Wapiti Spirit, by Michael Houston, is a young adult novel about a troubled boy on his journey toward manhood, responsibility and the challenge of true happiness. Learn the history and habits of the Rocky Mountain elk, one of America's premier wild animals, and the nuts and bolts of ethical hunting as you spend each day in the wilderness with a boy experiencing it all for the first time.
Peter Atkins thought he might simply walk out and shoot a magnificent bull elk, and return to school as a hero. The gorgeous Sara Evington might even notice him, as more than just a geeky lab partner in science class. But Peter finds elk hunting harder than he ever imagined. The wind and cold seem bent on killing him, and there are no elk to be found anywhere. Frustrated and helpless, Peter is plagued with guilt over a crime he and a friend committed during the previous summer.
Across the flames of the evening fire, his family friend and mentor Harvey listens quietly to Peter's complaints. After the boy angrily proclaims, "You can't make me stay " he is thrown off guard by his elder's refusal to argue. When Harvey readily agrees with him, it takes Peter a while to figure out what he really means. Join Peter as he is drawn into mystery of the hunt and the beauty of the mountains, where his quest for self-reliance and peace of mind becomes a mission of lifelong significance.