The Call of the Wild

In 20 days, my son Hunter and I will make our way across the great plains of Northwest Texas, through the high desert of New Mexico, and toward the northern reaches of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains near the Wyoming border.

For the past several weeks, I have collected the gear and necessities required to camp in the mountains for as long as 10 days and nights. Yet, not once have I worried much about where we will go or what we will do when we get there. It may sound strange, but I have prepared everything we will need – and nothing we will not.

On September 11, the day before my wedding anniversary, Hunter and I will begin our journey. We will drive until we find a suitable campsite, then set out with one purpose: to find a bull elk. By the time this letter is published, we may be sitting on a mountainside, praying that God gives us one opportunity at an elk – the same moment some of you are reading these words.

While you may be enjoying the first cool evening breeze of fall, Hunter and I will likely be in a two-man tent, facing 30-degree temperatures and a 50 percent chance of rain. But a 50 percent chance is all we need. That is exactly how I see our odds: we will either be successful or we will not.

When that morning comes, after we hug our ladies and kiss them goodbye, it will be heel to belly.

More Than a Hunt

I believe the call of the wild is real, and I believe it lives inside every man. Too often, we limit ourselves by ignoring our intuition and our hearts.

Have you ever crossed paths with someone you had just been thinking about calling?

Have you ever been placed in a situation – or faced a decision – only moments after it crossed your mind? Maybe you have felt something deeply before it happened. Some people chalk that up to coincidence. I do not.

God calls me back to the wild often. I can feel it, and I believe you probably have felt it too. What does it mean? To me, it means He wants to speak to you. He wants your full attention.

Jesus often withdrew to the mountains to pray and communicate with God. For me, I think I know what He wants to talk about. Sometimes we use reasons we can understand to answer the call of the wild – hunting, fishing, adventure, escape – but the truth may be far more important than any trip we plan. It is something Saint Hubert learned during his stag hunt.

The next time you feel that overwhelming urge to get into the wilderness, ask yourself: Is something heavy on my mind? Is there something I am wrestling with?

Maybe God wants to talk to you.

Here is a tip I have picked up along the trail: Do not listen with your ears.

A Farewell to a Friend

Just last week, I received a call that a friend of mine had passed away. His service is only a few hours from now, as of this writing.

I was asked to say a few words, and I had planned to do so – until today. This morning, I found peace in the thought of not telling stories. Instead, I will use this time as something sacred: a chance to let my heart and soul do their job and say goodbye.

Waylon and I had known each other for more than 30 years. We were wild, feral kids growing up in the back roads of Fair Oaks Ranch during the mid-to-late 1990s. The memories we made through high school could fill a Netflix documentary about the last generation to experience true freedom.

In the early 2000s, we moved to College Station together and gave school a pretty weak attempt. Through our twenties and early thirties, we did what most guys do. We hunted together. We fished together. We constantly competed to see who was tougher. We spent long nights and early mornings talking about plans we should have committed to.

We camped along the Devils River, Lake Amistad, Big Shell, and eventually the banks of the upper Guadalupe River. He was even a groomsman in my wedding.

The truth is, Waylon wrestled with demons, and he was taken too early. People who had once been close to him were pushed away. We did the best we could, but ultimately, it was out of our hands.

So today, it is goodbye.

Into the Mountains

As Hunter and I settle into the woods, we will face two tasks: harvesting a bull elk with a bow and sorting through whatever is heavy on our hearts and minds.

Before the orange sun crests the mountaintops, the coldest part of the day will sweep through the valleys. Before that happens, we will be waiting patiently on a mountainside, hoping to hear the song of a bull elk cut through the cold and echo across the pines.

The days will be long. They will test our endurance over miles of rough terrain and thousands of feet of elevation change. We will stop to hydrate, rest our feet, and chart our course. We will search for signs that we are in the right area: fresh tracks, scat, recent urine, hair on branches, and scrapes on pine trees. Each sign may lead us closer to a herd.

Our evenings may range from a warm meal over a campfire with our feet propped up to nights spent miles from base camp in a small two-man tent, trying to stay dry and remain on the heels of a nomadic herd.

Over those days, miles, and quiet nights alone, we will speak to God without saying a word.

“Over those days, miles, and quiet nights alone, we will speak to God without saying a word.”

It is in the wilderness that the noise and distractions of life begin to disappear. You are left vulnerable, facing your thoughts without the usual places to hide. The longer a man stays in the wild, the more it whittles away at him.

Stay long enough, and you might just find what you are looking for.

Sharing the Outdoors

My family has always spent our free time outside. Because of our shared love for exploring the outdoors, Denise and I have decided to take that passion to the next level.

Last month, we started Mazour Outfitting Co., a river outfitting company offering fully guided kayak and canoe trips on the upper Guadalupe and Llano rivers. We want people to experience these rivers the way our family has enjoyed them for years: slowly, comfortably, and with a genuine appreciation for the water, the land, and the Hill Country around us.

We provide kayaks and canoes, personal flotation devices, paddles, homemade river meals, fishing tackle for guests who need it, portable speakers, ice chests, and just about anything else you may need for a day on the water.

We are also offering a Grande Package on both rivers. After a day floating the river, guests can relax at a private ranch for an overnight stay. The package includes a steak dinner, ranch tours, and breakfast on Sunday morning before departure.

For visitors to our community, we can make dinner recommendations, point out local sights, share area history, and help with the details that make a Hill Country trip memorable. Denise and I believe we are offering one of the best ways to experience this part of Texas.

If you are interested in a trip – or know someone who might be – please share our information. Mazour Outfitting Co. can be found on Facebook and Instagram, and our website, MazourOutfittingCo.com, includes trip details and booking information.

Tune Out the Noise

The call of the wild has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. It was there when I was young and exploring my surroundings. It was shaped by growing up with Waylon and the guys we ran with. It has stayed with me while Denise and I raised our children, and it is part of the next chapter we are building together.

Only in the past several years have I begun to understand what that call truly means to me – and what I am supposed to do with it.

I do not know that I can fully articulate it, but the takeaway is simple:

• Explore new, wild places and share them with your friends and family.
• Get away every once in a while to reset.
• Put your faith in Jesus Christ and begin reading the Bible.
• Work to shed selfishness.
• Learn that less is often more.
• Give without needing recognition.
• Treat people the way you want to be treated.
• Be kind.

It sounds simple until you realize how hard today’s world works to pull you away from those things.

Tune out the noise. Find a wild place. Talk to God.

Cheers,

Jed Mazour

From the October 2026 issue of The Kendall Gentleman.

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Jed Mazour has written for The Kendall Gentleman’s Outdoors section before in Summer Shootout at Inks Lake and Passion and Christ. For more from this issue, read Coach Stan Leech’s Rails.