Project: How to hide a gun

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/ClaireWolfe/2012/12/20/project-h...

Yes, it’s that time of year life politics again — time to consider that we might need to hide our Eeeevil Black Rifles, just like we did back in the Bad Old Clinton days.

Yes, I know some of us are going to say, “Hide? I ain’t hidin’ nothin’! They can come and take my gun from my cold, dead hands — or better yet, they’re the ones who’ll end up cold and dead.”

But we’re taking insurance here. Not the whole arsenal. Just an “ace in the hole” rifle. Or some high-cap magazines. Or an Eeeevil Black Pistol. Or whatever …

And yes, I know it’s premature. Let’s hope it remains so. But I’ve been assigned an article on this topic for Backwoods Home. And — for insurance — we need to bring the best to this project.

That means bring in the Commentariat. Your personal experiences. Your creative ideas.

BHM has already published two articles on burying a rifle:

This very thorough Charles Wood piece from Issue #115

And my “lighter” Hardyville “SKScapades,” based on the real experiences of friends of mine.

Both were ultimately successful; people retrieved their rifles in shootable condition. But both involved the buried firearm getting lost when the woods around it changed.

One might think smart phone GPS would solve that problem. But that involves a host of perils (not least of which is all the people who can track you via phone these days).

So … how ’bout some ideas and experiences from you guys? Voice of experience is good. But even pie-in-sky creativity is fine as long as I’ve got some time to investigate. (BHM is really, really big on articles being accurate in the real world. No pie-in-sky will end up in the article.)

Dave himself suggested the possibility of placing a rifle in a waterproof container, painting the container camo, and hoisting it into a tree to foil anybody who might be scanning the ground with metal detectors. But again, woods have a habit of changing. I had some stuff “hidden in plain sight” in the woods once. Then along came a killer storm, and although I knew exactly where I’d stashed my stash, the mere act of getting to it became an exercise in woodcraft that required outside help.

So let’s hear it:

What type of firearm/equipment would you hide?

How would you hide it?

Where would you hide it?

How would you make sure you could find it again?

How would you make sure you could find it again in a big, screaming hurry?

How would you make sure other people couldn’t find it?

Have you done this before or have close experience with someone else who’s done it?

Also, if you have any photos (must be high-res for print) that help show any useable gun-hiding technique, that could be a plus.