Recently, St. Louis High School had Nov. 15, off in honor of the deer season rifle opener. “Deer day” is an unofficial holiday that is celebrated on the first day of rifle season in Michigan and SLHS. In fact, a couple of SLHS students scored big! 

Junior Ashton Leonard shot an eight-point buck! He expressed, “I usually bring all my deer to my great grandma’s house so she can see them, but she has recently been in and out of the hospital. I was able to FaceTime her just after I shot the buck and was still able to tell her the story and show her over the phone.” Leonard believes that the best part about hunting is being able to see everything come to life when the sun begins to rise. However, his least favorite part was having to drag the buck through a small river and swamp for about 600 yards. Leonard also expressed, “I enjoy hunting because it’s something that’s always been a family tradition, and it’s more than just the hunt for me, but being able to share those moments with friends and family, and talk about all the stories and experiences.” 

Dakotah Bradbury, a student at SLHS, shot a doe on the same day. He had been out for about six hours; Bradbury said, “The best part of hunting that day was just being able to get out in my blind and the exciting part was I saw lots of deer and maybe my snack bin in the blind.” He believed that the least exciting part about hunting was when his propane tank ran out halfway through the day so he no longer had any heat. Bradbury also expressed, “Honestly, I just love going out in the quiet with no one bugging me (eh-hem like my little brother).”

Overall, many SLHS students had a successful “Deer” day!