Misfires – Strange but true Montana hunting tales

(We’ve tramped the woods with some of us having more memorable days than others. "Taking your gun for a walk" is a Montana tradition that brings many here to share in the beauty of our state. We thought you’d enjoy this interesting story. Russ)

The hunter walks quietly along the hillside, eyes wide, scanning, following tracks. Senses heighten. Over there, in the clearing, something moves. It’s a cow elk. The hunter freezes, heart pounding. He slowly raises his rifle, frames the elk in the scope, steadies his breathing, and…

So goes another romanticized tale of thrilling primal triumph. They’re told by the tens of thousands of hunters who, every fall, shoulder rifles and amble out over Montana’s fields and river bottoms, along game trails through forests, and up steep snow-covered slopes. If you’ve heard one, you’ve heard them all.

But what about the stories hunters dare not tell? Or the stories so memorable that Montana game wardens and wildlife biologists are the ones who retell them?

by Matthew Frank

Full Story: http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/missoula/misfires/Content?oid=1694337&showFullText=true