Picture Breakdown
Mountain hunting is flat out difficult, both mentally and physically. It’s hard to say what’s the more demanding of the two.
I’d wander around all day, covering miles, fighting my way through deadfall, up, down and over the ridge. After a few days of the same activities, I started referring to the day’s hunt as a “walk about” and it quickly began to feel as if I was on more of a soul search than an elk hunt.
The elk weren’t bugling and glassing wasn’t an option in this spot. After many failed attempts, cold calling set ups hadn’t proven themselves productive enough to bear the boredom of sitting in one spot for an hour, watching squirrels throw pine cones. This trend continued over and over throughout the course of the trip but fortunately, I had a couple close encounters to keep me motivated.
This photo embodies the terrain well; Steep. Technically, the hunter should be to the right of the frame so you could see what he’s looking up towards, but personally, I like how he’s on the left. The destination of the climb is unknown to the viewer just as it is unknown to the hunter.
