Monday was the kick off of a tradition in Pennsylvania that goes back generations for many families, the first day of rifle deer hunting season.
Monday is a big day in PA. So big that many schools are closed and trash pick up in some communities is delayed. More than 750,000 Pennsylvania hunters will take to the woods and for many of them Monday is much more than rifles, tree stands and blaze orange vests.
“When I was 12-years-old we always went out with my dad and grandfather and now it's me and my boys,” explained third generation hunter Frank McCollum.
To say the McCollum family looks forward to the first day of rifle season is a bit of an understatement.
“I was dreaming about it, so I was pretty excited,” chuckled Nate McCollum, a fourth-generation hunter.
“It's better than Christmas,” added fellow fourth generation hunter Sam McCollum. “It's the best day in the whole entire year.”
The McCollums are not alone. Thousands of families around our state see the first Monday after Thanksgiving as a day to pass the torch, to teach younger generations what they learned from past generations.
For the McCollums, the first day of deer season started at 3:00 a.m. By 5:00 a.m. they were in the woods.
Six hours later the youngest McCollum, 12-year-old Nate, shot his first deer of the season and third of his young hunting career.
“I like shooting it. I like finding it. And I like to eat the meat,” explained the young hunter.
Sam McCollum started hunting when he was nine. He hopes his future kids will carry on the family tradition.
“It's fun to spend time with your family and your friends and being out there in the woods doing what you love to do,” Sam told us.
“It's better than turning your kids loose on the streets and letting them do crazy things,” added their father, Frank McCollum. “Get them out in the woods. Instead of taking drugs, give them the adrenaline of the hunt and seeing deer and harvesting a deer. I think that's the ultimate high right there.”
After we spoke to the McCollum family, they went back out to hunt more. Before hunting season ends, the Game Commission expects about 300,000 deer to be harvested. There are around 1 million deer in PA, so that's about 30 percent of the population.
Monday is a big day in PA. So big that many schools are closed and trash pick up in some communities is delayed. More than 750,000 Pennsylvania hunters will take to the woods and for many of them Monday is much more than rifles, tree stands and blaze orange vests.
“When I was 12-years-old we always went out with my dad and grandfather and now it's me and my boys,” explained third generation hunter Frank McCollum.
To say the McCollum family looks forward to the first day of rifle season is a bit of an understatement.
“I was dreaming about it, so I was pretty excited,” chuckled Nate McCollum, a fourth-generation hunter.
“It's better than Christmas,” added fellow fourth generation hunter Sam McCollum. “It's the best day in the whole entire year.”
The McCollums are not alone. Thousands of families around our state see the first Monday after Thanksgiving as a day to pass the torch, to teach younger generations what they learned from past generations.
For the McCollums, the first day of deer season started at 3:00 a.m. By 5:00 a.m. they were in the woods.
Six hours later the youngest McCollum, 12-year-old Nate, shot his first deer of the season and third of his young hunting career.
“I like shooting it. I like finding it. And I like to eat the meat,” explained the young hunter.
Sam McCollum started hunting when he was nine. He hopes his future kids will carry on the family tradition.
“It's fun to spend time with your family and your friends and being out there in the woods doing what you love to do,” Sam told us.
“It's better than turning your kids loose on the streets and letting them do crazy things,” added their father, Frank McCollum. “Get them out in the woods. Instead of taking drugs, give them the adrenaline of the hunt and seeing deer and harvesting a deer. I think that's the ultimate high right there.”
After we spoke to the McCollum family, they went back out to hunt more. Before hunting season ends, the Game Commission expects about 300,000 deer to be harvested. There are around 1 million deer in PA, so that's about 30 percent of the population.