Hunters target their marks, enjoy success stories I r was early in the morning and the smell ofdew rose from the grass and caressed the air. The sun appeared in the east, and life began for all who had slept during (he night. The camouflage was on; the gun was cocked and loaded - ready for aerion as (he wind whispered the sound ofa day that had the possibility of producing a successful hunt. For three roommates, this was one scene that became a frequent pan of their lifestyles. Juniors Justin Sanders and David Saunders and senior Ryan Conn spent as much rime as they could hunting. The three looked forward every year to hunting season. Whether it be for deer, turkey, duck, squirrel, rabbit, goose or dove, they would rise with the sun looking for their next big kill. "It is just someth ing that yo u are raised on, and once you catch the hunting bug, it is all you seem to think about," Conn said. Hunting became a way of th inking for the three men, they said. Classes, football and social lives often took a back seat to the love of hunting that the men possessed. For Sanders, turkey huming was the type of huming he enjoyed the most, and all three agreed char tu rkey hunting was the most difficult type of hunting due to the unique aspects of the hum. "Turkey is the smartest animal that lives in my opinion," Sanders said. "It is like a big game ofchess. Ifyou move wrong, you lose, and ifthe turkey Sproying down 0 vehicle, sophomore Daniel Conniff and fresh– men Jonathan Williams help wash a car to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims Sept. 17. Men on the third floor of Keller hosted the car wash and donated the proceeds to evacuees staying at Camp Wyldewood in Searcy. ·Amber Bazargani i'il:student life moves wrong, he loses." For hunting duck, pheasanr and dove, the three men used hunting dogs. L1bradors and retrievers were the rypes ofdogs used in bird hunting because of their ability to retrieve the wounded game. Saunders was responsible for training the dogs and researching the topic to better achieve success. He read several books about dog training and talked to dog-training enthusiasts about various techniques. "The number one thing to do when training a dog for hunting is to be consistent," Saunders said. "You have ro teach obed ience from rhe starr, and everything else will be built upon that." Along with dogs, they also used an array ofequipment to ensure a suc– cessful hunt. Four-wheelers, guns, ammunition, bows, arrows, various game calls and camouflage were some of the items used. The equipment that was lISed depended on what the men were hunting and weather conditions, they said. Another key elemem in a hunting excursion was eating what was killed, Conn said. The men are what they killed in eirher a duck stew at deer chili. "It is just not hunting for love of the sport ifyou do not eat what you kill," Conn said. "C'mon what can possibly taste better that a big bowl of deer chili on a cold day?" .Barkley Terry Tolking over their meol, junior Molly Truax and sophomore Brittany Baranovic eat at Shorty Smalls in North Little Rock Oct. 22. "We go to Little Rock because there are more restaurant options and more to do," Baranovic said .•(ourtesy of Brooke light
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