By ABBY TYSON

The sun has just begun to rise above the barren treetops. The air is crisp, biting at any section of skin that has been left unprotected by the various layers already worn.  A light dusting of frost coats the fallen leaves and rotting tree limbs. Not a single movement, not a single living thing seems to be living within this gorgeous forest, besides the invader in their truck. Sunrise comes early, and so does the hunting season, especially in Centre County.

Thanksgiving is looked forward to by various citizens across Pennsylvania. Not just for the food – the delicious turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce – but for what comes in the following weeks. Regular firearms season for antlered and antlerless is one of the most popular hunting seasons for youth and elders alike. Going out to camp, for many students and adults, occurs annually. This means a time of bonding among the youth and the older generations. Going out to camp together, spending hours in the cold weather with the hopes that a deer may stumble across your path. The forest doesn’t have wifi for a source of entertainment; it’s just the people and the endless rocks, trees, and leaves.

“The first Saturday after Thanksgiving we go out to camp, play cards, eat, and hunt until we go back to school. I go with my dad, my uncle, my cousins, and some friends,” senior Dylan Alterio said.

In many cases, hunting has persisted through various generations within a family. Perhaps a particular gun was passed down from parent to child, or maybe specific traditions have outlasted the creators of that tradition, such as eating a particular breakfast or going out to a particular spot. No matter the season, for there are various hunting seasons that occur in Pennsylvania, including bear season.

“My family has hunted throughout the generations. Specifically for bear season we like to get together as a family and friends and we have bear camp in my neighbor’s wood shed,” said mathematics teacher Mr. Matthew McDermit.  “Then on Sunday we like to gather as a family to make a big batch of squirrel pot pie.”

While regular firearms deer season may be one of the most popular hunting seasons in Pennsylvania, the regular firearm and archery seasons with bear is very popular, though the season may require a lot of work from the individual and whatever group they may be in, if in some sort of driving group at all. These sorts of driving groups are very popular amongst bear hunters, where a large group of people set up a strategy to attempt to push the animal up from its resting spot to an open area where other hunters await the arrival of the animal. Archery for deer is also very popular. Hunting can be very relaxing. It can be very quiet in the woods at about seven o’clock in the morning, something different than the everyday noise of work and family.

“I tend to grow my beard really shaggy and my hair really shaggy for hunting season. So that’s always a tradition in my family. My dad and my brother, we all kinda do the same. We call it our hunting look,” Mr. McDermit said.

Hunting isn’t always just about the kill; sometimes it’s just about family. It’s about spending time with the ones you love, even if the cold may nip at their skin or the heat may cause the frustrated stripping of a few of the many layers worn out in the morning. It’s about creating these traditions and sharing time with close family and friends in a way different than some holiday get togethers.

“For me its always been about family and growing up, I grew up with it,” Band Director  Mr. Caleb Rebarchak said. “When I was ten or eleven, they took me out to sit in the treestand. Just to watch and learn.”

Mr. Rebarchak, along with various other students and adults, look forward to the time spent outdoors. Mr. Rebarchak hopes to take his daughter out into the woods, maybe not to even just hunt, but to spend time with her, and teach her to respect the vast nature that surrounds us in Centre County.