ELK HUNTING ABOVE HORNET CREEK, IDAHO

A hunting experience within the beautiful Payette National Forest near Council, Idaho.

Yellow pines swaying at base camp,

early October morn greets the avid hunters

with its autumnal briskness, waking any

sleepyheads who are stirring under covers,

generators humming away at varying speeds,

smells of frying bacon and sizzling eggs

add to the aroma of the great outdoors.

Pickup trucks filled with camo-clothed hunters

traveling along bumpy and dirt roads climbing

higher and higher until the clouds meet the hunting

grounds full of meadows creating a thick mist,

shrouding all in sight including the hunter and

the hunted creating specters among the remnants

of forest fires from years past.

In the ghostly distance shots echo throughout the air,

did someone shoot a lone elk left behind by its herd?

On target----a proud first-time young hunter and his dad

walk through the brush to discover their next larder,

the meat is prepared, tagged and transported home for

future meals and discussions of the first successful hunt

which remains with the youngest son for his entire life.

Stellar Jays flying overhead at the campground, 

hunters return empty-handed but are not disappointed,

in the evening a campfire glows warming the circle of 

hunters who share stories of expeditions as old as their

grandfathers and as young as their grandsons till late

at night until the fire is doused with water and filing 

the air with the smell of wet smoke, reminding them it is 

time to crawl into their sleeping bags and dream about elk.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Your descriptions are awesome! The things you pay attention to are unique observations, full of imagery, so I can see & especially SMELL (great first stanza) the scenario of which you write! I love the mix of storytelling and rich description of the surroundings and habits of hunters. Love the excitement of a young boy's first kill & you've so aptly shared the feelings, memories for a lifetime. I've been transported to the hunter's camp, for real! *smile*