# Hunting > Hunting >  What rope and knots do you use when hunting

## Russian 22.

As per title. Thinking I should bring some sort of rope wgne out hunting.

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## 308

Just paracord cos it's light, I'm a bit hopeless at knots seeing as I got kicked out of cubs

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## Frogfeatures

What for ?
Hang a tent fly, or hammock ?
I use the truckers hitch for most things

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## Tommy

Paracord: light, cheap, strong. Learn a few basic knots and they can do most stuff. Reef knot, Bowline, and a couple of different hitches (clove, log and half hitch). The trucker type knot is very handy for a force multiplied tensioning of line. I loved scouts, lashing was an art form. Then I got more into lashing the poonani so to speak, and out it went.

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## Max Headroom

I know stuff all about knots, but this one I'm told is a larksfoot. Very easy to undo, good for attaching gear on the end of a line eg, a GPS from webbing.

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## Dama dama

Parachord for me and just the basic knots I learnt as a cub.  Reef, bowline, clove hitch, sheep bend etc etc... truckers knot goes good too, but learnt that in the outback.

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## Rushy

I got given a roll of the chord they use for pull starting motor mowers etc. Thicker than para chord, strong as buggery and cost me nothing. As to knots, clove hitch, reef knot and bowline (which I would have used more than anything).  The sheep shank is handy to know.

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## SiB

Paracord, cable ties and a part roll of sparky tape; youll be able to sort any medical emergency, mechanical breakdown or other random situation where head scratching is the first response.

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## Micky Duck

larks head...yip we use it all the time to close top of pikau.....a clove hitch is very similar except both loops are in same direction.... reef knot...figure 8 in a bite if I can be bothered or more usually just a overhand/granny knot on doubled over rope to form loop.
M10 or Bunnings sometimes have a hank of para cord cheap.
ive used a overhand knot with lots of turns...6-8 on doubled over rope when towing...by using lots of turns it gets grip WITHOUT getting super tight so you can get it undone again.

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## Max Headroom

Cable ties Rock.

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## Russian 22.

> What for ?
> Hang a tent fly, or hammock ?
> I use the truckers hitch for most things


Both and just sticky situations. Thought I should take a decent coil just in case. One of those light weight life saving sort of equipment. 




> Paracord: light, cheap, strong. Learn a few basic knots and they can do most stuff. Reef knot, Bowline, and a couple of different hitches (clove, log and half hitch). The trucker type knot is very handy for a force multiplied tensioning of line. I loved scouts, lashing was an art form. Then I got more into lashing the poonani so to speak, and out it went.


Yes. It has an interesting effect that. Once the genie is out of the bottle life is not the same. 




> larks head...yip we use it all the time to close top of pikau.....a clove hitch is very similar except both loops are in same direction.... reef knot...figure 8 in a bite if I can be bothered or more usually just a overhand/granny knot on doubled over rope to form loop.
> M10 or Bunnings sometimes have a hank of para cord cheap.
> ive used a overhand knot with lots of turns...6-8 on doubled over rope when towing...by using lots of turns it gets grip WITHOUT getting super tight so you can get it undone again.


That's good to know. I need to be able to undo it!

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## johnd

Cable ties are very good, if you are a tight cunt like me get the ones that you can insert a fine blade to undo them again. Spectra line is twice as strong as paracord and 1/3 the diameter/ weight.
If you want a easy splicing rope for hammocks etc try Dynema awesome stuff.
As for knots bowline is hard to beat for lots of uses. Learn to tie it more than one method.
The good old dib dib dob dob round turn and two half hitches hholds a lot and is very easy to undo.
Shit I wish I could get my genie tight again Oh whoops too much info.

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## Boaraxa

If you want to mix it up a lil get 2 thin Prusik,s you can use them for a multitude of things , theyll need to be thinner than your parachord if thats what u go for ,we use them in conjunction with mechanical advantage , abseiling etc amazing how much pain they can take .

