Colorado Elk Hunting Gender Differences Day 1

What’s it like to be the only woman on an elk hunt with five gentlemen? It was pretty interesting! It was also a study in gender differences and the way men and women communicate.

Now, this wasn’t my first elk hunt, but it was the only one in the past five years where I’ve had a tag AND been the only lady on the trip. And both situations gave me greater understanding how ideas and action plans are communicated when men get to talkin’.

First there was the ”get yer truck stuck” challenge. See the guys trying to dig it out? See their smiling faces? Don’t they look relaxed and happy? Kinda look like they’re on vacation, don’t they?

Lesson #1. Non-verbals can be flat out wrong. They may LOOK relaxed and happy, but that photo was taken after about two hours of concentrated digging. And I can tell you, their facial expressions did not match all the “words of encouragement” bantered about on that ridgetop!

Lesson #2. You go first. Snow was “abundant” in northwest Colorado that winter and the back roads had drifted over. But there could be herds up over them thar hills! Should we risk it? Let’s listen in to how that decision was made:

“Hey, you guys go on up that road over there and we’ll stay down here. It’s okay. You’ll make it. No problem. We were up there last year and it was a piece ‘a cake!”

Lesson #3. Adversity is the mother of invention

• First, you spend a few minutes standing around to sum up the situation. “Probly shouldn’t have gunned it that hard, eh? Whaddya think?”
• Next, strategize a solution. Get something to slip under the tires to get some traction. ”Maybe those wood slats will work. Lucky we brought along that pallet. Hey Dave, good thing you jumped fast when those slats shot out from the back tires. Coulda been a mighty short huntin trip for you, yessir!”
• Try new ideas. “How about while you’re gunnin’ it, we all pile into the truck bed and jump up and down? That way the tires might hit the road dirt and we can pull right on outa here!”

Folks, this is how decision-making goes awry. You figure the first person who opens their mouth has all the answers or you’re influenced by somebody’s enthusiastic communication style. So you follow their lead and in the process, dig yourself deeper and get covered with mud.

Lesson #4: Don’t be afraid to ask for directions, um…I mean, ask for help

Frantic phone calls to farmers in 3 surrounding states yielded some very generous and helpful locals. Here you see the trusty rescue vehicle they used to pluck the truck.

Stuck truck rescue vehicle

I think it’s a hay baler.

It pulled that truck outta there like a matchstick and dragged it back down to the county road where we stood around and talked about it for another half hour or so.  Um, actually it was more like a “debrief”.

Lesson #5: Maximize the lessons learned

You’ve heard the old adage that unless you do something different, history is bound to repeat itself? Therefore, it’s important to analyze each and every learning opportunity in-depth, to maximize the lessons learned. So soon after, we called it a day and hurried back to the historic Old Victory Motel to hunker down with a cold one for an intensive Gap Analysis Session – close to Woody’s big screen TV.

Here’s Woody’s Victory Motel now…

Here it was then…

What does a Gap Analysis Session sound like? Kinda like this…

• “No sirreee, I wouldn’a done that with MY truck!”
• “Maybe the snow IS just a little deeper than last year.”
• “Next time, let’s bring a metal shovel instead of my kid’s plastic one.”
• “Maybe next time, YOU go up that road first!”

Lesson #6. Persistence pays off

Here’s the last thing I learned from the menfolk – you can’t get discouraged and you’ve got to be willing to get up at 4am and do it all over again the following day. I’m sure you’re just dying to know what happened next, so follow me over to Day Number Two!

Laura