By Jonathan Tran
We are the children of the Information Age. Digital artists, coders, and developers, these are but a few of the hobbies and interests that have bloomed from the technology of today. But as we explore the vast unknown of the Internet, there are students exploring the vast unknowns of the actual wilderness; traipsing through forests and streams, learning to hunt and fish. Junior Jonathan Van is one of those people, spending his free time in the wildernesses around the Bay Area mastering hunting and fishing.
Van started getting into small game hunting after he bought a truck and drivers license. He said that he’s been meaning to get into hunting since his time at another school, Valley Christian, where many of his peers were into outdoors activities. Because he already loved being outdoors, the choice to hunt and fish was easy for him. Additionally, he hunts with his friends because this kind of activity isn’t very popular at MHS.
Hunting can often be difficult for amateurs because finding a convenient location to do so is a challenge. But Van said, “I hunt on my friends property and I fish at various lakes such as Sandy Wool, Shadow Cliff, or Quarry Lake.”
“What keeps me in the outdoors is the satisfaction of cooking whatever I catch or shoot, it is also nice to wake up early in the mornings before sunrise to fish since fish are active at sunrise and sunset… I get to see many nice views,” Van commented on what keeps him hunting when there are a plethora of other ways to spend his free time.
There are some things that the junior doesn’t love about hunting, and that can be pricing on gear. Furthermore, he prefers fishing because it’s much cheaper and easier to plan, and doesn’t require as much gear. He says he buys his fishing gear from shops such as Bass Pro or other sporting stores.
According to Van, some requirements to hunt include “a fishing license if you are 16+ and usually you need a daily fishing pass for whatever lake you fish at which is around $5 – 10. For hunting you need to complete an online course and go into a store that hosts the tests and pay a fee. [It’s] like obtaining a drivers license.”
Something Van would like people to know about hunting is that “being humane and respecting whatever animal or fish you bag is part of the sport and that although not every person has the same morals, the majority does and people need to stop judging [hunters] so harshly, especially if they eat meat themselves.”
