Long Story, Short Hunt - Colorado Elk

[Browtinemt]

Badass. Thank you for a great story and a great reminder to step it up because September is right around the corner.

 

[Big Fin]

Randy I have always thought that as an accountant you missed your calling as a writer. You have a real gift for communication. Good on you.

Thanks for the kind comment, though probably not deserved. In high school I had an English teacher, Rhonda Murray, who took me under he wing when I became a bit of a PITA while taking a year of creative writing. I had no interest in the classics, so she granted me exemption if I would write hunting stories. She knew that my real passion in life was the outdoors and decided to see if that would get me headed the right direction. I had to write a new story every week if I wanted to be pardoned from the boredom that was Tennyson, Alcot, and some others who supposedly were the folks from which style was learned.

I did like Twain and Cooper, but my strongest liking was toward the work of Jim Kjelgaard. This allowed me to write for hours of my trapping, hunting, and fishing, dreaming I was the reincarnation of Kjelgaard. Not even close, but was a good dream to have as a high school sophomore. Mrs. Murray gave me an A every quarter, partly I suspect out of sympathy for my plight. She did hold my feet to the fire my junior year when I enrolled in her Shakespeare class. What a train wreck that was. I tried to negotiate another exemption, but no luck.

In college I took a year of writing as electives, followed by a year of professional speaking, both of which I think were the most valuable classes of my college career. Anyone can remember the "debits on the left, credits on the right" stuff they teach in accounting.

Thanks for reading. My wife has offered to take my stories and accumulate them all to a single manuscript. I have tons of stories scattered in the dark corners of flash drives, none of them ever having seen the eyes of critical readers.

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Good story, good times, looking forward to watching the hunt

 

[Rocky176]

Enjoyed the hunt, felt like I was right there with you. Thank you.

 

[mn taxidermist]

You are an awesome story teller Randy.

 

[waygoner]

Anyone who doesn't "get" hunting should read this. It sums up the many reasons why I love the mountains and elk hunting so much, and why public spaces are so important.

I wonder if Rhonda Murray is a distant relative of mine. The Murray side of my family hails from the IA/MN border near Blue Earth. She certainly steered you in the right direction.

My brother drew a 1st rifle bull tag in 61 this year. I'll be tagging along as sherpa, guide and camera man. I'll never have the points to draw the tag, so this will be also be my once in a lifetime hunt.

 

[MNHunter]

Great write-up Randy

 

[Festus]

Awesome story telling!
Thanks for taking the time and for posting this for us.

 

[cgarner]

Nice story well worth the read. I really enjoyed seeing the addition of public land issues. Congrats on a successful hunt.

 

[elkduds]

Big Fin, thanks for rounding it all up in one story: autumn, the Uncompahgre country, oakbrush jungle, elk glowing @ 1st light, the challenge and toil of hunting country so rough, and the magnificent opportunities waiting in our irreplaceable public land treasures. Really enjoyed the read.

Sorry those local boys didn't enlighten you to the location of the freight elevator in that basin. Some locals are grouchy like that. Imagine all the hunters glassing your pack out and thinking, "I don't mind hard work. I can watch it all day."

 

[duckhunt]

Great article Randy.

 

[Corax]

I really enjoyed reading the story, and am looking forward to the video. They complement each other.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Fine writing, Next-time-Newberg.

 

[Goatshoes]

Way better than video.

Thanks.

 

[Cheater]

Way better than video.

Thanks.

With that said, when will this hunt be available on YouTube?

 

[junior88]

Thank you Randy, I felt like I was standing next to you the whole time. I will be dreaming of the Arizona canyons that I will be hunting this December, wishing that I could write a story this well. Congratulations and thank you!

 

[rtraverdavis]

Phenomenal writing. I felt like I was there. A book of hunting stories should really be on your enormous to-do list!

 

[hank4elk]

Very nice writing Randy!
Obviously most writers these days do not get the whole picture as you do.
It was like watching one of my memorable hunts I must dream of at night & catch a paragraph of at 1st light and soon loose to awakening.

Great bull & hunt.....oh to be young again.......LOL.

 

[POk3s]

I'm always in admiration of guys that can take me for a joyful ride-a-long through an activity I enjoy as much as hunting by just the use of written word! There's only a couple that can pull it off. Fin, and Ryan Hatfield.

Great write up Randy. As for the context, that kind of write up seems more conducive to a Field and Stream, Bugle, something of the sort.

 

[IEATELK]

Randy, my wife is not very fond of you..... between youtube and articles wrote in this manner. I cant help but find myself with data overages each month. She said you will be recieving a letter with hopes of reimbursment. Thanks for posting!