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## Boaraxa

Example of a prusik https://youtu.be/TEI9JlY2zgM heaps of different applications it can be used for

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## Nick-D

> If you want to mix it up a lil get 2 thin Prusik,s you can use them for a multitude of things , they’ll need to be thinner than your parachord if that’s what u go for ,we use them in conjunction with mechanical advantage , abseiling etc amazing how much pain they can take .


That's how I set up my tarp. 2 prussiks on a ridge line tarp get connected with a couple little sticks then just tension as needed, so easy. 

As for useful knots. Bowline, clove hitch, half hitch. The sheet bend is a more useful knot for securing 2 different thicknesses of line together. Taught line hitch is a useful knot for tarp pitching as well

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## Nick-D

> Attachment 114176
> 
> I know stuff all about knots, but this one I'm told is a larksfoot. Very easy to undo, good for attaching gear on the end of a line eg, a GPS from webbing.


I've always called this/known this as a cow hitch

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## sako75

When attaching a hammock to a tree the timber hitch is good and easy to undo

If in doubt- plenty of knots

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## inozz

some of the gardening ties are re useable and reasonable size.  they have a little toggle to undo them. check out the garden section in warehouse etc.

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## Bagheera

Paracord or other 4-5 mm synthetic cord is good for most things but look at your application first.  


If you think you're going to fall on it or abseil with it you need a rated climbing rope .  At least "8.5mm single rope" and it will set you back 2 or 3 kg in your pack and a few hundred on your bank balance.  So unless you have training ( in which case you will know what you need) DONT COUNT ON A ROPE SAVING YOUR LIFE"

For a ridge rope  on a fly it's best to have zero stretch so spectra (and before that kevlar) is ideal if you want to spend the money. You won't be cutting it up for bootlaces.

For guy ropes some stretch is good to avoid ripping the fly or tent in a big gust.  I've got fine 2mm cord  on mine which can tangle a bit but saves weight and I can make them long enough to be useful.

Hemp hawser laid rope, twine and sisal (single steand) arexthings of the past except unless you're lashing poles together (ancient art form and very satisfying).  Binder twine and cheap polypropylene hawser laid ropes are an abomination.

A basic set of knots would be:

Two hitches to fix rope to a pole/tree
Clove hitch
Round turn and two half hitches

Two knots to join ropes
Reef knot (and derivatives) easy to undo but not strong or secure.
Fisherman's knot (and double) strong, secure but locks up tight after loading.
If you know  the sheet bend to join ropes of different diameters that's a bonus.

Two knots to put a loop on the end of a rope
Double figure 8
Bowline  (uses less rope and can be tied with one hand)

Another knot that can be useful is the overhand knot (also called the ring bend  or water knot)  it's the basis of the reef knot and the tape knot.

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## Moa Hunter

> Parachord for me and just the basic knots I learnt as a cub.  Reef, bowline, clove hitch, sheep bend etc etc... truckers knot goes good too, but learnt that in the outback.


What is a 'sheep bend' ???? I only know the 'sheet bend' Did you learn the 'sheep bend' in the outback too ??

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## Bagheera

The sheep shank is used to shorten a rope if you dont have access to the ends.  
The rope is folded back and forth into a zig zag and a half hitch is put over each end.  Make the half hitches by twisting the running end  of the rope in one hand and push the end of the zig zag loop through it.  As you can imagine, it's not the most secure knot if let the tension off it.

I expect the name did originate in the West Island of New Zealand.

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## Moa Hunter

> Attachment 114233
> 
> The sheep shank is used to shorten a rope if you dont have access to the ends.  
> The rope is folded back and forth into a zig zag and a half hitch is put over each end.  Make the half hitches by twisting the running end  of the rope in one hand and push the end of the zig zag loop through it.  As you can imagine, it's not the most secure knot if let the tension off it.
> 
> I expect the name did originate in the West Island of New Zealand.


