“It was about a 450-500 pound Russian Boar—meaner than a razorback and bigger. This thing saw them, got up, and charged them. He had one left in the chamber of his rifle. It was so close he couldn’t see it in his scope. He shot that thing from 10 yards right between the eyes. Let’s just say God was with us on that hunt.”
This experience hog hunting with a friend in Missouri is only one of many adventures senior Caleb Land has had hunting. The pastime has been an important part of his life since he and his dad first began hunting together shortly after he could talk.
“I hunt about every weekend, duck, deer, whatever’s in season. If it walks and has four legs, I’ve probably killed it or wanted to kill it,” said Land.
Land has several different places he enjoys hunting at.
“I like to go around the Huntsville area, some public places, Russellville, and Little Rock,” Land said.
He is so passionate about hunting that he becomes an entirely different person after the 4 p.m. bell rings on Friday afternoons.
“Im such a backwoods type of guy. Even though I might not look like one, people wouldn’t even recognize me on the weekends,” said Land.
Most every hunter has their own small arsenal of weapons. Land is no exception to this.
“I own a Remington 30-06 shotgun, a bow, crossbow, pistol, some small caliber rifles, and every gun I named I hunt with. I have close to 10 weapons,” he said.
In addition to this, he is also a skilled trapper.
“Trapping is very hard, no average person can do it, it takes a lot of practice and is very time consuming. I’m probably one of the few in the school who even know how to do it or even heard of it,” said Land.
Out of his collection of weapons, his favorite gun is his 30-06.
“I can make accurate shots from 200 yards away and have become a good shot with my bow as well,” Land said.
After each hunting trip is over, there comes the necessary chore of cleaning the animals.
“Everything I kill I skin and clean. The guts in a deer are sometimes hard to get out! I’ve had blood all the way up to my elbows and it doesn’t faze me one bit. It may stink, but I’m used to it,” Land said.
While he enjoys hunting as a form of entertainment, the animals he hunts aren’t killed for no reason.
“Everything I kill I eat. We make jerky, chili, spaghetti, hamburgers, lasagna, anything with deer.”
Land’s passion for hunting doesn’t appear to be something that will fade away anytime soon.
“Hunting is my life and my life would be very boring if I didn’t have huntin’. I love the woods and I’m gonna hunt til’ I can’t hunt anymore,” he said.