Doug Casto

The writer at 11 years old with her first squirrel.

Every year I get the same reaction when I tell people I am going hunting during Thanksgiving break. It’s always a gasp and then they say, “You don’t look like the kind of girl that goes hunting.” What does that even mean?

I have gone hunting every year since I was 8 years old. As the oldest child I started going out with my father as soon as I was big enough to shoot a shotgun. We always go hunting at my grandpa’s cabin in Peewee, W.Va. It’s nice to be able to relax and spend time with my family.

Hunting season is one of my favorite times of the year. Bundling up to sit in the peacefully quiet woods all day and then warming my fingers up beside the wood stove when we get back to the cabin. The thrill after I get my first deer or first squirrel. Sitting around the table at Thanksgiving dinner and being able to tell the stories from hunting that week.

I’ve always loved sitting by a campfire with my family or going on a drive down a backroad. But when I go to school I enjoy taking advanced classes, participating in clubs, and working on the newspaper and yearbook staff. Most people don’t expect someone as academic as I am to also enjoy country–type activities like hunting. Why is it that just because I’m a girl and I prioritize my academics, I can’t hunt? 

Teachers and classmates judge me based on how I look and act and they are astonished when I bring up going hunting. I don’t understand why it’s so unbelievable though, just because I am successful in school doesn’t mean I don’t have a life outside of school. You don’t have to look like you’re from the country, in camo and cowboy boots, to go hunting. Many people have different hobbies outside of school and, especially in West Virginia, many people enjoy hunting.

A lot of people get judged by how they look, but once you get to know them outside of school they can be totally different people. Not everyone that hunts incorporates that into their daily lives. Some people, similar to me, just see it as a hobby and don’t make it their whole personality. 

The reality is that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and you shouldn’t judge anyone just because they don’t look like the type of person that goes hunting. Sometimes people may take you by surprise, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.