I've taken a detour from writing recently and I miss it, and I want to do more of it.
Welcome, to Draya's short story series. You send me a topic, (brownie points if they are hunting related), and I'll write a short story on that topic. I aim to keep them short and sweet, but, we'll see how that goes.
This first topic is from my friend Zane. Enjoy!
How has hunting made you as an outdoors woman more in-tune/appreciative of nature in general?
For so many years as a young adult I would run around the mountain, my bow in my hand, thinking I could outsmart the elk I was hunting. I knew wind was a factor in getting close to these animals but yet I tried to bend the rules. Instead of hiking down and around, or up and up, using the wind to my advantage, I just went for it and hoped for the best. I also don’t think I knew, how badly I wanted to kill an elk with my bow at that time. And it took me nearly five years of eating my elk tag to finally be successful in the field. The season of 2017 I hunted nearly everyday. I did however take a few days of,f to wash laundry, bathe, and re-supply on ice, but other then that I was hunting. I had an elk and mule deer tag in my pocket and I was determined to learn about these animals, and the habitat they thrive in, and hopefully shoot an arrow through one. I hiked nearly 100 miles that season and my boots were proof of it when I carried half of my elk on my back, back to camp. That month of archery season I learned more about myself then I could have thought possible.You see when you’ve been hunting alone for a matter of days, your thoughts are your company. But yet, my mind felt clear, crisp, and strong with intention as I lay among the swaying aspens. Leaves of gold, red, orange and green, told stories of change. I’ll never forget those early frosty mornings when the scream of a bulls bugle would bring an extra beat to my heart. I was in his house and every move I made, was on me. That’s just the thing about hunting, you see, it’s a portal to how alert to your surroundings are you capable of being? During that same season my brother and I sat under a big fur, hands held up to a small fire, keeping us from freezing. The rain was heavy and quickly turned to snow. Quarter size flakes fell from the sky and suddenly we couldn’t see the other side of the meadow just a few hundred yards away. Giddy about the first snowfall of the year, smiles filled our faces as we huddled under that big fur on the side of a mountain, just my brother and I. Time slowed down, and there was no cell service to check our instagrams. This has been something I’ve really come to appreciate about spending time with those you love in nature, it opens a door to connection.
And then, there are moments of fear that give you a wake up call to being more alert while you're in the great outdoors. Like that summer evening I headed out to scout for elk, and with only a couple hours of light left, I was in such a hurry. I quickly walked through a meadow, kicking up dust, head down so focused on getting to where I needed to be, instead of being present in the moment. If I was doing so, I would have stopped at the edge of the meadow to take a moment, and see if any wildlife was hanging about, like the sow and her two cubs just 80 yards away. Grounding myself, I pulled up my bear spray and slowly started to back away. Barking, the sow dropped down and I braced, ready as I could be if she charged. Instead of charging, she started to circle around the meadow, trying to get a smell of what I was all about. How does a person actually know how to respond in such a situation? Yeah, we talk about it, but when it comes to it actually happening, all that goes out the window. Knowing it was almost dark, last thing I wanted was to be stuck in a meadow with a mamma bear circling it. So what did I do? I ran. I knew if I could stay in front of her, using the wind to my advantage I might be okay. Thoughts of, “is this how I’m going to die”, followed by, “there’s no way in hell your dying because of a bear”, raced through my brain. As I was running I would look back behind me with ever other step, making sure she wasn’t on my tail. In doing so, my foot found the smallest rock, my ankle rolled and cracked. The most intense pain stopped me from being able to get back up, and I could feel my foot start to swell in my boot. In this very moment, that I laid on the ground, cursing under my breath, gripping at my ankle, was absolutely terrifying. Luckily the vegetation was tall enough to hide me but I knew I had to get back up and head back to the truck. Slow motion took over as I slowly stood up, my bear spray held out in front of me, my arms shaking with adrenaline. It’s was do or die.
There’s no one answer to this question, and I could write about this time and that time, but what I do know is the more time I do spend in nature, whether its hunting, hiking, or simply just being in it, the more in-tune I am with all of it.
Thank's for reading!
What's your wild?!
Cheers! Draya
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