Nunavut Hunting

Have you ever been in a survival situation? Most of us have not. Would you know how to survive in the wilderness in a crisis? Believe it or not, most of us would not. With the advent of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) we've been lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that we can escape any predicament by following our handy little electronic devices to safety. While basic wilderness survival skills were commonly learned by generations before us, recent generations are much less savvy in this regard. As hunters, our activities often take us into remote areas. It behooves us to learn the essential skills required to survive if we ever find ourselves stranded in the wild.

Cold-weather hunting is not for the faint of heart. I've seen guys throw in the towel after only a day or two, canceling their trip of a lifetime because Mother Nature dropped the mercury into the toilet. Sub-zero temperatures can make the outdoors a miserable place to be. Add wind and humidity to the equation, and things get nasty. Sure you can always hunt a heated blind, but if you need to brave the elements, some planning is in order. Gear up properly and the cold can be manageable. Venture out unprepared and you may as well write off your hunt.

You've saved the funds, cleared it with your spouse, and booked the hunt. Your caribou hunting dream is about to become a reality this fall. But between now and then, you've got a thing or two to do. Luckily, planning for an adventure like this is a whole lot of fun. It builds up the anticipation, gives you excuses to purchase additional equipment, and prompts you to visit the range more often. The excitement grows exponentially as that great day approaches.

A mounted trophy is the tangible reminder of a memorable hunt. It's there to be admired on long winter evenings and its there to provide the strength to carry on when the course of events are temporarily rocky. When I look up at any of my mounted trophies, I rarely see the individual animal; rather, I recall the events of the hunt, the people and the places, the exhilaration and the excitement.