I'd Rather Be Hunting by Stephen Sorenson

I'd Rather Be Hunting by Stephen Sorenson

Author:Stephen Sorenson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736953115
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers


Since I’ve already risked quite a bit in the Gunnison area and still have all my fingers and toes, I think I’ll wait until it’s warmer and the sun is up before bringing in more wood for the woodstove.

I wouldn’t want to slip on the ice.

14

Doubt, Discouragement, Danger

I used to think bad weather—pouring rain running down my neck, sleet blasting against my face, snow falling so heavily I can barely see 10 yards, dense fog darkening the woods—was the worst enemy I could face while hunting. An experience near a high mountain meadow revealed an even worse, insidiously harmful enemy.

Several friends and I set up camp near a reservoir in great elk country. We chose the site because of its proximity to steep, dense timber interrupted by long meadows in-between high ridges. After two days of hunting, I’d not even spotted an elk, but I’d seen fresh sign in the crusty snow so I knew they were in the area. After a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal by Coleman lantern light in the tent, I hiked up a winding trail. Several times I saw tracks of single elk—one going this way, one going that way. My steps quickened even though the trail was growing steeper and I was getting sweaty.

I couldn’t wait to get to the high meadows and find a place downwind where I could see hundreds of yards in several directions. A strategy unfolded in my mind. I’ll ambush an elk that crosses a meadow either heading toward the top of this ridge or into one of those pockets of dark timber. Carefully skirting the first meadow so I’d not be seen, I quietly walked around its perimeter to where it joined an even longer meadow. I found a great place, sat down on my waterproof pad behind a large pine tree, and waited expectantly, daydreaming about showing up at home with a huge elk. I was also shivering and wondering how long it would take the sun to get over the ridge I’d just crossed and shine down on me. The last hour before sunrise always seems to be the coldest part of the night.

As the sun finally rose, I waited impatiently for its rays to reach me. I opened my jacket and soaked up the welcomed heat. What a great day! I thought, looking down at my .30-06 cradled across my lap. This Leupold scope is amazing. Maybe today I’ll get to put its crosshairs on an elk. I hope all of my preparation will pay off.

I knew I’d chosen a good spot when a deer popped out across the meadow from me shortly after legal shooting light. It walked within 75 yards of me. I wished deer would do that when I was hunting them, but they always seem to know which license I have in my pack.



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