Two things that I hate to hear in Pennsylvania comes straight from two organizations that get my hopes up about this time every year.

One is the Pa. State Lottery when I get my zillion dollar ticket checked and it comes back … not a winner ... and the other is the PGC Elk Hunt Draw that has come back as unsuccessful 14 times now.

Both cost me 10 bucks and my only consolation is that one helps older citizens and the other the Pa. elk herd.

This year I decided to try my luck with the 2017 elk hunt in Colorado and applied for both the cow and the bull tag. The cow tag was awarded to me and the guy in Colorado fish and game told me my bull tag was available at the counter when we got there!

Yikes! It seemed pretty easy thus far to get into an elk hunt. The hard part was finding the right zone, which season, private or public land and traveling 1,733 miles. We decided that we were not getting any younger and we might never get a Pa. elk hunt so let’s go for the Colorado hunt!

A friend put us onto a private ranch in Montrose, Colo., and the rest is just planning and organizing and coordinating.

A great deal of preparation goes into a western hunt to help you have a successful trip. We were looking at three days of driving, gear packing and equipment checking. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is the packing home of your elk venison if you are fortunate enough to harvest the quarry.

We decided to work on the firearms first. A successful hunt depends on accuracy of an elk worthy rifle. My choice for this hunt would be my model 700 Remington 30-06. I have many calibers to choose from, but this rifle has always been a steady firearm for me.

Matching it up with custom hand loaded Hornady 190 gr. BTSP Interlock bullets zeroed in at 300 yards make this choice an awesome combo. My scope would be the Gold Ring Leupold 3x9 variable VX 2.

Dropping groups in at 300 yards at about a diameter of a nickel was plenty good for me. I learned my lesson on a Canadian hunt to double check our rifles when we get into camp. On the Canadian hunt, during the traveling and handling of the rifles, my scope got bumped out of zero and once during a hunt in WVA my brother in law dropped my rifle and it was off by about 3 feet. Not good!

Always check out your firearm when you get into camp.

We will also be hunting at an elevation of around 10,000 feet and the weather can get pretty unpredictable fast. Choosing clothing that can be layered will be a smart choice while wool and fleece is the quietest materials.

I inherited a Woolrich hunting outfit from the 60’s that is unbelievably warm, but it is also heavy beyond belief. I also have LL Bean clothing that is warm and light in comparison, but is also a noisy material.

I recently found a fleece material that is much more quiet, light and warm, that will likely be my go to hunting clothing. Strangely enough, the need for game bags to place your elk meat in was the hardest project. I ended up going on the internet to find the best quality at the most reasonable cost.

It takes six bags for each elk that you harvest and you can’t cut corners.

Just when I thought that I was well on my way to be ready for the hunt, my old dependable boots gave up the ghost! A nice tear in the side of the boot made me decide to go for another sizable investment.

Have you looked at quality hunting boots lately? They range from $125 to $500 and you do need to try them on if you know what’s best for you. I settled in for some Danner High Ground boots with 1,000 grams of insulation. They are one size bigger than what I normally wear due to the heavy socks that I frequently wear. I can’t focus on hunting when my feet are cold!

Last but not least, I’m packing binoculars and a range finder to make sure of my distances. Once in Alberta a moose guide spotting distances for me told me it was 300 yards when it ended up being every bit of 700 yards.

Needless to say, it did not end well for my trophy bull hunt or his tip! When you get a chance at a hunt of a lifetime, you do not want to muff it up by not being prepared or ready for what life throws at you.

In about a month, we will be on our way to the Colorado Rockies and there is no turning back now. As the rancher told me, bring what you think you might need because there aren’t any stores where we will be! Until we meet again sharpen up your wits and your knife! I’ll keep you posted on my western adventure.

Jay Hewitt is a hunting columnist for the Butler Eagle