Just as I thought, now we will wait for Dama dama to post a photo of himself bending a sheep, I believe this may be where the term 'knotted' as applied to dogs came from

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## Russian 22.

> Paracord or other 4-5 mm synthetic cord is good for most things but look at your application first.  
> 
> 
> If you think you're going to fall on it or abseil with it you need a rated climbing rope .  At least "8.5mm single rope" and it will set you back 2 or 3 kg in your pack and a few hundred on your bank balance.  So unless you have training ( in which case you will know what you need) DONT COUNT ON A ROPE SAVING YOUR LIFE"
> 
> For a ridge rope  on a fly it's best to have zero stretch so spectra (and before that kevlar) is ideal if you want to spend the money. You won't be cutting it up for bootlaces.
> 
> For guy ropes some stretch is good to avoid ripping the fly or tent in a big gust.  I've got fine 2mm cord  on mine which can tangle a bit but saves weight and I can make them long enough to be useful.
> 
> ...


Ah OK. I think I am better off just avoiding sticky situations and keeping some para cord for small things around camp.

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## The bomb

Trucker hitch,prusic,bowline,uni knot and half hitch,slip knot about all I use

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## The Claw

Theres an app (for android anyway) called animated knots by grog. That shows you step by step a heap of different knots. For climbing, the number 8 knot (in various forms) clove hitch, klemheist, prussick, overhand and double fisherman are most common

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

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## veitnamcam

I generally carry a bit of parracord or other braided synthetic cord suitable for dragging an animal/hoisting an animal/apex rope for a fly etc.

My all time favorite most used knot is the bowline...I use it for everything almost daily.
Second favorite equal is half hitch/rolling hitch/clove hitch.
Occasionally use a truckers hitch for purchase but this generally makes the rope a one time or two piece affair as it always damages the rope/cord if used to full effect.

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## Moa Hunter

> I generally carry a bit of parracord or other braided synthetic cord suitable for dragging an animal/hoisting an animal/apex rope for a fly etc.
> 
> My all time favorite most used knot is the bowline...I use it for everything almost daily.
> Second favorite equal is half hitch/rolling hitch/clove hitch.
> Occasionally use a truckers hitch for purchase but this generally makes the rope a one time or two piece affair as it always damages the rope/cord if used to full effect.


VC re the truckers hitch - it won't damage the rope if you do it right. Am I correct to think that you are only making a single chain loop and coming back to that ?? if you make two chain loops and apply the pull through the second it will always come undone and wont lock on the rope. If you still have problems use a sheepshank as per Bagheera's photo to provide the loop

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## veitnamcam

> VC re the truckers hitch - it won't damage the rope if you do it right. Am I correct to think that you are only making a single chain loop and coming back to that ?? if you make two chain loops and apply the pull through the second it will always come undone and wont lock on the rope. If you still have problems use a sheepshank as per Bagheera's photo to provide the loop


Na it is not a problem undoing the knot.....the problem is the friction and heat created in the loop destroys the integrity of the rope at that point.

Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk

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## Max Headroom

> I've always called this/known this as a cow hitch


Long as it works for you.Name doesn't really matter.

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## Moa Hunter

> Na it is not a problem undoing the knot.....the problem is the friction and heat created in the loop destroys the integrity of the rope at that point.
> 
> Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk


I tied trucks down daily with rope for years without any damage to the rope which was mostly Donaghys heavy grade Sash Cord. For a hunting rope that can take the knocks it is hard to beat a woven Cray Pot line

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## veitnamcam

> I tied trucks down daily with rope for years without any damage to the rope which was mostly Donaghys heavy grade Sash Cord. For a hunting rope that can take the knocks it is hard to beat a woven Cray Pot line


Yea the right rope will hack it but the braided synthetics and sheathed ones I mostly use dont like it they melt. "cord" is probably a better word than rope for what I use.

Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk

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## Moa Hunter

> Yea the right rope will hack it but the braided synthetics and sheathed ones I mostly use dont like it they melt. "cord" is probably a better word than rope for what I use.
> 
> Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk


Here's a link, the 8mm has a 1200 kg load   https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...bgDCMsB&adurl=

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## stevodog

Prussiks and taughtline for tarp pitching. Slide to tension and easy to undo

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## Philipo

If your'e into getting knotted this is a great book, but like many things you need regular practice to remember some of em.

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## Russian 22.

> If your'e into getting knotted this is a great book, but like many things you need regular practice to remember some of em.
> 
> Attachment 114759


Cheers.

I thought it was something that I was lacking skills in.

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## Bill999

my brother who only knows one knot always tells me "if you can't tie knots. Tie lots"

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## Gibo

> That's how I set up my tarp. 2 prussiks on a ridge line tarp get connected with a couple little sticks then just tension as needed, so easy. 
> 
> As for useful knots. Bowline, clove hitch, half hitch. The sheet bend is a more useful knot for securing 2 different thicknesses of line together. Taught line hitch is a useful knot for tarp pitching as well


Sheet bend is best for flat webbing used when creating an anchor etc. 

What about the beautiful 'alpine butterfly'?  :Grin:

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## chainsaw

Two or three useless knots  … seen practiced recently. 
1.	The Jacinda Slip knot.  Applied with fairness and transparency, but very selectively & fark you anyway (btw)
2.	The Nash Scramble knot - lots of loose ends, a big mess in the middle, do it quick …. trust me it works 
3.	The Genter bike Nazi twist – this one involves chains and leather, and some green shit. Its expensive so she expects you to pay for it as well  

Sorry ... but we need a good laugh every now and then

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## Bagheera

Chainsaw that's a troll posting, just makes everyone restless.  We come here to talk about fun stuff.
Theres a whole forum board here for those issues.
This was a technical bushcraft question, let's stay with that.

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## Friwi

The bible of knots.

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## 223nut

have a good (free) app on the phone showing various ones, pictures as the knot progresses. make sure i have a couple of different coloured lengths of rope for when i'm twiddling my thumbs waiting

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## Gibo

Another goody is the handcuff knot

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## chainsaw

> Chainsaw that's a troll posting, just makes everyone restless.  We come here to talk about fun stuff.
> Theres a whole forum board here for those issues.
> This was a technical bushcraft question, let's stay with that.


It’s called humour, shit if we can’t take the piss the world would be a sorry place. Sorry if I offended you

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## tiroatedson

> Its called humour, shit if we cant take the piss the world would be a sorry place. Sorry if I offended you


You needed your us and we disclaimer....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Bagheera

[QUOTE=Nick-D;857079]

As for useful knots. Bowline, clove hitch, half hitch. The sheet bend is a more useful knot for securing 2 different thicknesses of line together. /QUOTE]

Here's the sheet bend.  In this case attaching a shoe lace to the end of a 3 strand hemp "lashing" rope.  It is similar to the reef knot but the thin rope goes under the front strand and back out on top of the bright in the thick rope. So it locks a bit better.  This was originally used on natural fibre ropes with some texture to give friction.  It is an easy knot to get undone after it's been loaded hard.  But a little insecure and possible to come undone if unloaded and flapped around.



Here is a more common form used with slippery synthetic cord.  It has an extra turn around the two strands of the thick rope to hold them together.  You can do several turns if you need to.  It is more secure than the basic sheetbend specially when not under tension.  This is useful if you are extending a tent guy rope with a scrap of smaller thread to reach a nearby root or branch.  Of course it's only as strong as the thinner cord!



Cheers fellas.

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## 223nut

> Of course it's only as strong as the thinner cord!


strength depends on how tight the thinest cord is bent, depends on the knot but i have found the if a rope has tight kinks in it that it fails there. have a length of old rope with muliple knots in it that i cant get undone and it keeps getting shorter as the rope fails at the knots i cant get out

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## Friwi

I like that version for quick undoing.

