MacGyverI just got back from a hunting trip where we took a great bison bull, passed on a few other opportunities and managed to take some grouse and ptarmigan with my old Ithaca .410 SxS. We had a few issues in the bush and without the basic tools it could have been a lot worse. I always like to travel prepared but it paid dividends this trip.
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After several days of in and out of the truck and leaving doors open I decided to start the truck to make sure the battery was fully charged and we wouldn’t have any issues starting it. Long story short, truck started no issues and ran great with the keys safely locked inside. Once discovered, I got inside in less than 3 minutes!! Cleaning rod, fork, black electrical tape and wedge from kindling all were used outside of their normal intended use to solve the issue at hand.
On the last day, while we were just about to leave camp, backing the truck up to the trailer, I felt the brake “pop” when I stopped. A quick look under the truck revealed a geyser of brake fluid from the front right brake line. A few attempts to fix the line with some “infomercial” silicone tape one of us had proved to be unsuccessful and left us sitting miles and hours from civilization in a tight spot.
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With two fired .410 cases and needle nosed Vise Grip pliers we were able to pinch the rubber line off. It allowed us to drive out and get to an area where we could secure a new line. Sure the truck did tend to pull to the one side but we still had brakes on 3 of the 4 wheels. Sometimes the only way to get through a situation is to “MacGyver” it.
Other than the obstacles we encountered we had a great trip. Even covered in mud, with water over the quad’s headlights and close to hypothermia it’s these times that really are enjoyable with your like-minded friends.
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