My First Elk Hunt: Non-Guided, Public Land Archery

My first ever elk hunt was also my first time seeing elk. Non guided, never been to the state before, public land elk hunt had me on a spike day one. From there it was a long grueling month, experiencing the changes in temp, terrain, and mental health while watching the backcountry unfold around me. This hunt ended in a heartbreak that had me crying hourly, struggling to find the desire to ever pick up my bow again. This hunt left me questioning who I am as a hunter, who I am as an outdoorsman, and who I am as an omnivore. This hunt put me in a spiral that was insanely hard to get out of, but that my husband Drake held my hand through. This hunt broke me down and somehow, inadvertently, built me back together again as a stronger, more in-tune woman than I was before. Looking back I think that was the whole point, to strive for discomfort and find the place that makes me doubt everything, but what I walked away with was so much deeper than that. One year later and I’m about to drive back up to Idaho. Drive back up to the backcountry. And walk into the environment that broke me a year ago. I wonder what will happen next.