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Photo by Dan Davis trekkerphoto.com
Headline RSS FeedOn the hunt, part II
September 22, 2008 —
A few yards ahead of me a gray-brown ghost moved through mossy timber. He was huge, with a wide six-point rack, but he made not a single discernable noise as I watched him glide away and walk into even thicker timber, well out of my range.
I don’t know how they do it.
I had been close, very close to that bull elk, but since I don’t have a bull tag the old stud need not have worried. The females of his species escaped me this past week as well, because although I was close, I was never in a position suitable for a shot.
Hunting, as I pointed out last week, can be tough – but it also delivers some of the most sublime moments in life. Walking among a group of elk seems to light the primal flame, to ignite some of the more ancient senses, so that even without bringing one home I had a supremely enjoyable “Part I” of hunting camp.
I also had time to consider the question I asked last week about whether or not humanity “gives back” to the planet from which we so avidly borrow resources, and I think I have an answer.
We don’t, by any kind of moral code, necessarily need to give back. We do, however, need to consume at a rate lower than that of our resources’ replenishment. What I’m saying here is that no matter your stance on environmentalism, sustainability is an absolute necessity to long-term human survival.
It’s simple, but it’s true. And with that deep thought I leave you for another week as I head out into the wilderness for another week off the grid, away from the phone, away from the computer, quietly walking through the woods and letting my mind and feet wander.
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