What makes the hunt of a lifetime?

You know I have often wondered what ingredients make the very best hunt...is it the overall success of the hunt that makes a hunt great? Or is it the quality of time spent with good folks? Is it the scenery or the "close calls" that make an adventure great? For some it may be the amount of work put into a hunt that makes it so memorable - for me I think it is a pinch of each that makes a hunt great. Some hunts are better than others for various reasons - interestingly enough, some of my most successful hunts (in terms of harvest) have been the least memorable overall.

A few years ago I drew a spring bear hunt here in Utah. In the end I didnt harvest a bear, but this turned out to be one of the funnest and most challenging hunts I have ever been on in my life. We had close encounters with a number of bears, and hiked more miles, and saw more nasty holes than I would have ever imagined. I got to know some new guys and their dogs - all in all this was one of my favorite hunts in spite of the fact that I didnt harvest a bear in the end.

Another great hunt occurred a couple years ago in British Columbia with Harry at Baldy Mountain Outfitters. Harry made the hunt exceptional when he attempted to chase a sow bear and her cubs up a nearby tree - in the end she chased Harry right back to us trying to jerk the pack of his back with every step, nearly sending Harry flying off a nearby cliff edge. The hunt got even more memorable when we experienced a grizzly charging at us in the alders at close range, all this on an avalanche chute with little nearly no light and a drizzling rain. That made for a hair raising trip back to the truck. More than one prayer was muttered under my breath as I kept an eye looking over one shoulder.

Or more recently, one of my favorite hunts occurred in the remote country of the Bookcliffs with Bruce & Kent chasing elk. Half a day of hunting lead us to this beautiful bull elk that Kent knocked down with two well placed shots. 8 Hours later we were back in camp. I think Bruce was nearly hypothermic, my arms were locked above my head from packing the elk horns for nearly 3 miles, Jed (Kent's son) had been out of water most of the day and was on the verge of drinking his own urine. All of us were nearly delirious after the many miles we logged that day - arriving in camp sometime in the wee night hours.

Maybe catching my first bobcat ranks pretty high up there - just figuring out things on your own and doing it for the first time is always a real adrenaline rush. I cant wait to experience these "firsts" with my kids.

So, you tell me...what is it that makes the hunt of a lifetime? Not sure I have an answer to my own question....it may take a lifetime to determine.