Some students are not particularly excited about the early November snow storm, and others are happy with this unexpected winter weather. With the early snow, hunters are a group of students at SHS that have been very excited for the season.

Hunting is a big part of the culture at Sandpoint high school, and with many students hunting year round, there are many different reasons why they enjoy it.

“The adrenaline after shooting something and you just know you hit it is definitely my favorite part about hunting,” junior Harmony Hendershott said.

Many hunters enjoy the advantages of early snow mainly because it helps them see the tracks, or blood trails left by the animal. Because of the snowy, white environment, hunters are also able to better identify animals because their colors stand out better.

“The snow makes hunting a lot easier and more fun because you are more likely to make a kill,” freshman Hunter Jacobson said.

In addition, snow puts animals into rut earlier, which means they are looking to mate because the animals think they need to breed before winter is over. This makes the bucks chase the does, and causes them to be frantic and less aware of human activity.

“The rut makes it so that if you see a doe, there is generally going to be a buck following them,” senior Bradley Lunde said.

SHS students have mastered these hunting tactics by either growing up with a hunting family or learning to hunt at a  very young age. Lunde, who most often hunts with a bow, hopes to get his future kids involved with hunting as early as possible just like his dad did with him.

“I’ve been hunting since I was the legal age, which is ten for small game,” Lunde said. “And I was at elk camp when I was three days old.”

In Sandpoint and much of North Idaho, hunting is a tradition for many families. The fall hunting season is in full swing and many students hope to use the advantages that the snow brings to have greater success in their hunting achievements.