Are those elk on that ski line? Only the Model 700 knows for sure.
Once the wild wapiti is refracted through the glass of my binos, I’m more likely to be stunned in amazement that I’ve actually seen an elk, rather than snapping a quick shot off.
Being around too many other hunters bothers me, so I go where the trucks are not parked — even though those other hunters are where they are for a reason.
I like moving and exploring, when I probably should be sitting.
When I’m sitting, I should probably be moving.
Snow is cold, especially when you’re crawling on your belly for anything over five minutes.
I hunt in areas where we backcountry ski, so scoping new ski lines distracts me.
If you have a bull tag you’ll get cows in your sights, and if you have a cow credential you’ll see nothing but bulls. Thus, if you score an either gender tag, like me this season, you’ll see little of either.
Snow capped peaks loft in the alpinglow as I glass the hillsides in the last 10 minutes of the season’s last hour. I pinch myself because I’m hunting in the middle of elk country worthy of a magazine cover.
Pinching myself doesn’t bring hunting success. But somehow that’s okay.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
