Equipement For Roadside Use

First of all you need a truck.







I use this beat up old Ford (290,000 miles and still on it's first engine). We call it the Bird Dog. I suppose you could use a car, but it would make a mess and might take several trips. Some folks use a trailer, I have one made out of a 1984 Chevy that I used to pull behind an Astro van.


In Alaska the powers that be would prefer that you use a Whoopie Light. I have many times just used my flashers and no one has ever complained. But if you have one you may as well use it.

















I also find it handy to carry a shovel or two. The flat bladed shovel is handy for scraping guts and hair off the road.
















Part of the deal is that you get to clean up the mess.

















Sometimes the critter is off the road or otherwise inaccessible. Then a rope-along is handy. I prefer this to a come-along because I am not limited on cable length. The rope also does not kink like a steel cable. Replacing the rope is easy.












I usually quarter and dress a moose without ever using a saw. But I do have some and they are handy, especially for the ribs. I carry the small one when I am hunting and use the Ridgid to respond to roadkills.











Knives are critical. From left to right I have 2 general purpose hunting knives. Notice the gut hook on the Winchester. I never use it. Then there are two skinning knives. The Old Hickory seems to hold an edge better, it has high carbon steel, however it does rust easier and requires more maintenance and immediate cleaning. The other skinning knife and the 1st 2 boning knives are Forstner Victorinox, the same people who brought you the Swiss Army knife. These are very nice knives and the hold an edge very well for being stainless steel. The last two boning knives are no-name stainless steel but they work well so I use them a lot.









Once you have the critter quartered, or as you pull the quarters off, they should be put into game bags to keep them clean until you are ready to process them. I prefer heavy duty bags. I reuse them so they do need to be laundered, a hint is to soak them in a bucket with some soap for a while first. I don't like disposable bags because they tear so easily.

I'm not showing any but I also like to use disposable latex gloves, and I change them often as I go. I try to always have clean gloves on as I handle the meat it's self.