Artist's Inspiration:

Traveler

Rocky Mountain Elk have a mystique all their own. Anyone who has observed or hunted them in their natural habitat has an abiding appreciation for how well suited these majestic creatures are to their environment. They are legendary for being able to cover lots of rugged terrain quickly. That is why the bulk of human effort to catch up to them is dedicated to examining their tracks. I feel fortunate when I just see one much less get within a quarter mile it.

Dad and I spent many hours strategizing how to get close to the marvelous Wapiti as the Indians called him. Hunting was one of the few things that dad and I did together and I cherish those times. In the fall of 1988 we drew elk tags for the Ochoco unit in Central Oregon and this sculpture is dedicated to a 6x6 bull I took that fall while hunting with my father and a couple of his close friends.

You might conclude that I am a mighty ‘nimrod' in the woods but the trophies I have are the memories of the relationships more than the critters on the wall. Those are just souvenirs I picked up along the way of pursuing a relationship with my dad. He's been gone now almost 15 years.

Like a fool I had scheduled a conflict for that opening weekend of elk season. Several months earlier I had promised my wife we would attend some shindig together that could allow me only one day of hunting! She had really been looking forward to attending. When I realized what I had done I struggled with what to do. I finally explained to dad that my lousy planning would only allow me to come out to camp Friday night, hunt Saturday with him and the others, but have to come home on Sunday. Such a meager hunting effort would not likely produce any venison.

God is no respecter of men's wisdom and decided to honor my difficult decision to make the right choice. As I pressed through a dense mahogany thicket into an alpine clearing He made an appointment with me and Traveler about 75 yards apart that solitary Saturday. Neither dad nor I have ever been that close to such a bull before or since. Dad was even more excited than I was! To show you the further grace of God I discovered that just 50' beyond He had arranged a road for us to be able to load the elk whole. He knew I didn't have days to pack one out of a mile deep canyon.

“Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

(Matthew 6:33)