View Single Post
Old July 15, 2001, 02:24 PM   #5
Keith Rogan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 1999
Location: Kodiak, Alaska
Posts: 1,014
I'm pretty good about remembering all my stuff. Up here, most hunts are in fly-in affairs and if you forgot something you are hosed!
I've learned to be somewhat of a prick when it comes to this. If somebody forgot something and they are counting on me to supply the deficiency... they're out of luck. If I have "extra's" of something, well maybe - but generally people forget some pretty bizarre things. On one trip somebody forgot their frame pack and I ended up partnering with him for the day. He shot the first deer and then had the unmitigated gall to expect me to surrender my pack (basically give up my hunt for that day) so he could tote his meat several miles down the mountain back to camp. Not likely! I'm sure the 4 or 5 hours of dragging that buck through alder jungles and up and down steep inclines was a good character building exercise that made him a better and stronger man - you'd think he'd be grateful...
Another time some idjit forgot his sleeping bag! Can you imagine? You've just been dropped off in the middle of Kodiak Island in November, the plane isn't due back for a week and you forgot your bag?
This is almost Darwinian! The other three guys had enough space blankets and a spare tarp to keep the guy alive but none of us would spend the week "cuddling" with him in our bags and he just thought we were all bastards because of that.... I don't know.
The most common forgotten item is the good old knife. I buy good quality and after having a couple of loaned knives lost and then "replaced" with K Mart junk - "Gee, sorry about forgetting your hand-forged knife on that log six miles back in the swamp, but here's a nice replacement that has a $2 compass stuck in the plastic handle!" I don't loan stuff any more unless I'm standing right there with my hand out to get it back.

OK, rant mode "Off".
__________________
Keith
Keith Rogan is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.02653 seconds with 8 queries