Carcassman,

We usually hunt relatively high quality areas, which requires a drive and usually significant effort to get there. The only time we don't hunt quality areas is when those areas are shut down due to forest fires, so we resort to plan B.

The opportunity is always there when you put in the time for scouting for animals and investigating the unit you'll be in. You mentioned your mistake on drawing that elk/deer combo tag, but it happens to many of us at least once.

Only 1 year did I get blanked on deer since I began 24 years ago, and that was the year I built my house. Up to 5 bears now in 12 years of buying tags. About 50% success on elk, which is probably better on all animals hunted than the vast majority of hunters in the state, and possibly here.

Many of these ungulates I killed were does or cows but as a meat hunter I was worried about filling the freezer so I had no qualms about picking on the ladies. Harvested a few nice bucks and bulls along the way, some on purpose, some just pure luck. Buck or doe, it was still some success.

I can't place blame on the wildlife managers for me not getting an elk this year. I had a chance, just as everybody else in my unit had. I fault myself on the two missed opportunities I was in, but like I said, I learned something for next year so there was some success in that.

The kill is only a small part of the hunt. The lead up from sighting an animal and the shot can be hours or seconds. The recovery, butchering, and processing the finished product from that animal usually take much longer. There are many opportunities for achieving success in a single hunt other than the kill.