Originally Posted by
east_stingray
These are all hypotheticals. I can give you a few real life experiences..................... Once they spotted me they approached and fanned out, yelling at me that they were going to kill me. I assume they were doing something illegal when I walked up, though I never saw what. At any rate, I was armed (legally). I didn't want to drop my pack and run as I was miles from my car with no trail. After a few verbal warnings, I drew and made it clear that I intended to defend myself. They decided they had better things to do and I was able to safely make it back to my car. Moral of the story: had a gun, had to draw it, and it probably saved my life.
You're very unlikely to need a gun to defend yourself against wildlife. They are usually scared off easily. People, on the other hand, are sometimes very dangerous and unpredictable.