Scouting for Elk

Hunting season is quickly approaching and we are in full preparation mode.  Two weeks ago we went to Missoula for supplies.  Last week we went shooting and scouting for Elk. This week we bought an old army tent so we can leave camp set up and sleep on cots rather than the ground.

For those of you that don't hunt it's sometimes hard to understand the fascination.  I myself sometimes find my brow furrowed when the fella starts talking about the stuff he needs.  I ask, "why can't you just use what you have?" and then he explains it and it makes sense.  There is a lot of gear, a lot of cleaning, a lot of preparing, and a lot of time actually hunting.  But boy is it worth it!  When we have a freezer full of meat, we save huge amounts of money at the grocery story, and we have the peace of mind of knowing where it came from and how it was prepared.  I'm not what you would call a "clean eater" (though I am snacking on carrots right now. Is it "clean" if you douse them in ranch?), but I do like to know roughly where my food comes from.

Last week, we drove to the area where the fella plans on hunting so we could scout for elk. I took some pictures along the way.  I'm still deciding whether or not to get a fancy camera, so in the meantime, I'm using a little point and shoot....camera or no camera? That is the question.

Idaho traffic jam.

We're like a modern day Lewis and Clark....

No pictures, please.

It's really difficult to get a picture that truly captures the size of where we live.  I think this one does a pretty good job.  It's just unbelievably vast.

I read in between looking through my binoculars.  The Devil in the White City is a great book!

It's weird thinking that we're the only people for miles.  It's a little unsettling, but at the same time very cool.  Not to mention rare.

We didn't see any elk, but we did see a few of these guys.

We didn't see any elk that time, but we did get to see a little more of the area near us.  Plus, it's fun just to be outside walking around, taking pictures, and exploring.