Fellows,
My difficult to write article has finally been published. Titled '
THE GREAT KING OF THE UNCOMPAHGRE FOREST' in the member articles Handgun Hunting section. It is as it was, very emotionally charged and sort of trapped in angst. To the novice I may come off as a difficult hunter not listening to or respecting my guide, but in truth having had such wonderful experiences with my father as my guide seeing such a different approach from one outfitter to the next took me by complete surprise, dare I say shock. Also having witnessed and assisted my dad guiding his other hunters as they successfully bag their trophies I just figured that all guides orchestrate the situation with their skills and prowess for the good of the hunter.
The 'don't fall behind, or you will miss out' situation that my guide had put me through as he virtually ran through the rocky mountainside after noises of game was downright irresponsible. Not to mention altitude sickness and other exposure factors that affect every hunter, regardless of physical condition, whom is not a local to the area they are hunting. Outfitters have to carry liability insurance in case their hunters get hurt; and that usually means your relatively safe as the hunter, or so I thought. Let this be a cautionary tale and serve as a gut check to make sure you keep your own priorities straight; bagging that trophy is not worth permanent injury or death.
Obviously everyone will have their own opinion on this matter, and my dad, Gregg, did screw up his own knee*(putting him one step closer to his eventual first knee replacement) getting his world record handgun mule deer. I for one refuse to derail my life while on vacation with foolish and unnecessary risk. In fact this is usually why most hunters end up hiring a guide, so they can experience an awesome and safe hunt without having had to put in the months of work scouting the hunting areas and preparation necessary for success.
I equate it to yuppies and a dude ranch; where people go to ride a horse for the first time safely without the logistics and expense of having to care for the horse. In fact Gregg has also owned a trail riding business and ran a dude string, bringing exhilarating memories to countless city slickers that they will never forget as they experienced Colorado's great beauty from horseback.
Sorry for the long wait, but as I said it took a lot out of me and I had to get it just right. Due to the emotional drain and circumstances the story is based on my own internal battles and thus is super focused on that. In fact there are other interesting details that I had forgotten about that never made the story like the first evening driving into camp it had been pouring rain. The downhill 2 track road leading into camp was gumbo mud. My father's big Suburban pulling a heavy dump trailer was loaded with the Grizzly and other gear, and almost jack-knifed a few times, even though the Suburban was locked in 4 wheel drive low. Or the fact that the rough trip in and out with the trailer caused a short in the trailer's wiring. To get home we had to duct tape some flashlights, covered in red lens tail light repair tape, onto the trailer for safety. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy the story.
Stay safe this hunting season and best of luck to all of you.
God bless,
Joe