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## Moa Hunter

> Another goody is the handcuff knot


In combination with whipping

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## Rushy

> In combination with whipping


Dont encourage him MH.  I am still scarred by Gibos antics in his fishnets at the last Toby Shoot.

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## Bagheera

As recommended by Gibo

Very elegant, the alpine butterfly knot puts a loop in the middle of a rope when you don't have access to the ends, without weakening the rope too much.  It can be used to pull on the rope, to attach as person or pack in the middle or as hand / foot loops for climbing the rope.  If you load it with body weight, it can go a bit tight to undo.  It's not used all that much, not really an essential knot for hunters, but very nice to have.

Rope without ends.  Normally you wouldn't put an "in use" climbing rope down on as greasy old bench like this but this rope had been retired for many years.


Make a double twist.


Take the bight down behind the twist.


Feed the loop up through the space in the twist.


Here is the form of the knot displayed but not tightened.


Here it is tight showing the front, with the loop upwards.  Each end of the rope forms a turn around the loop.


Here is the back side of it, showing small turns on each side.


You can load it from the right ...

or the left.


Here are some clearer sketches showing the key stages.  This one from the 1987 NZMSC Mountaincraft manual 20



and from Mountaineering The Freedom of the Hills  2003

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## Coote

Good topic thanks.

I nearly always have a bit of cord in my pocket.  You just never know when you'll have the opportunity to use it.  And naturally I am seldom without a pocketknife.

I take cordage with me everywhere.  I have quite a stock of it at home.  I've found the best places to get it from are the companies that supply commercial fishermen.  Here in Nelson I go to Quality Equipment, Hampidjan or Bridons.  It is generally much cheaper in one of these places compared to hardware stores (although you mostly have to buy a full spool of it).  I like braided nylon cord in a variety of sizes.  It is nice to handle, doesn't kink, it stretches to absorb shocks... and it is strong and reliable with reasonable resistance to ultraviolet damage.

Dang Micky Duck, you used the word 'Pikau'.  It is something I don't hear much nowadays.  I can't be sure, but it may have been a hunting writer like Barry Crump or Rex Forrester who first introduced me to the pikau.  I've used these for years.  The early ones were sacks with a stone in each bottom corner to help hold the rope (I think the aforementioned hunting writer suggested that a potato and an onion were a good idea for the same job).  An acquaintance made me a beauty out of light canvas.... and I've made a couple out of polarfleece type material which is pretty darn strong... and quiet when a branch brushes it.   My older fleece pikau has a hole in it now, but it has lasted me maybe 12 years.  My recent pikaus have webbing straps instead of plain rope.

Here are three pikaus:



When I'm hunting I will generally have a couple of decent lengths of nylon braid with me.... and these might have a breaking load of 350 or 400 kg.   And if I'm hunting somewhere when I might want to drag a whole animal I will take a bit of relatively thick braid that won't cut into me as much when I'm pulling on it.  I'm not your average pig hunting magazine cover boy.  I seldom lift a whole carcass.  I will drag one if the trip is short and is level or goes downhill.  Otherwise, if possible, I butcher the whole thing on the spot and stuff the meat into a pillowslip or plastic bags (yes, I've been made aware of the risks of putting warm meat into plastic bags) and carry it home in my pikau.

I sometimes also carry two light pulleys with me.  These may enable me to pull an animal to a position where I can work on it (rather than on a steep hillside for instance), or I may even be able to hoist it into a tree to make it easier to skin it and cut it up.   A single pulley can give you some mechanical advantage if you rig it right, but sometimes you need a lot of cord to utilise it.  Below is a photo of a pig that I was pulling into a better spot to work on it.  The cord I used was strong, but thin.  In a case like this I might wrap the cord around a strong stick to make a comfortable handle to heave on.  One end of the cord was tied to a tree... it passed through the pulley and I was pulling on the other end.  It is hard to see, but there is a relatively thin bit of cord that connects the pulley to the pig.  I was probably overloading this rig, but because the pig wasn't going to drop on anyone if something broke, there wasn't a significant risk.

