Gun Talk
A couple of musts for hunters
Harold Harton

Harold Harton has been an outdoors contributor to the Dispatch Record since 1954.

Of all the many items a hunter needs to complete his priority list, one would find the hunting knife and sharpener to be high on that list. Boots and warm clothing also are important, as most hunters would be home by the fireplace without them.

Binoculars probably get more use than any other item. It is my belief the very best binoculars one can afford may be the wisest investment of all the necessary gear. One can get by with a cheaper rifle for hunting deer, elk, etc. and come home with some good meat, and the hunter's clothing can be old, rejected work clothes as long as they are clean and warm, but good binoculars and a sharp knife are a must.

I remember one morning when I was hunting in Colorado near Telluride. I was in Turkey Creek Canyon glassing the hillside to my left, when I spotted a doe walk out of the woods about 500 yards up. The sky was overcast, and the clouds were building up a snow that started while I was looking at the deer.

In a few minutes, a nice eightpoint buck stepped out some 50 or so yards down the hill from the doe. I was sitting behind a large boulder. I hurriedly removed one of my gloves and laid it under the forearm of my Remington Model 700 7mm Magnum and turned up the power to seven and got on the buck. I estimated him to be 450 yards and uphill.

My load was my old standard for that rifle: a 160-grain Speer bullet on top of 67 grains of H4831 powder. I held slightly over the buck and touched off a shot.

The bullet hit just over the deer. He stood there, not knowing where the shot came from. I held right on his back with the second shot, pulled the trigger and down he went.

About the time I was getting up and ready to go up the mountain to dress him, two high school boys drove up the nearby road and asked if they could help. I told them what I had killed and where he was.

Being about 16 to 17 years old and having grown up in those mountains, they told me to wait where I was and they would go gut the deer and bring him down the hill. I didn't argue.

When they got back, I gave them a $20 bill. They were happy, and so was I.

If I hadn't had that great pair of Bausch & Lomb 7x35 binoculars, I would not have seen that buck. Binoculars pay off!

I do not know what kind of knife those boys had, but I'll bet it was what they needed. They grew up hunting those hills, and I'm sure their dads taught them well.

When that animal is on the ground, it is knife time. And if the animal is an elk, you will need more than the knife. Perhaps one would need a saw or a cleaver to get through heavy bone.

About six years ago my grandson, Scott, killed a bull elk in the mountains of central Colorado. He and his dad, Hal, were hunting together, and Hal had his Alaska knife set, which included a heavy cleaver. Hal still sings its praises. He said without it, he would have been in trouble.

Many hunters use a sheath knife; some use a folder, which is fine for our whitetails. I remember watching my friend, the late Doyle Yeary, gut a deer with a large folder. He was a real surgeon with that knife. He could gut a deer in about three minutes.

The diamond grit sharpeners are really great, too, and if you don't have one, I would recommend you add that to your kit.

The price of a good knife, such as one of the Moore Maker knives available locally, is a great bargain because it will last a lifetime. They are available in both folders and sheath-type. Check them out; it could be a good gift for the hunter on your Christmas list.