From the Home Place

September 3, 2026

Good morning. We are starting this day at 55, headed for 89 for a high. With those kinds of temperatures, it doesn’t feel much like elk hunting season, but it is that time of the year.

On Monday and Tuesday morning I left the house right at 3 a.m., with much anticipation, to go meet a young man so we could attempt to put the sneak on a bugle-cow. Both days, we saw elk. Each day we walked in to where we wanted to hunt while it was still very dark, in an attempt to be where the elk would come off a hay meadow, headed back to their daily retreat in the heavy timber.

The first day, we delt with a steady drizzle of rain. Now mind you, neither of us minded getting wet because of the severe drought we are dealing with, and besides we were looking for elk, it’s not supposed to be easy. Around here, elk hunting is like any other sport, “no pain, no gain.” So, we marched on, wet and cold but still full of anticipation!

We were almost at our spot, a good thirty minutes before daylight and guess what? They were already leaving their alfalfa breakfast bar and were headed for the dark timber. We laid there and watched them trail off into the dark.

The second day we walked twice as far, attempting to catch them further down the trail, and it worked. My hunting friend on one side of a hill, and I on the other side. As a glimpse of light began to appear in the east, here they came. I listened to two bulls fight for superiority of the herd, yet neither of them showed themself to this old hunter. However, they crossed close enough on the other side of the hill that my compadre was able to take a shot, but no reward.

For me, I laid behind my little soap-weed and my backpack, filled with the anticipation of seeing a really nice set of antlers cross in front of me. No such luck. I had cows and calves and a spike bull within 40-yards of where I lay, but no one worthy of flinging an arrow at. Within a few minutes, the anticipation turned into dissapointment, again!

When we reconnected, my young friend was sad that he had missed his opportunity, yet we both praised God that we had been allowed to watch such magnificent critters at a close range! As we started our two-mile walk back to the pickup, we both praised our Lord for allowing us such an amazing privilege.

You see my friends, anticipation often results in disappointment; yet disappointment can even be a time of rejoicing when we focus upon God’s provision and protection. And as I said earlier, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Neither of us filled our freezer over the last two days, but each man better knows and understands the other. Each man continues to rejoice about what we were allowed to do. Each man is immensely grateful that we had the opportunity to be close enough to smell the odder of musky bull elk, and that we are both exhausted!

So, for today, we both have other things we have to do instead of chase elk. However, we each will live today in anticipation of our Heavenly Father once again revealing His amazing grace to us in some special way this very day. I pray that you too will live this day with great anticipation, perhaps not of that which you have to do, but in anticipation of the God of the universe revealing His love for you in a special way. Walk into this day with the anticipation of seeing God at work within and around you, and you will not be disappointed at the end of the day. Instead, you will end this day with a grateful heart that you were allowed to live and to watch as the King Himself, sends you a special gift!

Living in anticipation with you, Neal