If the vertical crosshair of your scope is cocked to one side (as most are) you will not burn in hell for it, but you will miss shots you take at long range, because the bullet will not be flying in alignment with your sight and will depart, either to the right or left, when it has gone some distance from the muzzle.

Over the years I’ve tried various devices that allegedly align your scope, but none of them worked, so I relied on my eye, which usually led to hours of excellent fun and a blood-pressure spike of 325/182.

But here, by crackey, is one that works. It’s called the Segway Mk-II Scope Reticle Leveler, and it is absurdly simple. You can even understand the directions. The price is $24.95 and you can get it from Brownell’s (brownells.com). It will save you all sorts of grief.

Second: Second only to Africa, Alaska has the greatest hunting in the world, and the terrific thing is, it’s not Canada. You don’t have to pay Air Canada $100 extra to fly your guns (and then lose them) or put up with the B.S. import permit or the fee that goes with it. Also, Alaska is probably the last place in North America where you can fart, have long nose hairs, curse, and generally let the badger loose.

But I digress. In 1997, an Alaska guide named Dennis Confer wrote Hunt Alaska Now. It's an absolutely terrific book, loaded with information and practical advice. Now there’s an updated, expanded 2006 version, and if you have any thought of hunting the Last Frontier, you gotta get a copy. It’s a paperback, 365 pps., $29.95 from www.tonyruss.com.