Topic: Open Carry In Sawtooth Mountains? Pend O'Reille Area? Hells Canyon?

[Evergreen]

I will be packing my S&W 629 in a chest holster when I am doing my hiking in the Sawtooth Mountains and possibly the Pend O'Reille lake.  Also, I will be maybe doing a hike in Hell's Canyon/Wallowa Mountains.   I was wondering if Idaho is an open-carry state? I assuming it is, as Oregon certainly is, outside of Portland.  What I am wondering is what people's feelings about opening carrying in Sawtooth Mountains or Pend O'Reille?  Also, I will be on the ORegon side, maybe Idaho side of Hell's Canyon area.  I just would like to know if other people around here open carry in those areas I am mentioning when hiking the trail.  My fear is that maybe other hikers will freak out, call the cops/rangers about a "man with a gun".  I don't really want my vacation to get ruined, so I would try to be as low-key as possible.  However, concealing would be harder, but I am preparing to carry like that.  I know in Western Oregon, open carry is not advised, especially in the more crowded hiking areas in the Gorge and Mt. Hood.  I just like to get the consensus about whether I should pack my gun openly or better off concealing it in these areas.

[NoviceHunter]

Open carry is fine in those places.  May wig out some hippies, but I doubt you'll get the cops called on you.  Concealed without a permit is also legal in those areas, so you could also conceal it until you're further in the backcountry.  Nobody will give it a second glance at that point.

[Rhino]

I always carry up in those hills, and all over Idaho and Oregon when hiking. Have been stalked before from Wolves and a few Cougars, (Not the big chested ones mind you). I have come upon many people and have never had a problem. Sometimes i have my thigh rig on along with a pack and a shotgun holster attached to the pack with a shotgun in it, and have just got the normal, good day too ya!