals tend to become less visible once the people start taking over the trails. My three moose encounters weren't around Carrigain - one was driving up to Mt. Cabot and the other two were hearing a moose a close-yet-unseen distance away hiking to Mt. Hancock and Galehead Mountain. That being said, moose can be seen anywhere up in northern NH. They're just mostly seen further north and in the early morning, i.e. before 7am.
Alaska Moose | What to Do When You See One
Do You Know How to Respond to a Moose Encounter? - Appalachian Mountain Club
*You can open or concealed carry pretty much anywhere you need to while hiking, with the exception mentioned by @KBCraig. My suggestion is concealed as you run into many "crunchy granola" types while out and about hiking. Unless legal actions are your form of amusement, I suggest against open carrying to avoid any possible confrontation or incident. I never once saw a NH Fish and Game warden actively searching in the woods or in parking lots during my many trips up north. Call it luck, call it coincidence, but at no time did I have a problem with law enforcement - town, county, state, or Federal.
*Concealed is concealed and means concealed.
*I never saw anyone open carry while hiking.
*You could bring a rifle or a shotgun however you'd be far more conspicuous and you'd be adding 6-10+lbs of unnecessary weight to your day trip pack. I'm going to be blunt here: Carrigain is an easy mountain unless you're not in good physical shape and beyond an extremely rare angry moose or bear sighting, you're probably not going to need a rifle or a shotgun with you. If you're legitimately concerned about being attacked by bears, bring bear spray in addition to your EDC. You also can't really pack out a shot moose with normal hiking gear, so try to avoid shooting one in self-defense
*You do not need a concealed carry permit in NH. NH's Constitutional Carry does not have any caveats like Maine's where you still need a carry permit for certain state parks. You don't need a non-res permit to concealed carry a pistol while hiking the Whites. Now, if this is something you're doing regularly, it might be a good idea to get a non-res permit.
*If you stick to a concealed handgun, you won't run into the issue of "hey bud, where's your hunting license?" Also, casual hiking season in the Whites ends around late September, maybe leaf-peeping season on the smaller mountains that get less snow. NH Archery Deer Season begins on 9/15, so if you do another hike between 9/13 and say Columbus Day, wearing orange is a good idea, like an orange t-shirt or hoodie. Some hikers wear bells on them to warn bears and hunters - I think it makes you seem like a beagle or a hunting dog. Dogs wear bells.
Edit for one final one:
*NH basically has no knife laws. Feel free to OC or CC a knife. I've OWB'd a hunting knife a couple times but it can get in the way.
Honestly the only wildlife I see up there in all the years I’ve been hiking them is chipmunks and a spruce grouse on one occasion. And those are pretty rare to see. No bear, deer, coyote, etc. I did find a full set of antlers and plenty of deer/ bear scat though.
Noting like spreading fear from misinformation, no one is going to question you hiking while carrying concealed , never mind charge you for hunting without a license unless you pull it out and start popping chipmunks on the trail. Furthermore There are no “open seasons” in NH basically all summer long , unlike mass
That being said , Backpacking all over the US I’ve run into black Bear, moose, elk, bison, and brown bears quite a few times and never had any issues , I spend A LOT of time in the woods
Your odds of having a wildlife problem in the northeast are slim to none , concealing a 9mm pistol is more than adequate for the white mountains , I worry about the rouge 2 legged creature before the 4 legged ones
Everything C. Stockwell said above is basically spot on realistic advise
You might also carry a Personal Locator Beacon, in case you get lost or injured. I always pack iron ( colt 1911 in .38 super) and a PLB when in the woods. Read the Missing 411 (canammissing.com) books about people who go missing in the wilderness areas.
And as a back up I have an attack golden retriever with me!!
And as a back up I have an attack golden retriever with me!!
cockpitbob
NES Member
I've always wondered if some creatively styled and checkered wood furniture on an AR could give it a gentlemanly look. Maybe just polymer with wood grained graphic wraps and add graphic wraps to the exposed metal making it look like it's engraved with traditional hunting scenes. Done well it might look like a total fudd gun that wouldn't spook the sheep as much.
[insert pic of AR with caption "Its because I'm black, isn't it. ]
LittleCalm
NES Member
Unless you are going off trail, carrying is just going to be a ton of added weight for zero gain. If you hiked every day for 40 years you might see a moose once (running away or from a distance). Just bring your G17 if that will make you feel better.
Once you've been stalked in the woods (personally only by 4-legged predators), you'll be glad of the extra weight.
I always open carry while hiking, just a black wondernine in a black holster, nothing fancy; most folk are so oblivious that I doubt they noticed in passing.
I always open carry while hiking, just a black wondernine in a black holster, nothing fancy; most folk are so oblivious that I doubt they noticed in passing.
Bear season always starts Sept 1st.
Long guns, yes. Your EDC pistol, not needed.
Glockster30
NES Member
I've had 2 encounters with moose when I wasn't carrying, one in the western mountains of ME and the other in a canoe on Moosehead Lake.
My wife and I went off-trail through some thickets and when we reached a clearing, there was a big ass bull standing there maybe 50' from us. We just calmly walked back the way we came into the clearing. Good thing it wasn't mating season or I would have had to sacrifice my wife.
On the other encounter, we were canoeing up one of the tributaries in the northern part of Moosehead when we saw a cow feeding in the water. That didn't bother us until we heard a calf calling out to its mother on the opposite bank, which meant that we were canoeing between the mother and the calf. We turned around quickly and paddled like hell to get out of there.
My wife and I went off-trail through some thickets and when we reached a clearing, there was a big ass bull standing there maybe 50' from us. We just calmly walked back the way we came into the clearing. Good thing it wasn't mating season or I would have had to sacrifice my wife.
On the other encounter, we were canoeing up one of the tributaries in the northern part of Moosehead when we saw a cow feeding in the water. That didn't bother us until we heard a calf calling out to its mother on the opposite bank, which meant that we were canoeing between the mother and the calf. We turned around quickly and paddled like hell to get out of there.
No worries there. I’ve been doing three to four 4K footers every year for the past 15 years with my twin brother. We clock about 15-23 miles each custom loop with 30-40lb packs. A fully loaded Kahr CM9 is like a full Nalgene bottle of water.
SKumar
NES Member
I was hiking in the Green Mountains a few weeks ago and came across a couple guys filtering water by a stream. One was shirtless and had a 50 cal Desert Eagle on a chest holster. For big game protection, a large caliber pistol on a chest holster seems like a good combo.
You can also pick up some 9mm Lehigh extreme penetrators rounds from either Lehigh them directly, or from Underwood. They penetrate like ball, but provide a wound channel almost like a JHP. And they don’t depend on deformation to create that sounding channel.
