News & Articles

Backcountry Safety: Tourniquets

This article was published in the Backcountry Safety Column of the "Hunt Alaska" Magazine, Spring 2016.

Story by Jon Hunt.

Life or Limb? The use of tourniquets is riddled with historical controversy, scientific research, and superstition. For centuries they have been applied in numerous applications including surgery, battlefield wound care, emergency medical services, disaster relief, and most recently, terrorism response scenarios. Over the 20+ years that I have conducted safety training programs,

Backcountry Safety: Satellite phones in Alaska. Iridium vs. Globalstar.….

This article was published in the Backcountry Safety Column of the "Hunt Alaska" Magazine, Winter 2016.

Story by Jon Hunt.

Satellite phones work everywhere…. True or False? If you guessed “false,” then you are correct. Despite their ever increasing popularity, most people still have limited knowledge about how satellite phones work, especially in Alaska. In fact, many of the widespread beliefs about satellite phones even today are untrue,

Backcountry Safety: Surviving Cold Water Immersion

This article was published in the Backcountry Safety Column of the "Hunt Alaska" Magazine, Summer 2015.

Story by Jon Hunt.

Accounts from the Titanic tragedy document there were not enough lifeboats for all of the passengers. Survivors in lifeboats heard screams for up to two hours coming from the victims floating in lifejackets who were eventually silenced by a chilling hypothermic death. You may wonder how this catastrophic event is relevant to Alaskan hunters.

This article was published in the Summer 2015 in the "Editors Creel" column of the Fish Alaska magazine.

Backcountry Safety: Fishhook Removal

Every fisherman, though not likely to admit it, has been humbled while out on the water. Losing a dollar on the first fish, or having to pick up dinner on the way home because of an empty cooler, may offer a dose of humility, but that is minor compared to impaling oneself with a hook.

Frontier Safety and Supply was again featured on Alaska Aviation Link. This time we talked about winter survival equipment for your aircraft.

For a custom quote on an aviation survival kit please contact us at (907) 301-5155.

Frontier Safety and Supply was recently featured on Alaska Aviation Link talking about survival equipment for your aircraft.

For a custom quote on an aviation survival kit please contact us at (907) 301-5155.

After pulling the trigger, many hunters have eagerly tracked a frothy pink blood trail, eventually coming upon the harvested animal.  A closer look at the animal reveals the bullet has punctured the ribcage and blood has bubbled at the entry site, streaked down the animal’s side, ending in a puddle on the tundra.  This might be considered a good shot, as it resulted in minimal meat being wasted.  However, an animal can live for a time with a punctured lung,

Story by Jon Hunt

Drinking water containing infected organisms can rapidly lead to a backcountry survival scenario.

Last spring my hunting partner and I were reminded of this possibility midway through our long-awaited Southeast AK brown bear hunt.  Experimenting with luxury, we decided to rent a cabin rather than camp.  Actually, the thought of a dry shelter on a remote hunt was a refreshing concept, especially a cabin with a kerosene stove. 

This article was published in the Fall 2014 "Backcountry Safety" column of the  Hunt Alaska Magazine.

Story by Jon Hunt

So now what?  Imagine you are in a remote area, hours or days from definitive medical care.  Your friend has been injured but is still breathing.  If your level of training culminates with a basic CPR and First Aid course focused on the urban setting, then you will be quite distressed that you can’t offer your friend much help.

This article was published May 2014 in the "Backcountry Safety" column of the Hunt Alaska Magazine.

Story by Jon Hunt

Last season, the Tier 1 Unit 13 caribou hunt was slim picking.  Fish and Game opened the season with bulls only, and it seemed we could only find the cows.  Apparently, we should have been in Eureka, instead of on the Denali Highway.  Nevertheless, we had a great hunt, and eventually found a few straggler bulls to fill the freezer.