OUTDOOR TIPS OF THE MONTH
If the thrill of the hunt is the leadup to the shot that downs that bull, buck or billy, getting the animal back to camp is less glamorous but no less important. Carrying packs of meat on the return trip is one step. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
SOLVING THE RETURN TRIP TO CAMP Editor’s note: Each issue, our Paul Atkins will offer a tip outdoorsmen and -women can use as they prepare for an Alaska adventure. This month: What you need to get that downed big game animal back to camp. BY PAUL D. ATKINS
Y
ou're standing on the side of a mountain fully exhausted, both mentally and physically. You just took the animal of your dreams and the sheer joy is unbelievable, but now you know the work is about to begin. With darkness approaching and the weather getting worse, you must dig
down and find the energy to get him field dressed, put into game bags and packed for the long climb down and back to camp. For some, this is the hard part; for others, it’s easy. Going down is always easier than going up, right? Having the right gear and the right people there to share in the joys and discomforts are what hunting in Alaska is all about. Lucky for most of us we have those things.
KNIVES There are a lot of great knives out there (Alaska Sporting Journal, December 2021), but one of the most popular
cutting utensils these days is a knife with a replaceable blade, which is more like a surgeon’s scalpel and crazy sharp. The Havalon-type folder, with its replaceabletype blade, proves itself again and again on pretty much all big game. It folds and comes in a variety of sizes for different applications. I was a skeptic at first, but became a believer after a recent goat hunt. The small, thin blade looked flimsy, but never knock it until you try it, so I did; it performed flawlessly and actually made the chore easier and more enjoyable. If you break a blade, just replace it with another, which takes seconds and isn’t
aksportingjournal.com | FEBRUARY 2022
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
51
