Biology Reference
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antelope, as his usual hunting companion had been unable to make the trip they had
planned that year. So now, in possession of my rifle, I went antelope hunting. In so doing, I
killed a pronghorn antelope, and was somewhat on my way.
Then, I really began to get into the hard stuff, Elk hunting. The prospect of elk hunting
added the dimensions of ballistics and bullets to the equation. I had never been a “gun
guy”, but now to the prospect of hunting was added the prospect of learning about shooting
and how bullets travel and terminal performance. To me a rifle had been a rifle and a
bullet a bullet. So I read up on calibers and bullets. Perhaps making things more
complicated than I needed to, I bought a slightly used 300 Weatherby magnum and began to
actually practice shooting a rifle. I learned a couple of things. First, I don't shoot a rifle off
hand particularly very well and for me half of shooting a rifle is finding a good rest. I shoot
off hand with a shotgun fairly well, relatively speaking, but that didn't translate to a rifle.
Secondly, I found that different kinds of bullets act differently coming out of a rifle. I could
shoot tight groups with one bullet but did terribly with others. This should not have been a
shock, but it was. Finally, through fairly long and somewhat expensive experimentation, I
did find ammunition and bullets that would shoot reliably in my gun.
In the fullness of time, I hunted and killed an elk and in doing so, crossed some lines. The
first line that was crossed was the idea of hunting for a trophy, a specific animal, bigger or
prettier than others, with the purpose of keeping some or all of it forever. We were hunting
for something to eat also. Elk steak is still one of my favorites. But, it was not just
something to eat. The elk I finally shot was and is a 6 x 6 with symmetrical antlers that I
look at most days of my life as it is residing in my living room. The second line that I
crossed is that when I went elk hunting, I went with a guide. Elk hunting was not something
I had experience with or knew much about. Those considerations combined with the major
task of packing out an elk should we kill one, convinced me to be in a guided situation and
to depend upon the guide's experience to control the hunt. This was something very much
different than I had done. Bird hunting is something I do by myself and I am perfectly happy
to achieve success, failure, or some combination of the two, based on what I can figure out.
In fact, that one of the reasons I enjoy it. I am the hunter and I am the shooter. Elk hunting,
I was not figuring it out. The guide was figuring it out, I was trying to understand what he
had figured out, and not blow the shot. Realistically, it must be so. I no longer have the
time left in my life to be able to figure out how to hunt every hunt-able species in every
location, and I have learned to get help hunting.
Another stream that dumped into this growing river was advancing age. We all know,
intellectually, that our lives on this earth are not infinite. However, it sometimes takes a
while for us to figure that out emotionally. We all make choices in life and when we choose
our life's work, only a high degree of dedication to that will allow us to function at a high
level. That dedication will swallow a large portion of our productive and capable lives, and
so it was with me. Those choices have meant that it has not been possible for my life to
follow the path of John Hunter or Walter Bell or Jack O'Connor, or Craig Boddington. Not
the slightest regret. But, with age it becomes clear that “someday” must become “now” for
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