It was Saturday night, 8:55 in Colstrip, Montana, a small town in eastern Montana. You’ve probably never heard of it.
Harman and I had spent the day hunting turkeys with Jerry McPherson, of Montana Decoy Company, and had lived a day that was close to perfection. We were hungry and were fixing to make the 30-minute drive back to Forsyth where we were staying in a farmhouse. We knew we’d better grab something to eat soon or we would be out of choices. Jerry told us there was a Subway in town and that was probably going to be our only option.
Harman and I walked through the door and asked if they were still open; the girl replied that they closed in five minutes. We’d made it! Believe me, for a 17 year old that was huge!
We sat down in a booth about the time the “OPEN” sign was turned off and we were informed that we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted. It was one of those inconspicuous moments that I wish I could have frozen in time.
As we sat there and talked, with not another soul in the restaurant, I was overcome with a deep sense of satisfaction that is hard to explain...and we hadn’t even killed a bird that day.
Harman and I talked about the beautiful country we’d walked through. We couldn’t believe that a mountain lion had been seen, apparently making its way to our calling. Harman wanted to know how all the polished river rock had been deposited way up in the hills overlooking the Yellowstone River bottoms. (We found out later that is was by way of a massive glacier.) We talked about the antelopes we’d seen. Harman wanted to know how the land compared to the Black Hills of Wyoming where he’d be hunting in September. Once again, we counted down the number of days until then. We talked about his relationship with his girlfriend back home. Harman even wondered why it seemed like he and his mom were clashing lately.
All this was long after our sandwiches were gone. By now the crew had finished their nightly duties of cleaning up (around us) and we excused ourselves and headed back up the road to Forsyth. The talks continued, only now with a little country music as a backdrop.
The feeling on content I had can’t be understood unless you’re a parent that has children that are growing up way too fast and there doesn’t seem to be enough time to capture their attention and thoughts.
Maybe this is why God invented hunting.
Looking back on the times I was so fortunate to spend in the woods and fields with family and close friends, some passed who've on, convinces me that this is exactly why God invented hunting.
Can we get any closer to God than we are when enjoying our amazing tradition?
Josh Miller
Elk Grove, PA
David,
Several years ago I took my then 73 year old father on his first elk hunt. We had flown into sun valley and as we drove to meet the guides and the horses for our 1 day ride back up into the mountains it began to snow. Now we hunted hard for several days and it did take a toll on pop, on the 4th day we stayed up at the tree line until dark, then we headed back down to our camp which would be about a 2-3 hour ride. The moon was full and it was the most memorable moment in my 40+ years of hunting. To this day dad and I talk about that ride down the mountain and though we didn't get an elk that trip, it was our best hunt. Only God can set it up like that. Thanks David, keep it coming.
Bill Bergeron
Blue Dog Tree Stands
David,
That is exactly why God invented hunting. My father taught me to hunt, but his time with me was cut short when he passed away...I was 14. I now have 3 sons...10, 9 & 6. They all love the outdoors and we all watch your shows and videos together. My oldest just recently passed his hunter safety test and I took him turkey hunting. After being stumped by the birds, we spent our lunch hour at the local country restaurant where I found myself in similar conversations as yours at Subway. It is the best of times when you have days such as those. Thanks for all the good videos, keep making them! Someday, I plan to hunt that fabulous Milk River you guys do so well at. God Bless.
Wes Dearth
Macedonia, OH