Ask a Hunter

Advice for the fall season.

Everyone needs advice, and each issue we encourage readers to send in their questions, to be answered by an outdoor enthusiast who best represents that season. This issue, two beleaguered Bozemanites ask a hunter for help. 

Dear Hunter,
I love to play outside—running, biking, climbing, fishing, hunting, whatever—but there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. I often try to leave work early to get more outside time, but there’s a problem. Let’s call him “Gary.” Even though I usually work through lunch and get my projects done before he does, Gary hates it when I leave early. I’m afraid he’s going to complain to the company president and get me in hot water. What should I do?—Paranoid Outside 

Dear Paranoid Outside,
The Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle is a weapon as powerful as it is elegant. Time-tested and reliable in all weather conditions, this classic hunting rifle incorporates two dual-opposed lugs, a C-clip extractor, and an internal magazine with floor-plate. Available in a wide range of styles and configurations, the Model 700 platform has long been embraced by law enforcement and military snipers, who fitted the rifle with a precision stock and tactical optics for clandestine, long-range threat elimination. As for caliber, the conventional .308 has lower velocity and thus requires greater windage adjustments, but will leave an exit wound the size of a grapefruit.

Dear Hunter,
My boyfriend is always going off on crazy outdoor adventures without me. Sometimes he doesn’t make it home at night, but he always has a good excuse that involves getting lost, or having a flat tire, or drinking too much at a buddy’s house. I know he likes his “guy time,” but I’m starting to wonder if he’s cheating on me. How do I bring it up without accusing him outright?—Adventure Widow

Dear Adventure Widow,
When field-dressing any large game, approach from behind, to ensure your target is dead. Starting between the rear legs, use a sharp knife to make a deep cut to the pelvic bone, then turn the blade up and, without nicking the entrails, cut up through the breastbone and up the neck as far as possible. Grasp the windpipe with both hands and pull hard, downward. The insides will come out all the way to the midsection. Roll the carcass on its side and cut the thin layer of meat that holds the entrails to the ribs; repeat on the other side. Grip the entrails and pull them out. Finally, split the middle of the pelvis with your knife or a hatchet and drain the body cavity of blood. The carcass is ready for skinning and quartering if desired.