What is it
about the mountains that some of us cannot get out of our heads? Why do they
seem to call to us? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’m headed to
Colorado next month for an elk hunt, which will be my first bowhunt of the
fall, so I’m guessing that has something to do with it. I guess growing up in Arkansas,
there is always something about the mountains out west that hold some sort of
mystery. Some sort of connection with the wilderness that maybe we can’t find
in our home state. As long as I can remember I’ve always dreamed about the
Rocky Mountains. They hold a sense of challenge and wilderness that I think
draws the most avid outdoorsmen. Maybe it’s the danger? There are certainly
more drastic changes in the weather that could definitely be dangerous. There
are stories every year of hikers or hunters getting lost or stranded somewhere
deep in the backcountry. Being unprepared for something like that could end up
very bad. Maybe it’s the variety of different wild animals? Grizzly bears, elk,
wolves, and mule deer just to name a few. I think as Arkansas hunters, any
other game animal other than we are accustomed to hunting around home comes
with a certain intrigue. It must, because every year hundreds of natural state
hunters make the journey out west to hunt deer or elk. I can think of at least
ten from my home area making the trip this year. There’s just something
unexplainable that calls to the most hardcore outdoorsmen. What calls to you? The
challenge and beauty of the mountains is something that creates a desire in us
that can’t be calmed. It’s a true call of the wild. To go to a place that is
truly a wilderness and to pursue and animal that makes its home in the place we
can only dream about is the ultimate challenge. To live like a mountain man,
even if only for a week, will be a great adventure. Anxious doesn’t describe
the feeling I have awaiting that first majestic bugle heard from a mountain top
at dawn. I sincerely hope it lives up to the hype of my dreams. Heavenly views,
physical and mental demands, stalking elk on their home turf, and trying to get
it all on video. I feel blessed and up to the challenge!
