An Opinel no. 6.
Dead simple, takes a great edge, and doesn't hurt if you lose one in airline security or leave one stuck a stump. There's one in my pocket all the time, and another on the shelf in case I lose the first one, or as an impromptu gift for a visitor.
Nothing I'd recommend as a...
Scott Rea project on Youtube is also really informative. The terminology is different because he is English, but his videos on butchering animals are top-notch. Amazing what you can do in a tiny kitchen.
ha! I'm no expert, don't have horses. I can school you right now: show up at a trailhead at the end of a rutted two-track driving a white hyundai accent and impress the guy with horses how excited you are to be elk hunting so that he offers to haul your bull out if you kill one. Failing that...
the issue with using a grinder as a stuffer:
My experience is that the meat has to be the perfect consistency or the auger just spins in the meat and doesn't push it into the tube. You then get a bunch of warm meat in the grinder that doesn't want to go into the casing. There's also air pockets...
Every situation is different. I carried out the skull on my bull a few years ago on my back before the majority of the meat in order to make it easier for the horse to carry out the four quarters. It made a more streamlined load less likely to catch on brush and cause trouble for a horse off...
this. easy to clean and innocuous if it leaks. Bulky enough you can put your compression straps to use.
I've also used a bunch of 1.25 L bottles of water (used sparkling water bottles from Trader Joe's). This has the advantage of being able to go uphill heavy and empty them out at the top to...
awesome description!
I find it an essential luxury in late season so that I'm not forced to be snugged down in my bag for the whole evening. when it gets dark at 6 pm, it's nice to be able to read a book comfortably with my top half out of my bag, lounging in the tent, rather than zipped into...
If are able to use them full, those pillows are fine. I don't like them that full because they're too tall. Half-full, unless you put your head right in the middle of them, they'll squirt out from beneath your head because all of the air squishes to the side away from your head.
Is the velvet slipping (hair coming off in chunks?) If not, I'd think you're fine if you want to keep it on. Freeze dry (or dry in the sun/drying oven) as others have said. getting the smell out is going to be a problem though.
So much depends on the personality of the hunter. You'll never see any buildup to the season from me, nor will you see anything after. The weight of the animal I packed out was an exception this year, in an effort to help other people who've not done this plan for their trips. I enjoy reading...
Yup. Keep changing spots. Keep moving. Luck caught up to me by doing this - my first elk since 2014. Change elevation, habitats, etc. Get to vantage points and glass. Sounds like your work ethic's not a problem - sometimes reigning yourself in and spending an evening glassing the habitat you'd...