Every year millions of Americans venture into nature, attempting to find the solace and joy

that nature offers, and, of course, the wild game in the forest. Hunting season is here once more.

CHS band teacher Charlie Blackmore has been hunting since he was child.

“I was born and raised on a farm, so hunting and fishing was part of the culture growing up,” Blackmore said. “Unless there was a varmint, we always shot something for food. My family was very strict about hunting laws so if someone was goofing around with a gun, it was not pretty.”

Sophomore Roger Taylor has also been hunting since he was young.

“I started to hunt when I was eight years old,” Taylor said. “I would go out for about an hour-and-a-half, and then come back and watch cartoons. When I turned eleven, I started to go out for several hours at a time.”

As the years have gone by, the game Blackmore hunts has changed. Although Blackmore did a lot of bird and rabbit hunting as a child, much of the game is now gone, as farms have intruded on the habitats.

“I used to bow-hunt, but I don’t have the time I used to do this,” Blackmore said. “I hunt mostly now with firearms, rifles and pistols. I have tried hunting turkey, but turkey and white-tailed deer are completely different ball games.”

There are many different types of methods involved in hunting, such as using elevated platforms, hiding in camouflaged tents, and calls, but Blackmore still prefers still-hunting.

“I go out early in the morning to the woods, so I am already in the woods when everything is waking up,” Blackmore said. “Although my brother can stay in a stand for hours, probably even for days, being in a stand past an hour at a time makes me go crazy. I have to constantly being moving through the forest.”

However, the amount of challenges faced in hunting should not be underestimated. Specific game, especially deer, can prove very elusive.

“Although when I was younger I would buy the gun with the biggest bang, I now have moved to pistols and rifles,” Blackmore said. “I enjoy pistols as they are especially challenging. I have actually taken down several deer with a pistol. Although I hunt on the land that I grew up on, and I know the land very well, it is amazing how fast deer can disappear as soon as the season starts.”

Taylor hunts mainly birds, including ducks and geese, but he also hunts deer and turkeys. He agrees with Blackmore that there are several challenges that a hunter faces while out in the woods.

“The biggest challenge is the cold and the elements, but it adds fun,” Taylor said. “It makes hunting more of an adventure. We have to get out early, being in the blind by six in the morning. We have to walk out when it is still dark outside.”

Blackmore recognizes that are some people who are anti-hunting, and understands their view.

“People are entitled to their opinion,” Blackmore said. “I care that only people know the facts and are informed. There is a lot of misinformation that people teach as gospel. People need to recognize that it is because of the money spent by hunters that the deer population has been substantiated. As there is in anything, there are both the good hunters and bad hunters. Overall, the hunting community is a good community that supports conservation. When I hunt, I have to make the decision if I have a good shot. I don’t want the animal to suffer, so it is a moral decision that the hunter has to take.”

Taylor is willing to listen to other’s people’s opinions about hunting, but he still feels hunting is moral.

“As omnivores, we have been hunting for millions of years,” Taylor said. “There are certain aspects in hunting when people do take it too far, but I feel hunting is a spiritual experience, as it’s a time where I’m able to talk and hang out with the some of the closest people to me.”

Blackmore is grateful, too, for the memories that he has had while hunting.

“I have taken my kids hunting and have passed along the love and tradition,” Blackmore said. “I taught my daughter and her husband, and introduced them to hunting. I am fortunate to have gotten some great trophies, but best is introducing others to the sport and watching them enjoying it also.”

Taylor enjoys being able to spend time in nature while hunting.

“It is amazing when there are birds everywhere, a thousand geese or ducks, and I say ‘Oh my God’,” Taylor said.

Blackmore’s advice to wannabe hunters is to take a firearm safety course sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and go out with someone who hunts.

Taylor echoes Blackmore’s ideas, but understands the importance of being positive when someone is hunting, confident that they are going to find some deer or birds.

“The joy in hunting is not in taking the animal, but being outside and being able to appreciate nature– taking in the challenge of hunting,” Blackmore said.