I live in Idaho.  We hunt in Idaho.  I only hunt for food as I feel I can
participate in the food chain.  However, I hunt more and more with a camera.
It is by far the most challenging way to hunt and the "trophies" still run
free.

I was in the mood for some Whitetail Deer steaks and went afield rifle in
hand to fill the freezer.  I should have never left my camera at home.  

I met a Pine Marten.  I saw him bound across the snowy Aspen Stand  some 50
yards in front of me and up a leaning tree.  I approached really slow as he
(or she) was the first of his kind I had seen in the wild though I have spent
decades in the woods.  I beleive it is just as likely to see a Yeti roaming
around in the woods as see a Marten.  I approached pretty close, then closer
still until I was with in 5-6 feet.  I talked to him for 1/2 an hour, but the
conversation was one sided as he had nothing to say.  He did warm up to me
after several minutes and he would walk up pretty close to me as I leaned
against his leaning perch.  Several times he rubbed his head against a
protruding limb kind of like a house cat would when it wanted to be fed or
petted.  I didn't think it was wise to pet a Marten or even feed one for that
matter as he must feed himself.

I would have traded my 1000 dollar rifle at that moment for a disposable
camera, without further barter.  I thought of my Canon A1 sitting at home or
my old trusty F1 or any of the AE1's and a 50mm lens would have been plenty
of focal length to produce wonderful photos.  

After a while, I decided to leave him be where he could go back to being a
Marten instead of a show off for his one man audience.  I bid farwell to my
'mustelidea' friend and walked away.  I looked back when I had retreated 20
yards or so and he was still sitting on his leaning tree looking after me as
if to say "where you going?"  

I returned to day to this spot with only my camera hoping to find him again
but he was long gone.  I plan on another trip or two and with any luck, we
will meet again.  

I need to just do my hunting with a camera period.

F1