I am married to a supernova outdoor sportsman, who has exposed me to some wonderful experiences, hiking, hunting, boating, and fishing. I never would have tried these outdoor adventures without him, but thanks to my husband I’ve had some powerful and unforgettable experiences in the great outdoors. 

For instance, there was the time when Scott drew a special extended-season elk permit. We drove three long, icy hours to the Gallatin National Forest, near Gardiner, Montana, in January. When we were right in town, I stood only a few feet away from a 6 by 7 bull elk that was so close to me I could have smelled his breath. We were separated only by a wrought iron fence, but I didn’t even realize he was there until everyone told me he was right in front of my nose.  Needless to say, I was totally relaxed until I saw him, and to my chagrin, my funny, startled reaction was caught on video! 

One of the most memorable experiences with my supernova husband was when we went on an antelope hunt at Fort Peck Reservoir, where the Missouri River is held on Montana’s plains for a time before continuing towards the Mississippi.  After the antelope was harvested—meaning we could rest knowing food was secured for our family—we took a nap on the hot afternoon. We awoke to see a cow elk bedded down only 15 feet away from where we slept. This sighting was an incredible surprise, since we had thought elk were only deep in the mountains to the west. 

Once we knew elk were in the area, we spent the afternoon hiking to nearby vistas of some of the deepest coulees in the earth. We spied elk and mountain goats standing on wide canyon ledges above the river.  During the hike, we decided to crouch down in the tall sage while my supernova cow-called, making the high-pitched squeaking sounds of a mother elk chattering to her calf and summoning two bull elk, one right after another. As they approached, their antlers looked like fence posts coming closer to us until we saw their whole head and bodies.  The smaller of the two, the rag horn, took off, gracefully bounding into the mazes of the coulee. It was amazing!

During the many hikes and hunts with my supernova, I was perfectly happy to be the pack mule, carrying the supplies and using the binoculars to help glass for the animals. Then my supernova husband started suggesting I get a hunting license and tag.  I said “no” for many years, and then the day came that I said, “alright, I’ll do it.”  When we went to the Highwood Mountains for “my” hunt, about 15 minutes out we glassed a mule-deer buck. I took an offhand shot, and the buck was down.  To my supernova’s dismay, we were back to the car only 40 minutes after leaving it; I had harvested my first deer and we returned with food for our family of six. 

Keep in mind, I have been on many hunts with my supernova where it took a few days or weeks of hunting to get an animal.  Despite my impressive first hunt, I knew this was the supernova’s calling and not mine.  It took some time for Scott to come to terms with the fact that his not-so-supernova wife got her first animal and rather flawlessly at that.  My hunting success has turned into a story that my husband loves to tell…and I have a little fun telling it too!