Late Summer Velvet
I can’t sleep! I roll over to look at my clock and it is 3 AM. All I can think about is that big bull elk. It’s not opening day of elk season, it is early August. My thoughts go back to one of mother nature’s most amazing miracles, the slow but steady growth of elk antlers covered in velvet. I have to get some sleep. My thoughts turn to getting prepared to go on my elk hunt this fall in the Middle Fork area north of Big Creek, Idaho. We are hiking back into the wilderness and staying for six to seven days. I need to get out to the shooting range and make sure my Remington 7MM is still zeroed in and also do some long range shooting. I can’t wait to try my new Ziess Victory RF binoculars with built in range finder set up for my ballistic information on my 7MM. This system is amazing, it calculates your bullet drop and lets you know how high to hold over on your target (this information shows up as you are looking through the binocular). Do I have all of the Sitka Gear clothing that I will need? I start checking off things in my mind. I need to get to sleep! My Sitka backpack, where is it? I need to make sure I have all my camping and survival gear and get it in my pack. I need to step up the work outs the next two months. The older I get the slower I go, it makes me a better hunter (ha!). My Hilleberg tent is packed. Good thing as I hear the weather can get nasty on the Middle Fork during an early season storm. I need to put some more wax on my Kenetrek Boots and make sure the laces are in good shape. I think I will head to the Middle Fork and do some scouting this weekend and camp out for a few days. I am tired, my thoughts turn back to that big bull elk I hope to encounter this fall and the continued growth of the majestic rack being developed in the late summer velvet. My alarm goes off, it is 6 AM. I look out my window, is that a maple leaf turning colors, no its just the early morning sun of August reflecting off the leaf telling us that fall is near.
By: Dale Hartsook
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Tags: Huntig Gear List