It’s almost time for a hunt. Antelope season’s already open in about half the areas, but I’m itching for an extended elk and deer hunt.
Life has gotten in the way of the last several hunting seasons. I’ve been able to get out for weekend hunts over the last few years, but I haven’t had the ability to escape to the backcountry for a week-long hunting trip in a long time. I’m planning to change that this year.
I’ve been heading out for short hikes with my family nearly every weekend all summer, so I’m almost in good enough shape for a long hunt. Those trips to the woods have done more for my fitness than sitting on the couch would have, but last weekend’s long hike made me realize I’m still not ready for an extreme hunt yet. It was all the more reason to take several days off from work to go for a multi-day hunt, because I won’t be rushed to get deep into the backcountry and back out if I’m already planning to camp several nights.
But even more than getting me in shape, those trips to the hills have me getting more excited for hunting season than I’ve been in quite a while. I finally have some vacation time saved up, and this COVID-19 thing has kept me from wasting those vacation days before the hunting season. Besides, with all this coronavirus drama, I need to get far, far away from a cell signal for a few days.
I have some new hunting gear coming in the mail, and I ordered some fresh maps from MyTopo.com today. I’m going to do some more practicing with my bow this evening when I get done with work, and I might call my hunting buddies to do some preliminary planning tonight.
September’s just around the corner. I just hope I can wait that long.
