'The
Deer Hunter' a wife's tale of snow and recharging spiritual
batteries
THERE'S SOMEONE
IN THERE: The author on the deer hunt in the
wilds of Utah.
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By Riki Richards
October 24, 2007 | EPHRAIM -- I vowed, before
my husband even talked me into going deer hunting
with him, I would under no circumstances leave
the camper. . . .
Wrong again.
I have never understood the thrill of bundling
up like a giant camouflaged marshmallow to try
to find deer tracks in the snow. The camper was
warm and filled with all of the entertainment
a girl could ask for. I had a stack of books,
DVDs, my laptop and I still found myself, dressed
as a camouflaged marshmallow, on the back of a
four-wheeler in a blizzard.
I realized that although I was not dreaming
of running into a buck like my husband was, I
was in pursuit of something a bit more elusive,
peace and quiet.
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A cozy cabin, above, and some spectacular scenery.
/ Photos by Riki Richards
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I am beginning to think that all of the comforts of
home, internet, cell phones and indoor plumbing, may
be keeping me from achieving the peace that I felt while
I was up on that mountain.
Many of my friends and family have questioned me about
why I even come on these hunting trips. They are expensive,
cold and isolated. And although I have never had a good
answer for this question, I came up with one this weekend.
I need this trip to recharge my batteries.
My vacation spot is in Ephraim Canyon. This makes it
even more peaceful because the closest distraction is
Ephraim, and there really isn't a whole lot to do there
anyway (particularly on Sundays when the entire town
shuts down).
The ride up the mountain was very muddy but we finally
made it to the top, where we stopped for a moment to
watch for deer. The snow made the scenery even more
beautiful. The deer were all sheltered from the snow
and we could smell them but we never saw any. On the
ride back to camp we did see a group of does, which
are not legal to shoot, clustered under a group of pine
trees.
So deer widows be damned, I will continue to accompany
my husband to the great, wide wilderness for my yearly
pilgrimage.
And by the way, my husband also found what he was looking
for. Although it wasn't the giant buck of his dreams,
he shot Bambi about 10 minutes before we left to come
home. The deer was legal to shoot but so small that
he would not allow me to include pictures of it with
this article, so I guess I will respect his wishes and
save his pride.
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