The Draw

     A few excited weeks in May define a lot of things about the year in our family. The results of one small draw determines what we’ll eat for the following year, how we’ll spend our fall, and how many thousands of hours will be spent at the shooting range practicing

like crazy, cleaning and inspecting every square millimeter of our

rifles, and going over and over the terrain we’ll be facing in area (cough cough). A lot of work goes into it, and we get so much out of it!
        I always love the sound of a knocking on my front door, then grandpa comes in and says, “we’re going to apply for a big game tag!” It’s the best. Weeks go by. We’ve determined that the only reason we’re ever taught math in school is to calculate the odds of being successful. Finally, on a routine get-the-mail, a huge packet shows up, and in the top right corner, a big “Wyoming Game and Fish Department,” their logo, and below that, “Draw Results.” Opening it is almost as exciting as pulling the trigger…

-The Ranger

       To a large degree, our families’ year revolves around hunting season. It’s a time when we bond, go on death marches (Grandpa’s version of “elk hunting”), and get meat in the freezer (hopefully).

So as you can imagine, the lead up to - and the draw itself - is a mighty big deal. Our family always puts in for antelope (in area “up yonder”), deer (in area “cough, cough”) and elk (in area “y’know…that area...”).

         No matter where we are in the state of Wyoming, we all do the same thing on the morning the results are in. We wake up and get on the Game and Fish website, then celebrate, mourn, and exchange flurried emails about the results. From May on, (and sometimes before that) we dream of the wapiti jumping over the moon. And if we’re lucky, we get to enjoy recipes such as elk pot roast, deer cheese-steak sandwiches, and antelope Parmesan. And if we’re not - well, there’s always next year.

-The Apprentice