Wild game is the tastiest, cleanest, and most ecologically justifiable meat on the planet. But the ultimate reward of hunting is neither the kill nor the thrill of the chase, but how you come out the other side—regardless of whether or not you bring meat. It requires competency on many levels, including navigation, shooting, wildlife biology, your own physical limits, and reading a landscape. I look at mountains differently now, palpating each valley and fold with my eyes hungrily.
My wintertime elk hunting trips in middle Montana are cathartic journeys. The bitter cold is invigorating and demanding. The relentless wind is cleansing and therapeutic; when it shoves you around and screams in your ear, it’s hard to not take it personally. After a hunt, I feel like I can do anything, and everything else feels easy by comparison.
