Family traditions are fairly universal, although they are unique to each family. Typically the shared traditions are passed through generations, offering years of bonding and shared memories. Hunting has been a tradition in sophomore Quinn Appert’s family for many generations. Appert has grown up hunting for pheasants and ducks with the men in his family, and believes it has helped shape him into the person he is today.

“I’ve learned so much about my dad and grandpa through hunting, and I wouldn’t have found out most of the things if we weren’t spending time together. They’ve taught me a lot about myself too,” Appert said.

Along with discoveries within the family, Appert has realized that in order to be successful while hunting, he needs to be patient.

“[Hunting] can get hard sometimes when there isn’t any action, but I try my hardest to have fun by keeping calm and continuing to walk the fields with my dogs,” Appert said.

One of the reasons why Appert has enjoyed hunting for many years is because of the familiar routine that comes with it. Appert hunts while he visits his grandparent’s house on the Mississippi River, and most frequently in Sacs City, Iowa. Their days start early with a quick breakfast in the morning, and then the family heads into the fields to hunt.

“I walk the fields with my dog Shadow while I’m looking for birds, and if we see anything, Shadow and the other dogs run up to the birds to try and scare them. If we miss the birds then the dogs get up and bite the birds to stop them from flying away,” Appert said.

After Appert is done hunting for the day, he cleans up any birds they got and relaxes before another day of hunting.

“Once we’re done hunting, we go to dinner every night at Cattleman’s and talk about everything that happened that day,” Appert said.

While some disagree with the morals behind hunting, Appert’s family has taught him to look at hunting as natural and as the cycle of life, and he looks forward to keeping the tradition alive as he gets older.