We used to haul our horses to the Cherokee National Forest to ride the mountain trails and roads. I always carried my pistol in a holster attached to the saddle horn. One day I became separated from the rest of the family and encountered a jeep full of rowdy drunks. They considered harrassing me until they saw the pistol on the saddle. They left. Well, along came a park ranger. He was concerned that I was that far back in the mountains on horseback alone. I explained that the rest of the family was up there somewhere and he noticed the pistol. He didn't say a word about it but his face changed. He wished me a nice day and told me to try to catch up to the rest. He never mentioned the gun. I guess he figured a female alone on horseback in the mountains needed all the help she could get. LOL I often rode alone and ALWAYS carried the gun and a self-defense knife strapped to my leg, inside my pants leg. I didn't have a carry permit at that time but TN is usually pretty cool when it comes to self-defense, especially when it's a woman alone. They use a little common sense. I have had a permit for five years and always carry when I'm alone.
I grew up in these mountains and personally it's not the wildlife such as bears that worry me. All that I've ever encountered, with the exception of wild hogs, were very shy. It's the two-legged predators that I worry most about.
We ride most of the time in State Forest land here in WA and it's legal to carry. I have carried, but don't always. Like you, I've been more concerned about the possibility of coming up on a meth lab than a wild animal problem. I've seen bears twice, black bears, and while it's a rush, it's not considered an immediate threat usually. This attack is a pretty unusual event.
>>They use a little common sense.
And that's a problem right there. They shouldn't have to use "common sense", the law should just flat be on your side in this.
Jerry Pournelle calls the selective enforcement of too many laws (that are often at odds with the BoR) "anarcho-tyranny". It's not a bad term, and this issue should be more-discussed. See the first quote on my FR home page for an illustration why.
You said both people 'saw' the weapon. Can you carry openly in TN even without a permit? Here in WA, you can. And some do, in the woods. Only need a permit to carry concealed.
You've got that right. When I go camping in the national forests here in Florida, my gun is always by my side. Not because of the bears - Florida black bears are just about the most timid creatures you can imagine, as long as you don't corner them or mess with them or their cubs. And usually they're long gone before you can even get close enough to harass them, if you're fool enough to try.
The same cannot be said, however, about some of the people you encounter. Just a couple of months ago, a couple of hikers were murdered in the Ocala National Forest, in one of the wilderness areas. They were students at the University of Florida, and I'd expect that they were good little liberals who probably got palpitations when they even saw a gun holstered on some cop's hip. Some psycho with visions of becoming a serial killer ran into them in the woods and ...
It's impossible to say that they would have lived if one of them had pulled a piece from his/her backpack, but certainly their odds of survival would have gone way up if one of them had.