Imagine waking up at 5:30 a.m. on a weekend, dressed in camouflage from head to toe, going out to the tree stands or ground blinds, sitting and waiting. For most, the best part of hunting is hearing the sounds of something moving. For others, it is seeing the animal in the sights right before the big moment. These are the thrills of those who enjoy hunting.
“My favorite part of hunting is when you are sitting in the stand and you hear something walking, and you don’t know what it is. You look and stay as still as you can,” junior Trevor Hackney said.
Many start out hunting when they are young. For some people, family members such as uncles or grandfathers take them, but others sometime go alone their first time. But no matter whom they go with, the first kill is always a proud moment for hunters. Sophomore Aaron Roberson was 10 years old when he killed his first deer.
“Me and my uncle had been hunting there for about a month, and [the deer] finally showed up and we shot it,” Roberson said.
Although many people are taken by family members to hunt for their first time, sophomore Cody Harrell went by himself.
“A five point buck walked up to my stand and I shot it. I was excited,” Harrell said.
Harrell had to carry the deer back to his house after the kill, where his dad was proud to see his son’s first trophy.
Some students try to hunt everyday while others get to go only once or twice every other month.
“I only hunt over the holidays, so once or twice a year,” sophomore Brandon Kelly said.
There are many reasons people hunt. Some hunt for sport, while some hunt for the meat that it provides.
Senior John Adams first went hunting with his dad when he was seven years old. It is a tradition in his family and Adams’ father was taken hunting his first time by his father as well. Adams enjoys hunting for fun and also for food.
“We can make [the meat] last all year, depending on how many deer we get,” Adams said.
Though many students enjoy hunting, there are those that oppose it.
“To shoot an animal, is to pierce the mold of an innocent miracle of life,” junior Jacob Friedman said.
Some hunters feel that they are doing good by keeping the population of deer down, and preventing disease and starvation.
“The deer in this area are lacking natural predators. That means that there would be a lot more [deer] dying from disease and starvation,’’ Adams said. “So it’s trying to keep them below the environmental capacity.”
— By Tyler White
