Description
Departments
4 Hunt Alaska Online
6 Publishers’ Welcome
10 Hunting for a Compliment
12 Gun Dogs
14 Trip Tips
16 Red Gold
56 Ad Index
58 Recipe
On The Cover
Luke Boersma of Oregon connected with a beautiful Sitka blacktail deer on a boat-based hunt near Larsen Bay with Big Dan’s as the transporter. © Luke Boersma
20
2024 Editors’ Choice Awards by Hunt Alaska staff
The eighth annual Hunt Alaska Editors’ Choice Awards showcase the best gear we tested in 2023. Categories for this year’s awards include Firearms and Ammunition; Optics; Knives and Cutting Tools; Field Accessories; Apparel; Archery; Camping and Cooking; Game Bags, Holsters, Packs, Cases, and Kennels.
36
2024 New Gear by Hunt Alaska staff
Now is the time to start gearing up for hunting season! Here’s a short list of some promising new items to consider taking to the field with you in 2024. Rest assured; we’ll be testing many of these ourselves this fall.
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The Case for Copper by George Krumm
The first all-copper (monolithic) big-game bullet was the Barnes X bullet which came onto the scene in the late 1980s. It had a pretty high following in Alaska right off the bat. It’s been over 30 years, and monolithic big-game bullets are now better than ever, with nearly every manufacturer offering them. Editor George Krumm makes the case for using copper (monolithic) big-game bullets in Alaska.
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Water Treatment Systems by John Whipple
In Alaska, water is everywhere. However, even though Alaska is the Last Frontier, you still need to treat the water you drink in the field. There are many ways to make water safe to drink, and avid backcountry hunter John Whipple has tested many products over the years. From chemicals to UV to pumps to gravity-feed filters, he discusses the pros and cons of many of them.