How many present-day elected officials have been elk hunting? If you're asking the question of politicians around the greater Yellowstone area, the answer is probably "quite a few." Hunting is a part of the local culture around Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. But not so much in much of America's urban areas today. It's no secret that Theodore Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastic big game hunter. But in a great excerpt unearthed by author and historian M. Mark Miller, Roosevelt describes catching a whiff of an elk while on the hunt in 1891. (Roosevelt even offers an account of the animal's differing aroma while in rut.) Continue Reading →