 

Here are a couple of knots I like.  The first one, I think, is called a slipped buntline hitch.  I like it because when you pull the end of the rope, the knot virtually disappears if you've tied it right.



And here is a nice-looking knot that I use to join two similar cords.  It is called the Zeppelin bend.  In most cases where it hasn't been under a huge load, it is relatively easy to undo.



When I'm tying the Zeppelin bend, I find it helpful to remind myself that both the initial loops are formed in a clockwise direction... but one tail goes under the main rope, and the other tail goes over the main part of the rope.  You could tie this with loops going in an anti-clockwise direction, but the point is they have to be the same for the knot to be correct.

I also use cord as a casual rifle sling for my rifles which don't have slings.  I just form a noose at each end of a nice soft bit of cord and keep it in my pocket.  That way I can have a sling when necessary, but I can also quickly remove it when moving through scrub.  Sometimes the rifle will have to be slung upside down to be secure with a rope sling like this.  It isn't a wonderfully descriptive picture, but below is a photo of my Rossi levergun hanging by its nylon cord sling.  The sling goes around the wood just behind the lever, and the front noose pulls tight on the barrel.  The billy goat also has nylon cord attached to it.

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## Russian 22.

awesome! those are some very useful knots coote!

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## Coote

Sometimes I carry a small sheath knife in my pocket.... the Mora knives with their clip are good for that.  Mostly I like to have a knife on my belt.   A knife on your trouser belt can sometimes be difficult to move to a different position quickly.  I find it more convenient to use a cord around my waist to hang the knife from.  I can quickly slide it around my body to be in the most convenient position... and every knife can have its own cord.

I've made quite a few knife and machete sheaths from black, low-density polypipe (alkathene).  I typically heat it to around 115 degrees in the oven, then force a dummy knife into it and squash the blade area between a couple of boards using G-clamps.   These sheaths won't get used to make advertising images for 'The American Rifleman', but they are sturdy, safe, hygienic and inexpensive.  I like to keep my knife and sheath clean, and i can use a bottlebrush to scrub it out in the kitchen sink.

The cord belt has a Celtic Button Knot at one end... and on the other end is a bit of smaller cord which has a Dutch Bowline designed to fit over the Celtic Button Knot... and on the other end it is attached to the main belt (green) cord with a Prusik Loop.  This loop easily slides along the cord to adjust the fit of the 'belt'.   There is a Double Overhand Stopper Knot which gives me something to grab when adjusting the Prusik Loop.

The green belt cord was made long enough to tie around the sheath in the form of a Turks Head.  Hidden at the back of the Turks Head is a bit of stainless wire which passes through the pipe and around the cord to stop the cord slipping.

There is a heap of info on the internet showing how to make the various knots.  The Dutch Bowline differs from the standard Bowline in that the tail end is on the outside of the loop.  Nowadays I have come to prefer the Yosemite Bowline which is a neater-looking design.

I've never had one of these belts come undone while wearing it.

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## joombo

I use clove hitch, bowline, square knot, and trucker's hitch mostly. Plus I bought walkie talkie for hunting recently, useful stuff to stay in touch with your group. I checked reviews on thebestwalkietalkies.com to find the right one.

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## snowboyd

Great ideas and photos.  For day hunts I avoid paracord for any application where I will cut it and waste it.  I have found manilla style gardening string and twine a cheap and environmentally friendly option.  May not hang a whole animal but it can hang the quarters of a decent red stag to cool down.

BTW not many people mentioned the round turn and two half hitches which is good as it can be untied underload.
Bowline, Clove hitch, round turn and two half hitches, and truckers will allow you do most things in the bush.

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