What is the hunt of your dreams? This is the main topic of discussion for this months BowAmerica magazine. There are some great articles from my fellow bow hunters regarding what THEIR dream hunt is. There are many animals I want to hunt, but currently this one takes the cake. Here is my latest article for BowAmerica about what my dream hunt is.

My ears ring from the bellowing screams. They are getting closer. I have hiked mile after mile and gained elevation with each step. The air is so thin that I have trouble breathing, but I am determined. My heart is now racing. Suddenly, the mountain comes to life as he majestically appears in an opening in the forest. I draw my compound bow, settle the pin, focus…and then I wake up! It was just a dream. An incredible, exciting, adrenaline-fueled dream!

Just one of the elk on public land in Colorado. Photo courtesy of Eddy Erautt.

Bowhunting the Wapiti in the high country of Colorado has been a dream hunt of mine since I was young. Actually, it was more of a pipedream. When I lived in New York State, I had an abundance of whitetails to hunt and was living paycheck-to-paycheck, so I stuck with bowhunting what I knew – whitetail deer. I figured bowhunting elk was out of the realm of possibility. As I have grown as a man, as a bowhunter, I know that hard work, a little research, and focused determination can get you that dream.

The first order of business was devising a game plan, A ‘How-to-attain-my-goal’ list, if you will. When I sat down and put pencil to paper, I sat there in a hazy stupor. Where was I going to start? The task was powerfully overwhelming. I put the pencil down and jumped on bowhunting forums like DIYbowhunter.com and posed a question about elk hunting and where to begin. It turns out there are many hunters out there willing to share information; you just have to ask the questions!

The assistance I was offered by my fellow bowhunters was incredible. It was rather humbling to find people willing to share this priceless information. In no time, I had information on where to start and everyone insisted I take my time with planning. It wasn’t going to happen overnight, so I listened and absorbed all of the information.