78 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL AUGUST 2019 | aksportingjournal.com
result ending up on my floor or hang-
ing on the wall. The problem was that I
didn’t really have a floor or wall in Alas-
ka to hold them all.
As many of you know, I grew up in
Oklahoma and spend my summers
there, but I’m usually waiting in great
anticipation of August when I head
back to Alaska. This means doing some
early-season sheep hunting or fishing.
In order to store all our stuff, my wife
Susie and I decided to build a house on
the old farmstead that has been in my
family for generations. I knew from the
beginning that I would need a trophy
room. However, I wanted something
that could be used as an office and also
be enjoyed by the whole family.
We all visualize what the perfect man
room looks like or what we want it to be.
I knew mine had to be big. My room ac-
tually measures 40 by 30 feet, giving me
1,200 square feet of floor space. It also
has a lot of wall coverage and provides
plenty of room for what I intended.
With a cathedral ceiling on one end
and a loft on the other, the actual wallsmeasure 22 feet high. The loft doubles
as a TV room, as I film almost every-
thing these days and being able to view
the coverage from the previous year in
Alaska or wherever my exploits have
taken me has been a big bonus.
Probably the most important and
beneficial thing I did was add ply-
wood behind every piece of sheetrock
throughout the entire room. If you’re
like me, you’ve tried to hang a head by
finding a “stud,” only to miss several
times, resulting in several unwanted
holes and a mad wife; plywood will
solve those problems. I used ¾-inch
board behind each piece of sheet rock
and it has made all the difference. I can
hang anything anywhere at anytime
without the thought of digging another
hole. I was also able to space things out
and group things together like I wanted.
I included an alcove to harbor my
bow case and gun safe. This is probably
one of my favorite spots. Everything is
in one area for easy access and safety.
I also have two other platforms coming
out of the walls. They are mostly emptyand saving it came to fruition a couple
of years ago.
I make my living as an outdoor writer
and teacher in Alaska and have a home
there. Alaska has been very good to me
and I’ve been lucky enough to make a
ton of those “memories” with the endOne of the most unique pieces in the
author’s collection is a smaller Dall
sheep ram he took many years ago in
the Brooks Range. It’s mounted on an
authentic backboard pack used in the old
days. (PAUL D. ATKINS)