So I wonder how this one will play out?
Battle Lines
By Todd. W. Smith
Editor-in-Chief
Listen up! Here's how someone serving our country can win a hunt.
February 2007
Freedom is so easy to take for granted. In America, it surrounds us—the freedom to say what we want, write what we want, worship the way we want and even poke fun at whom we want. But those freedoms didn’t come cheap. They were paid for by the minutemen at Bunker Hill and the G.I.’s who served through two World Wars, by American soldiers in Korea and grunts in Vietnam. And the price for our freedom is being paid today by thousands of American men and women serving in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some have paid the ultimate price by giving up their lives on the field of battle. Others will bear the scars of war from grievous wounds or the charred memories of fallen comrades. It is a mighty sacrifice but a necessary one.
We should be proud that so many of our countrymen have chosen to protect our way of life and be grateful for the sacrifices they are making every day. It is a debt that can never be fully repaid, but two men I know are trying to say thanks in an exciting way.
Recently, Hunting Editor Jim Zumbo called to say that he and a guide, Kevin Olmstead, wanted to do something special for our troops. They suggested offering a contest for military men and women with the chance to win a hunt with Zumbo courtesy of Kevin’s five-star guide service, Prophet Muskwa (250-789-9494; prophet muskwa.com), in British Columbia.
Kevin’s outfitting area is gigantic and offers some of the best moose and elk hunting in all of North America. The scenery is spectacular and the accommodations at Prophet Muskwa are truly first-class. (Check out Zumbo’s story, “North America’s Wildest Hunt,” on page 50 and you’ll begin to get an idea of just how incredible this area is.)
The winner will be able to choose an all-expenses-paid hunt for either moose or elk. The hunt will be scheduled for sometime in the fall of 2007.
To qualify, you must be serving or have served in either Afghanistan or Iraq sometime since the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. Contestants will submit a short essay of 750 to 1,000 words explaining “how their hunting and fishing experiences have helped them become better military men and women in the field.” Jim Zumbo and a panel of editors will choose the winning essay, which will run in a future issue of Outdoor Life. Runners-up will be posted on outdoorlife.com.
This will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for whoever wins and a chance for all of us to say thanks to those who have chosen to defend our freedoms by serving our country in the armed forces. Look for full contest rules and entry details in our June/July issue as well as online >> click here