5th Prize
Weatherby Soft Side Gun Cases (10 awarded)
Jason Wells, Virginia
“In a world where everything is so hectic, any opportuntiy to ‘escape’ is very welcome. My job keeps me on the road away from home, family and the outdoors on average 25 days a month. I work long hours and it really takes a toll on a body and soul. As I age (pushing the big 3-0) and with my first child coming in less than three months I am growing evermore appreciative of the times spent in the outdoors. I relish the entire outdoor experience and not just the chance at a trophy. Some people I know hunt only until an animal is taken, literally the minute the trigger is pulled they are on the phone booking a flight home. I think these people are missing the most rewarding part of the hunt. After an animal is harvested, I find that the doors for reflection are flung wide open. The act of taking a magnificent animal’s life bundles excitement, sadness, gratitude and some finality all into one emotion. This type of emotion is wasted if not relished while still in the wild. Much the same way a fine meal isn’t complete without an equally tasty desert.
My dream hunt would be for elk. I have long dreamed of hunting these monarchs of the mountains. The location would be in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in the early fall. During this time of year the weather itself can be an adventure, you may awake to a crisp, cold snow-covered ground and by early afternoon you could be lazily basking in the sun. I would prefer a pack in tent hunt, sleeping on the ground listening to coyotes howling in the distance. Being as close to nature as possible and being totally absorbed in the experience.
It would be interesting to hunt with a group of five or six people of differing ages and backgrounds, maybe a young hunter on his or her first trip, possibly an old timer on his last, maybe someone well known in the outdoor industry, perhaps some other working class guys like me. Learning and meeting new people often adds to the diversity of an experience and can be a good way of shaping ones own views and thoughts. Tagging a true trophy would certainly be rewarding, but the potential opportunity to be with a wise and crafty ole mountain man when he takes his last trophy or to be an overseer when an excited young hunter gets his first…the entire ‘meal’ of the hunt is what would truly make this a dream hunt.”