The Hunt

Harvest day is busy time of year

By DAVID DeMILLE
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Each year in October, festive outdoorsmen clad in the seemingly odd combination of orange vests and camouflage flood the roads around Cedar City.
They are not celebrating Halloween — they are hunters, modern day’s deer overpopulation control, and once a year they head into the southern Utah wild to hunt mule deer.
The hunt provides a chance to head into the great outdoors and congregate, and also to reach back to simpler times when the hunt was a necessary part of survival for everyone.
The tradition behind the hunt is lengthy for most in the area, as generations past once searched the same area for big game.
It is also practical, providing a chance for plenty of meat to get through the winter on.
Even the orange makes sense— deer are color-blind.
“I could think of a thousand different reasons why I go,” SUU alum and hunter Trent Lief said. “More than anything, it’s a chance to get out into nature and live like our forefathers lived, even if it’s just for a little while.”
Those forefathers operated a little differently, without the extra help from high-powered rifles or orange vests, but the main substance of the hunt was the same.
The hunter still has to be prepared, both mentally and physically, to hunt hard all day to be successful.
People go into the hunt in the best possible physical shape, cutting down on physical limitations and improving the chances of landing big game.
Scouting is often involved, a key part of preparation that allows the hunter to know where the deer are and where they are moving before the hunt even starts.
Most hunters spend hours at the shooting range, getting to know the gun and matching their abilities with its abilities.
They become marksmen, and the confidence of being in prime physical readiness can often be the difference between coming away with an impressive buck, or walking home empty-handed.
“Some people just head out without any idea of where they’re going or what they’re doing,” Junior physical education major Tim Cannley said. “Sometimes it takes a little more effort than that. You have to take it seriously.”
A hunter for only the last couple of years, Cannley, who is from Salt Lake City, says getting a chance to hunt in the first place is hard work
There are a number of state regulations and laws, and all hunters should do their homework before heading out. There are regulations on everything from clothing to firearms to possession limits.
It is best to go with an experienced hunter, or even a guide, to help with the preparation as well as the actual hunt. The costscan include licenses, gas, hotel, food, clothing, gear, and so on,