First let me say thank you for all of the responses.


So that you know your advice and opinions have not gone without serious consideration and appreciation let me tell you what I have learned.

1) Do not discharge a firearm without knowing exactly what it is that you are shooting at…EVER!

2) Always keep your protection with you. This prevents both not having it in a real time of need and helps eliminates the potential for accidents.

3) Never run from bears, or is that always run from bears or is that make yourself look bigger than the bear or is that play dead or was it beat it over the head with a stick or was that Make a lot of noise ..er..no be completely quiet …..Oh heck next time if in fact it really is a bear I think I will just invite him into camp for a hotdog and a sip from my Boda Bag.

4) Don’t borrow guns. If you don’t know the gun it probably won’t do you much good.

5) Shooting in the air vs. ground. I’m not even going to touch that one.

6) I’m still up in the air about horsemen. I seem to always run into them on the trails out west and in S. Indiana where I do a lot of hiking and honestly I always have a great time meeting other hikers but don’t really enjoy equestrians.

7) Look and listen. Don’t jump to conclusions that lead to adrenal decisions. Essentially keep a cool head as much as humanly possible in a given situation. (Not bad advice for all aspects of life.)

8) Be a better teacher. Don’t take people into the woods without thoroughly appraising them of the “real” dangers and the reality of those dangers. I honestly believe that the whole situation would have never happened if I had dispelled the fears they were having about “BEARS” before we set a single foot on the trail.


Finally I think the consensus is that yes in fact I did Faux Pas. However and this is the reason I posted this question in this forum. I wasn’t made to feel like a jerk and for that thank you. I learned a lot from the experience and everyone that was kind enough to share there opinion. You can bet that I will handle any similar situation in a much more informed manor.

Sincerely,
Cameron
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