Catherine Dilts
  • About Catherine
  • Catherine Dilts - Blog
  • Rose Creek
  • Short Stories
  • Annie's Fiction
  • Survive Or Die
  • Rock Shop Mystery Series
  • About Catherine
  • Catherine Dilts - Blog
  • Rose Creek
  • Short Stories
  • Annie's Fiction
  • Survive Or Die
  • Rock Shop Mystery Series
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

News 

11/15/2016 0 Comments

Hunting Season - Hug a Hunter

PictureMy husband and I in the national forest
Sunday evening at sunset, third season rifle elk hunting ended. Thirty minutes before sundown, we finally saw elk - a cow and a calf. We had bull licenses. Score another season for the elk! My husband was disappointed, but I'll admit I still had fun!

As you may guess from the photo, the mornings and evenings were cold. The middle of the day was pleasant. We started out bundled up, and peeled off layers as it warmed up. Then we put those layers back on as the sun set.

PictureThis buck was safe from harm - not an elk, and too young!
Our son-in-law went hunting with us, for the first time in his life. He was amazed by the complicated rules and regulations involved. Our first outing, we saw a young buck. Right sex, wrong species.

​The secret about hunting is that you have an excuse to roam about the wilderness, doing fun things like climbing mountains and tracking animals. I'm not sure I could even pull the trigger if I had a chance to take down an elk.

PictureSunrise over Eleven Mile Reservoir
This year, we found some isolated spots where we didn't see another human. No elk, either, but they left evidence of their presence. Our son-in-law became adept at tracking deer and elk. Our last morning, my husband came across large tracks. We had most likely startled the big bull. We followed his trail through the dense pine forest, but never saw him.

Pictureold fence post on State Trust land
I guess the question is, do I like hunting, or do I just like hiking? That's tough. I would have to conclude that hunting and extreme hiking - like climbing 14ers - have a lot in common. Both participants rise hours before dawn to get to either a trailhead or a choice game area. Both tote heavy backpacks crammed with water, food, and survival gear. Both push themselves to the physical and mental limit. My days of climbing 14,000 foot mountains may be over, but I can still handle the smaller mountains we encountered in our search for elk.

Yes, I realize hunting is controversial. Before you judge, check out the Hug a Hunter campaign.

Will hunting make it into my future fiction stories? I hope so. I would love to share the experience!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to this blog:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly