Deer season, outdoors draw CF students

By Linden Terpstra 2010

Though many are lining up for inoculations against winter ills, senior Tyler Hare has willingly given in to infection from an annual autumn malady that he’s contracted every year since he was 12: buck fever.

“Buck fever is my favorite part about hunting,” Hare said. “All hunters get it no matter who you are, and you will never lose it no matter how long you hunt. It’s basically when you see a buck, no matter how big it is, you start to get really hot and breath really heavy and start to shake, so if you’re going to shoot the deer, it makes it really hard to aim.”

Hare knows all too well how debilitating that nervous anticipation can be.

“It was the very first morning of my very first time going hunting and actually trying to kill a deer. I was 12 years old, and it was youth season, so my dad went with me. We got up really early that morning and headed to the spot that we were hunting,” Hare said. “We got into the spot we were sitting, and about 45 minutes into the hunt, two average-sized bucks came walking through. I knew for sure they were going to walk by me, so my dad told me to get my gun up and ready, so when they got into range I could take a shot at the biggest one. When they got to where I could take a shot, I was shaking and really nervous but took the shot at the bigger of the two. They both ran away, and we couldn’t find any blood.”
But the fever still racked Hare, so he wouldn’t give up without another go.

“So I went home kind of disappointed, but I hoped that I would get another shot another. Sure enough, we hunted hard all week, and that next weekend I shot a doe at about 40 yards, so even though it wasn’t a buck, I still was really happy because it was my first deer I ever shot. Basically, if you are looking for a lesson that I learned from all this is don’t look over the barrel of the gun, and even if you miss a deer don’t let it get you down because chances are you will get another shot at another deer later in the season,” Hare said.

Hare isn’t the only one roaming about in the wilderness, however. Junior Alex Clopton has also been fixated to get a deer.

Clopton, who also hunts turkey, pheasants, squirrels and rabbits, voyages out into the backwoods often. Having been hunting more seriously in the last three years, he stalked a flock of turkeys last year and hauled one in to eat for Thanksgiving dinner.

“It’s fun to be out in the wilderness. It was cool to be next to all those turkeys when they didn’t know I was there,” Clopton said.

Differing from Hare and Clopton, senior Aidan Brock can be caught carrying a fishing pole while exploring a variety of waters in northern Iowa.

“I usually fish at least two to three times a week,” Brock said. “Fishing is just a way for me to relax and think about things.”

Brock has plenty of fishing stories to match his fondness of the wilderness.

“This summer some friends and I went to the northern part of the Iowa, around Bluffton, and I dominated everyone and caught the biggest fish, a 26-inch rainbow trout,” he said.
Whether hunting or fishing, the wilderness pulls together countless outdoorsmen to shoot, hook and maybe even eat all year round.