That's why it's called hunting...

I finished my elk hunt last week with a big zero. I had a muzzle-loader tag for a bull or cow, but I never saw a hair of an elk the whole week. Part of it was limited hunting time; swirling high winds and early season snow had the animals bedded down and drove us down the mountain more than we'd have liked.

I use a modern muzzle-loader, a CVA Accura, that is as its name would suggest, accurate!

Opening morning, I went hard and did a 6-mile loop using the thermals in the wind to my advantage, sticking to the bottom of the valley floor in the early morning and switching to the ridge top when the wind shifted as the sun came up. I heard 2 other hunters make shots, but didn't even see much animal sign...aside from mountain lion.

I thought I heard something right as I took this picture, of course just a squirrel, which most sounds in the woods tend to be, but when you're hunting it makes your heart flutter.

We camped out in our Yukon and my husband, without a tag, was left to be camp keeper. Usually we both have a tag, leaving us both exhausted when we get back to camp. It was nice to come back to a hot fire for a change after hiking and freezing in the mornings and evenings.

There wasn't an absence of animals, just lack of ones we had a license for. We saw lots of deer and even a bold turkey strolling through the front yard of the old cabin.

Even though there was no meat from this hunt, we both enjoy the change of pace and being forced to sit around with no projects or distractions. You start to notice the little things that are beautiful, like this heart that, I'm guessing a deer, chewed into this aspen. I'd have never noticed it if I hadn't been sitting next to it for hours.

Luckily, my husband still has his hunt in January, so we have a second chance at filling our freezer and his sister sent us some "consolation deer" to soothe the burn of coming home empty handed.