Thread: What rope and knots do you use when hunting

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