The Anticipation of September - By Jay Stern

Jay's 2025 Bull

Often in life, we anticipate moments that are so very fleeting. We daydream of experiences that make us feel alive, give us purpose, and rejuvenate our souls. Sometimes a lifetime of anticipation leads up to an experience that is only satisfying for a few days, hours, or even seconds. For some, that anticipation is in the form of a job promotion, a dream house, a new car, or a like on social media. For me, it’s the anticipation of September in the mountains of Idaho. 

Now, notice I didn’t say it’s the anticipation of releasing an arrow on a rut crazed bull. I’d be lying if I said that a lot of my daydreams didn’t include an arrow disappearing behind the shoulder of a 6 point bull. But if I spent 11 months anticipating only a few seconds, it would not fully capture what I look forward to during those September days in the mountains. 

There are so many moments leading up to the release of an arrow that I long for during my anticipation for the hunt. I look forward  to the grueling 34-hour drive west when those last few hours are grind just to stay awake. My ears long to hear that first bugle breaking through the stillness of the moonlit mountains. I can’t wait for my lungs to heave for oxygen as my burning legs beg for mercy. My heart  prepares to hear the sound of fading hooves as a result of the swirling winds on the back of my sweat soaked neck. And of course, my mind runs wild with what those few fleeting seconds during the moment of truth will look like.

As important as it is to prepare my legs and lungs for the mountains, the preparation of my mind is equally if not more important to the success of the hunt. Not just success in terms of putting elk steaks in the freeze, but rather the success in fulfilling what I’m anticipating leading up to the hunt. I look forward to killing a bull elk each September. I probably want it too much if I’m honest. But if that was the only thing I anticipated about a hunt, every moment leading up to the kill would be viewed as a struggle, grind, or an obstacle. But when I start looking forward to those all little moments leading up to the release of an arrow, my hunt becomes exponentially more successful.

A hunt only lasts for a short amount of time. Those adrenaline filled moments leading up to the shot are even shorter. The anticipation of the hunt extends the timeline of the experience well beyond the boundaries of the dates blocked off the calendar. 

That being said, anticipation can also create a vice in my life. It’s easy to put these experiences on a pedestal above many other things in life. September in the mountains of Idaho is amazing. But it doesn’t hold a flame to the God who created those mountains, my wife who gives me endless support and my family who loves me dearly. It’s easy to let my imagination run wild but keeping myself in check and ensuring I put no other gods before the one true Creator of the universe needs to be the biggest priority in my life. Because in the end, the greatest elk hunt of all time will not bring true satisfaction. True satisfaction can only come from surrendering your life to the one true God who sent His son to die for a sinner like me so that whoever believes in Him can have everlasting life. Now, that is something to anticipate!