Ironman vs. Sheep or Goat Hunting

A couple of weekends ago, I watched my son Levi, and a couple of his friends, compete in an Ironman competition in St. George, UT.  This was a half Ironman, and for those of you who may not be familiar with these competitions, the competitors swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run a half marathon (13.1 miles).  Thousands of individuals competed.  It was impressive and a lot of fun to watch.

As I walked around the course and watched the participants, it got me to thinking about a conversation I had with a friend of mine a few weeks back.  I was telling her about a sheep hunt I had gone on last fall with a friend of my oldest son.  I had described to her how we began the day at 4:30 AM hiking five miles and 1500 feet of vertical elevation into the area, shot his ram at 5 PM; took pictures, skinned, caped, quartered, and de-boned the meat and then placed it on our packs; all which took until 10 PM.  We then hiked for nine hours through a moonless night to get back to our truck at 7 AM.  Her comment to me at the end of my story was, “You’re like a marathoner.”  I guess I had not ever thought of it that way but watching the Ironman competitors caused me to reflect.

Now while I have never participated in an Ironman, nor do I intend to do so at this point in my life, I feel like I can relate to how the Ironman competitors felt when it was all over.  They were physically exhausted, yet you could see they felt exhilarated.  They had just completed a grueling challenge which tested them to their core.  I imagine there were some competitors who during the race wondered why they ever signed up, yet they persevered and completed the task and felt good for  doing so.  They had accomplished something only a fraction of society would ever do.  And though they were as tired as they had ever been in their lives, they were already thinking and talking about registering for the next race.

So it was for me after each of my sheep and goat hunts.  I was physically exhausted, yet I felt exhilarated.  I had just completed a grueling challenge which tested me to my limit.  There were times during the hunt where I wondered why I ever applied for a tag or agreed to help, yet I persevered and completed the task and accomplished something only a fraction of society would ever do.  And though I was as tired as I had ever been in my life, the moment I finished, I was already thinking about applying for another tag or wondering who of my friends might draw so I could go along and help. 

Like the Ironman competitors, I walked away from my hunts with a load of pictures and numerous lasting memories.  The Ironman competitors were given a medal for completing the race.  I have trophies hanging in my basement that remind me of the thrill of the hunt every time I walk by them.  And though the Ironman competitors might disagree, I like my reward a whole lot more!

Until next week…Hunt High, Hunt Hard!

 My son, Levi, after completing the Ironman competition

 The ridge we climbed sheep hunting last year

Why I Love Sheep Hunting

I was reading an article on marketing the other day by Brandon Buchard, an expert in the personal development industry.  In the article he asked the question, “Why do I love marketing?”  He answered by saying that he loved marketing “because it was hard.”  He went on to say that anything that is hard gives us a greater return for our effort.

I went on my first sheep hunt in September, 2000, and even though it was the hardest hunt I had experienced up to that point in my life, I was immediately bitten by the sheep hunting bug.  Since that hunt, I have asked myself, “Why do I like sheep hunting so much?”  On many occasions, I’ve commented that considering the difficulty of sheep hunting, it was a little crazy that I liked it so much.  But after reading Brandon’s article I realized, I love sheep hunting “because it’s hard.”

Hunting sheep is hard.  Similar to deer or elk hunting in mountainous areas, you will hike through timber and over various types of challenging terrain.  But you will do so to get where your sheep hunt will actually begin, at timberline.  That’s where the sheep live and to navigate it, you will climb slopes covered with gravel, rock slides, and boulder fields that are as steep as, or steeper than the elk and deer country you came through. And in most cases, you will be hiking at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level or better.

Sheep hunting will test your fitness, your mental attitude and your will to complete the hunt, and that’s all before you harvest an animal.  If you are lucky enough to kill a ram, you then get to multiply the difficulty factor of your hike by one and a half times in order to pack the animal out!

In the end, it will all be worth it.  You will have taken what I consider the trophy of a lifetime; you will get to enjoy the finest game meat on the planet; and you will have overcome difficulties that have tested you to the core.  It will all add up to an adventure unlike any you have ever experienced.  Sheep hunting is hard.  That’s why I love it so much!

Until next time…Hunt High, Hunt Hard!

 

The sheep are on the other side of this ridge!