Freshman Natasha Craft most memorable hunting experience was “when my dad was sitting against a huge tree and it started to crack and it almost fell on him.” Photo provided by; Natasha Craft
By Courteney Keller
Hunting is not just a sport; it is a passion. Being able to sit all day and stay quiet without moving, in all kinds of weather is not always easy. Girls that go hunting explain their experiences.
A few girls became involved with hunting at a young age. Freshman Frannie Bottorff got involved with hunting when she was in third grade. Freshman Natasha Craft said, “When I was little my dad would take me out to his stand and I would watch him.”
One may have a memory from hunting that stands out more than others. Bottorff said, “When my uncle was calling the deer to stop and it wouldn’t stop for anything, so he just yelled, “HEY.”” Sophomore Bailey Hatfield who hunts deer said that she remembers being very cold and complaining about how cold she was.
But before the hunter goes out and sits in the tree stand or blind for hours at a time, hunters usually scout the area where they will be hunting. Hunters usually look for scrapes made in the ground by bucks. They also look for rubs on the trees that bucks make with their antlers to mark their territory. If it is turkey season, hunters look for where they have seen the birds before. Junior Jordan Kelly who hunts deer and turkey in a ground blind and tree stand said her way of scouting is, “I have a ground blind and sometimes I move it to different spots.” Craft who hunts deer and turkey in a tree stand said, “I see if there are any scrapes or rubs and then I will follow the track if there is one.”
Freshman Frannie Bottorff hunts deer and turkey but she has only gotten a turkey this season. Photo provided by; Frannie Bottorff
Once the animal is shot it must be butchered right away or else the meat could go bad. Bottorff said “My dad cleans it back in the woods: except for the meat, but he takes the livers, then we take it to my uncles and he butchers it.” Hatfield said that she butchers the deer herself.
Above everything safety always comes first. Hunters should never get in a dangerous position just to have an opportunity at shooting a good sized animal. When hunting in a tree stand, the hunter should always be wearing a safety harness. Bottorff said, “Walk as quietly as you can and don’t run after a deer just stop and see where it goes.” Kelly said that one must always be wearing orange. Wearing fluorescent orange helps other hunters who may be in the same woods see other hunters and do not mistake them as the animal they are hunting. Craft said “Always keep your gun on safety until you are ready to shoot. But also never trust your safety all the time because sometimes it doesn’t work.” Hatfield said, “Make sure your safety harness leg straps are tight.”
Hunting is viewed as a boy sport but it is not. Girls hunt too.