My flights are booked. My gear has been scrutinized to the point of being an obsession. I have packed, repacked, left things out, added more things back and checked off more lists than I care to mention.

Boots, socks, flashlights, batteries, range-finders, binoculars and clothes for any weather, from cold to warm to rain, have all been packed and organized in a large box. The box now sits outside my home on the front porch, awaiting a pick-up by the company that will deliver the goods across the country to my destination, high in elk country of the Rocky Mountains.

On one hand, I am relieved. On the other hand, I know I overpacked some things while forgetting others. It always happens that way. On the first day or two of the hunt, as I settle into the climate, terrain and physical requir

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