Harvey was so enormous and so tough that my mom would later tell us that she couldn’t even pressure cook the meat

I grew up with a father who hunted. In fact, I am sure that some years, we only ate well because he hunted. The fall season for my family was built around the times that he would be gone with his uncles and friends. My mom and I (and eventually my sister too) would sit at home and wonder where exactly Daddy was, what he was doing, and if he was safe.

While I am sure the men enjoyed the time they spent on the mountain the most, I waited with great anticipation for the day they would arrive home. The family would gather, the spoils of the hunt would be hung in the garage, and we would spend hours working together to butcher and package the meat. The smell that collected in the air was an intermingling of odors from hunters and the hunted. As we worked, each of the men would recall their moment of glory from the adventure. We would hear about time spent around the campfire, long hikes up a ravine, and the eventual story of “the kill.”

The purpose of the hunt was always the same; to gather the food we all needed for the coming year. The only thing that changed much was that as I got older, I was given more responsibility during the butchering, and even my own knife to help with the trimming. However, one year, my dad had his eye on a larger prize than just feeding his family. He had been scouting a majestic elk in the forest for several months. While Daddy had never been a trophy hunter, this was going to be the year he got “the big one.”

As the fall arrived, the men packed up for their annual 10 day trek in the wilderness. At home, things were as they had been every other year. Mom and I ate poached eggs on toast for dinner, (something we only got to eat when Daddy wasn’t home) and the time passed SO slowly. Each day I would kneel on the couch and look out the window straining to see if they were coming yet. Each day I would watch as my warm breath made foggy shapes on the cold windows. Each day I would wonder if they would ever return…

Read Jennie’s complete “Harvey the elk” WordPress entry here

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