Even though this moose was taken 50 yards from the bank, it required a lot of work and physical ability to transport it to camp. Hours of backbreaking cutting, packing and disassembling of a large game animal will do a number on your body. The same can be said for mountain hunting or any kind of adventure in Alaska, so improve your fitness and strength long before the trip. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
walk in, but you’ll need them, especially while hunting moose or other critters that make rivers and drainages their home. I promise, you’ll have to cross water sometime, whether on a stalk or a packout. Being able to do so with ease gives you a sense of mental accomplishment as well; I know it does for me. Like many, when I first arrived in Alaska I thought leather boots would do. After all, that was what we all hunted in down south. I was wrong. I remember that on my first Alaska hunt I wore leather boots with heavy socks as I rode in an open boat traveling to some remote place upriver. My feet were freezing, and that was just the first hour of a week-long hunt! It was miser52
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
AUGUST 2018 | aksportingjournal.com
able, but like many first times I learned my lesson well; “never again!” becomes a battlecry. These days I prefer waders more and more. They aren’t as thin and painful as they once were and several companies make models that have great bottoms. They offer cushion and great ankle support. Cabela’s neoprene line is one of the best. Or if you’re like my friend and hunting partner Lew, get some chest waders made out of the same material. He can go anywhere the water is deep, and in most cases I usually let him!
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KNIVES, SAWS AND FRAME PACKS I included all of these as one on my list. Why? Well, they all go hand