Ruger .380 is columnist's choice for carry pistol

PHOTOGRAPHER: EmilyRose

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I recently received an email from a reader asking me, “Do you carry and if you do, what do you carry.”

Needless to say, I thought it was an interesting question and wasn’t going to answer it, but after thinking about it, I thought, “Why not?”

I do carry, not always, but more yes than no. In today’s world, anything can happen anytime, anywhere.

I actually began carrying shortly after I received my “unrestricted” handgun permit from the Saratoga Springs Sheriff’s Department and even more so when Ulster County Sheriff Paul J. Blarcum said, “If you have a legal license to carry a handgun — do so.” There have been a number of other New York state county sheriffs encouraging licensed owners to carry. Anyone who wants to read their comments, goggle “New York State county sheriffs encourage you to carry.”

For my handgun, I chose a Ruger LCP .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol which I fitted with a Crimson Trace red laser. The pistol is small, weighs just 9.6 ounces, and has a 6+1 capacity. It carries easily in a pocket, but I prefer the DeSantis Incognito. This is a belt holster that looks like a cell phone holder which, they say, “hides the pistol in plain sight.” I chose it because I believe it’s the best way for a person to carry and not make those around them uneasy.

Some may question the laser sight, so let me give you my opinion. Basically, a carry gun is for self-protection and should such a situation occur, you’re going to be nervous and this red dot will help with sighting. It’s also quite helpful in the dark and allows accurate shooting from all types of positions.

I often ask myself, “If some of the innocent people at those tragic mass shootings had been carrying, could they have saved lives?”

RABBIT HUNTING

The snow accumulation last Thursday did not amount to much, but to me and a few other old hunters, it meant one thing — cottontail rabbit hunting.

There will probably be about six of us at least, and more on the weekend including a number of young hunters that will join us. Our first trip will probably be state land in Washington County, which has always been very productive. It’s a little thick, but that’s where the bunnies live and getting them out and running will be the job of our three to five well-trained beagles.

I’m anxious to try out my new .28-gauge semi-auto Tri-Star shotgun. I’ve only shot it once and it rewarded me with a nice cock pheasant. Check it out at fishguydblog.blogspot.com.

Last week, Dan Ladd of Ft. Edward, and I hooked up with Don Vanderwerker and his turkey dog, Skeeter. Unfortunately, it was a day when the winds were really howling in the hills of Montgomery Country. We heard and saw several very large trees blown over and never saw a bird. Skeeter did his job, but I don’t think we would have heard his bark. I’ve since spoken with Don. He said his friend saw at least 50 turkey the next morning in a field we’d hunted the day before. When we finished, Skeeter’s GPS read he’d covered 10.5 miles.

I found 23 nice deer/bear photos taken in the Northern Zone on the www.adkhunter.com website. One of them was a 180-pound, 8-point deer taken by Kristine Barth of Guilderland. Greenfield Center hunter Wade Chandler shot a big black bear weighing 150 pounds with a muzzleloader.

Snow turkey

Last Friday was the last day of the fall turkey hunting season, and I decided to track a turkey in the few inches of snow on the ground. I’d done it successfully before hunting in British Columbia in early May. I entered a big woodlot where I had taken my spring tom around noon.

I wandered around the woods for about an hour before I found tracks which only lasted about 20 yards. I thought the reason the tracks ended was I had spooked them, so I set out a hen decoy, sat down in some brush and began my kee kee, yelp and purr calling. After sitting there an hour, I continued my sneak and peeking for another two-plus hours and headed home.

Looks like Butterball for Thanksgiving again this year.