As fall approaches, local hunters are looking to fill their hunting tags. With bow season in progress, gun season is not far behind. Some students are preparing for their annual hunting routines – others are just beginning their first time hunting.

  “I am excited for my first time hunting. I’m most excited about being with my family and being able to do something we all love doing,” senior Shelby Sternadel said.

  Some students hunt because they have been doing it since they were young.

  “I’ve been hunting with my dad since I was six years old,” junior Allison Thomas said.

  “I started hunting when I was ten. I got my first bb gun and started hunting squirrels too. I’m thirty-three now,” girls basketball coach Cody Morgan said.

  There are other reasons to hunt besides just killing a deer.

  “It provides food, you feel accomplished if you do get a deer, and I get to spend time with my dad,” Thomas said.

  Hunting can also help control the overall animal population.

  “I hunt because it helps keep animals from overpopulating,” junior Morgan McGann said.

  Sometimes hunting has been more of a passed down thing through the family.

  “My family has always hunted, it’s a tradition,” senior Ryan Sprouse said.

  The woods can offer more than just game, it can be a way to get away from the stresses of everyday life.

  “I like being by myself in the woods, the sounds of nature are like therapy,” Morgan said. “I enjoy the outdoors and being outside to watch the animals.”

  Spending time with family can also be a part of why we hunt.

  “My favorite part of hunting is spending time with my dad,” Thomas said.

  “I enjoy watching animals. I like to learn how they travel and communicate,” Morgan said.