[pct-l] Hunting

[Scott Bryce]

Adam Mason wrote:
> Has anyone hunted on the PCT? I have a 2.5 lbs .22 rifle its small
> and compact. Probably 3 lbs with ammo. Does anyone think it's worth
> it?

If I relied on hunting to keep myself fed on the 150 mile section of the
PCT that I hiked, I would have starved. The best odds of finding meat to
shoot at in that section will be at the restaurant at Warner Springs and
at Paradise Cafe, unless you want to shoot at cattle on the Warner
Springs loop.

Your gun plus ammo weigh about 3 lbs, but you will also need to include
the weight of any animals you shoot, but don't eat right away. That may
not be significant, because rattlesnakes and lizards don't weight that
much. Since you will be cooking raw meat, you will need a heavier stove.

If this is a thru hike, you will need to consider the time spent
hunting, which will take time away from hiking. You will also need to
arrange to have your gun shuttled past areas where carrying a gun will
not be legal. You may also want to shuttle it around areas where having
a gun is legal, but hunting isn't, which, I suspect, will be the
majority of the trail.

Since the trail mainly follows ridges, you will often not have a safe
backstop.

The short answer, no, don't take the gun. It will simply be dead weight.