After another season is over I always reflect back on the people that we have shared time, stories, victories and defeats with. It always amazes me when I think of all the differences we share but at hunting camp we all share a common passion. We all enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, the challenge of the hunt, and meeting new friends or getting together with long time hunting partners. We often have return clients that come back to get the illusive animal that escaped them last time. We had someone like that this year. Third time to our camp, we all were anxious for him to fill his tag. He is an older gentleman, but has the heart and vision of a young man. The tag to fill was the Rocky Mountain Trophy Goat… not a easy hunt that is for sure. That is probably a tougher hunt than the Bighorn as far as terrain goes. Rain, fog, and snow moved in at the beginning of the week, they saw goats in between the fog and clouds. They made the assent hoping for a break in the clouds, no luck, just soaked to the bone and cold. That’s hunting everyone says, but still disappointing! Waiting for a weather change back at main camp we talk about family, work, weather, and hunting of course! Finally a break came and they tried again, it was slow going up the steep, icy grade. Once they were within shooting distance they got set up for the shot. Its a long one, but much practice has gone into the reality of this moment. The shot is fatal and the relief and emotion are real. We celebrated the success like we had all pulled the trigger. We could only imagine how our client felt.
It is moments like these when someone has accomplished something they weren’t sure they could that you are reminded that if you dig deep enough with God’s help you will find the strength to climb all the mountains in your life.
We have had the privilege of hosting many dedicated, ethical hunters this year that have become friends and we want to say thank you for choosing Whiteswan Lake Outfitters! Hope to see you all again.
Darryl and Joyce