November 15 marked the start of firearm deer hunting in Michigan. Hunting is a typically male dominated activity but that should not exclude all the girls who also participate in hunting trips.
Girls not being allowed to hunt or the assumption that girls do not like to is an old stereotype that many female students at Spring Lake High School are defying.
Junior Gabbie Tober goes out hunting every year, typically with her dad. She prefers to hunt with a bow rather than a gun, and says that she enjoys the quiet peacefulness that sitting out in the woods often provides.
“Hunting is a way to get my mind off of things,” Tober said. “I sit out in the freezing cold and wait for a deer to pass.”
She is not the only Spring Lake girl who hunts, either. Freshman Ellington Carlson goes up to Iron River City in the Upper Peninsula.
“I go up to my papa’s cabin. I’ve learned how to use a bow, and a crossbow, where to shoot a deer, and how to gut one. I like being able to catch my own food, even though this year I didn’t catch anything,” Carlson explained.
She also gave her opinion on why she thinks some girls don’t like to hunt. “I think hunting isn’t as popular for girls because most girls and people in general don’t want to kill a deer, or go through the gutting process,” she said.
While hunting may not be for everyone, it is a very common tradition for some families and is something that people, even girls, will continue to participate in every year.
