October 2022 - 47
hunting would be poor. Off a half-dozen
points right out of the truck I took a limit
of blue grouse in an hour and a half-limit of
Huns. Go figure.
There are far more vagaries than weather
on this unpredictable planet that impact
our game populations. Many years ago, as
September leaked into October, a friend
and I sat on a high, whitebark ridge deep
in the Teton Wilderness. Far below we saw
our horses grazing at camp and all around
us, the world sang. Elk song. On this very
ridge a dozen bull elk - some with cows,
and some alone - bellowed relentlessly. I
have never experienced anything like that
before or since. There was so much bugling
going on that at night I heard them bugling
in my head just as a road-weary interstate
truck driver closes his eyes to sleep and still
sees reflector posts flashing by.
The next year we were on the same ridge,
the same place, the same time of year and
day and there was not an elk to be found.
There was nothing particularly remarkable
about the year since, weather or other-wise;
the elk just were not there.
This is why we go. We need to know. That
sense of adventure and discovery, the long-anticipated
at last being sated. The slaking of
a summer's thirst. No more need to read
predictions and reports, no more need to surf
electronic forecasts, no more need to dream.
Wake up now, for here it is. I may find
nothing or the harvest meek, but I will have
lived it and I will at last know. Here is the
chance to learn the truth of what the Earth
promises us all summer long. Go forth and
live it.
- Tom Reed lives for October although the other
months are pretty good too. A second edition of his
book " Blue Lines, A Fishing Life " hits bookstores this fall.
- Lori Eslick is an illustrator, artist, presenter, children's
picture book illustrator, author and workshop leader.
She regularly creates illustrations for Wyoming Wildlife
magazine's Wild Country Dispatch column. More of her
work can be seen at eslickart.com.
Wyoming Wildlife | 47
http://www.eslickart.com
October 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2022
October 2022 - 1
October 2022 - 2
October 2022 - 3
October 2022 - 4
October 2022 - 5
October 2022 - 6
October 2022 - 7
October 2022 - 8
October 2022 - 9
October 2022 - 10
October 2022 - 11
October 2022 - 12
October 2022 - 13
October 2022 - 14
October 2022 - 15
October 2022 - 16
October 2022 - 17
October 2022 - 18
October 2022 - 19
October 2022 - 20
October 2022 - 21
October 2022 - 22
October 2022 - 23
October 2022 - 24
October 2022 - 25
October 2022 - 26
October 2022 - 27
October 2022 - 28
October 2022 - 29
October 2022 - 30
October 2022 - 31
October 2022 - 32
October 2022 - 33
October 2022 - 34
October 2022 - 35
October 2022 - 36
October 2022 - 37
October 2022 - 38
October 2022 - 39
October 2022 - 40
October 2022 - 41
October 2022 - 42
October 2022 - 43
October 2022 - 44
October 2022 - 45
October 2022 - 46
October 2022 - 47
October 2022 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com