Abby Hoffman decided to try hunting off more of a whim than anything else. Her friend inherited a couple rifles. They thought hunting sounded interesting. The next few years were the opposite of a whim. The Laramie resident took hunter safety where she learned the basics on gun safety, navigating land ownership and rules for all the various species. She watched YouTube videos and absorbed as many tips as possible. Then she and her friend tried to fill a late-season cow elk tag. It wasn’t successful, at least not in the traditional way we look at success. “It was definitely tough, but also I got to hike around and see areas that I never would have seen otherwise,” she said. “Usually if I am out hiking I’m on the trails in the Snowys, and those are the places you avoid when you’re hunting.” The next year she headed into the prairie in her two-wheel drive sedan with her rifle and antelope tag in tow. Her car wasn’t going to make it over most of the roads, so she hiked. A lot. She didn’t fill that tag, either, but doesn’t regret a single one of those treks. “I was always learning something, and next time I will be better,” she said. “I always had hope, next time maybe I’ll know a little bit more.” A friend finally offered to take her elk hunting on his family’s ranch near Wheatland. She shot a bull. And was hooked.  [full article]