just when you thought...

DANG IT.

I really don't mind hunting, as a matter of fact Zach asked if I'd ever want to go with him and I was thrilled! I had secretly been hoping he would ask me sometime... I've always wanted to give it a try. Walking about in the woods does sound like a lot of fun and the time of year is always so pretty.

Well, my excitement to join the fun just came to a screeching halt.

Last night was a bit of restless night, but upon looking outside, you won't hear my complaining. We live near the mountains - dealing with bears and cougars is a weekly and sometimes daily occurrence, but that also means we don't have to pick up the apples or plums from the trees because the animals eat them all. Couple of weeks ago I stood in the kitchen and watched a doe eat the apples ten yards from our back door while her twin fawns poked and teased her, more interested in playing than eating. Spots still on um people, talk about cute :)

Anyway, last night, the elk were BUSY! Sooooooo much whistling. At first, round eight o'clock or so, its a gentle peaceful whistle off in the distance but around one this morning, that bull might as well have had his head next to mine! WAKE UP! Little annoyed because this is like the fourth time this week, I peek my head up from bed to turn and look out the window. MY GOSH. Its dark, and I can't decipher much, but just off the grass there twenty yards away is a large black shape gliding along - looked like the size of a small car. Beautiful. Just incredible. Not a single noise in the night as he made his way through the yard. You could almost see the dew and the dark settling in around him. Another whistle. This time, I smile. I follow it as it disappears around the house to the front and fall back into my warm cocoon thankful for wake up call.

Uh, oh - more whistling. This time its six a.m. and the sun is making the sky above the mountains a bleeding watercolor of purple, blue, orange, and yellow. Okay, COOL. Where is my CAMERA!? Whistle, whistle..... I peek, sounds close again... DAMN. Right in front of my eyes, couldn't be more straight on, she stands at the edge of the basketball court facing right at me. She's small, but she's beautiful. Petite in body, tall in height. Warm chocolate brown with dark legs and a small head. More whistling and looking to the front of the house....

WOW.

Like in a movie, there they come; from behind and through the trees we have in the front yard, I watch craning my neck from my bed, the bulls. Nothing of trophy size, but handsome as can be. Walking slowly you can tell they are in no rush as she continues to squeak at them. She prances about trotting from the jeep to the other side of the pig pen, as they saunter through the yard, casually, in her direction. Purposefully they make their way, each step Their antlers stand only several feet tall but their bodies are thick and their shoulders are wide. Each step they take is purposeful yet you can tell they are in no rush. With their nightly feast concluding at the rise of the sun, I found myself completely still in admiration of the serenity they leave in their wake.

The trio disappear behind the walnut tree off to the thick of the forest behind us, but not a few minutes later she's back, and she's noisy! I look, and there he comes, one last bull, from around the front of the house. Having seen this scene bunches of times before I lie back down in bed and grab my mac to write. Its been a lovely morning and waking at 6 am to that kind of scene puts ya in a good mood! Deciding against, I'll do it later, I pop on Glee - I wanted to watch the premier as I missed it this week. As the show begins I chuckle to myself; I can still hear Dad snoring in the next room. This moment I had will go unknown to him, but then I'm the one to laugh at. Dad has seen the same thing more times than you and I can count. Just another fall morning to him :) And then it hits.

BAM.

Explosive. Loud. Extinguishing and unmistakable. I thought hunting season was over, but I guess I was wrong. I hope to God that the shot didn't meet its target and that they will come back tomorrow. I hate whomever is on the property behind us hiding, and waiting, because they knew that the trail through the trees was a well traveled one... Ugh. I don't know gang. This whole hunting thing is something I'm going to have to do some thinking on.