The tradition of hunting has captured the attention of a few Palo Alto High School students. Although hunting is limited in California, they search far and wide for the best game in the country and beyond.

Posted Wed Jan. 21, 13:07:40 PST 2009
By Cassie Prioleau of The Viking

Courtesy of Elliot Beckstrom   Beckstrom proudly lines up 18 ducks after a day of hunting in Arkansas.

Palo Alto High School sophomores Elliot Beckstrom, Cory Valenti and Alex Zarem are not your typical athletes. They are not exempt from P.E. for their sport and they do not have coaches. They do not belong to a team; their only uniform is their camouflage and they do not have an opponent. They are hunters.

Beckstrom, Valenti and Zarem discovered the Southern-dominated sport through friends and family. They hunt as often as they can, including occasional after-school trips to nearby hunting areas. Traveling as far as Canada and Georgia to hunt better game, they are like any other Paly athletes; they are incredibly committed to their sport.

For Beckstrom, Valenti and Zarem hunting is more than a sport, it is a tradition. Originally a means of survival, hunting has evolved into a sport and a passion passed down from generation to generation. The appeal of the outdoors reels young people to the sport.

For Zarem and Valenti, their families originally introduced them to the sport. Zarem's father hunts and took him to get his hunting license when he was eight years old. Valenti first started hunting at age 12 and grew up in a family where the sport has always been prevalent.

"The tradition of hunting is something that is passed down," Valenti said. "People in America have always hunted the same animals that we hunt now. It's cool to know that it's been passed down through the centuries. Also, almost my whole family has done it and so it is a good opportunity to have something in common with my family and extended family."

One of the most common ways to get involved in the sport is through family tradition. Valenti's family is originally from the South, where hunting is much more common. Because of this family history, Valenti grew up with constant exposure to hunting. However, without the introduction to hunting through family, the sport is often seen as a more non-mainstream activity, and young people are often never exposed to it.

Around Palo Alto, there are very few public lands in the area where hunting is legal. The restricted hunting options make it even more difficult for young people to get involved in the sport.

Although less common, there are ways to get involved with hunting in California without a hunting family. Beckstrom is the only one in his family that hunts. Jordan Middle School industrial technology teacher, Hal Roach first introduced Beckstrom to the sport when he was 13 years old after recognizing potential for interest in the sport.

"Elliot was into paintballing and I was talking to him one day about how much he enjoyed shooting and things just moved from there," Roach said. "I think he was interested, as he was an avid fisherman before taking a hunter safety class."

Beckstrom's love for the sport grew despite the lack of family ties.

"Hunting is one of the oldest activities humans have exercised," Beckstrom said. "It is usually passed from father to his children and it's a family oriented activity. In most cases the whole family hunts, there are very few cases, like me, where I am the only hunter in my entire family."

According to Beckstom, Valenti and Zarem, the best part of hunting is being outside and close to nature. Although there is no winner or loser and no score is kept, hunting is just as much a sport as anything else.

"It's a very different sport," Beckstrom said. "It's less competition and more physical contact. It's about being outside and keeping the tradition of hunting."

Hunting is a painstaking sport, with a long process of preparation for all types of game.

"It's definitely a sport in the sense that you're working really hard to achieve a goal," Zarem said. "It's very satisfying after all the work you've done."

Courtesy of Elliot Beckstrom   Beckstrom wields his gun and a recently hunted bird while out hunting in the Baylands near Palo Alto.

Although being outdoors and connected to nature is one of the best parts of hunting, many people have questioned the morality of hunting. Instead of viewing the sport as connecting the hunter to nature, some view it as destroying and killing nature. Mostly due to this view, hunters are often confronted with extremely negative reactions to their sport.

"I honestly have no idea why anybody has a moral problem with hunting," Beckstrom said. "I can see why the killing of animals can upset some, but it is mostly from a lack of education on the subject. People who have a moral problem with hunting just aren't informed about the sport. It isn't limitless killing, or senseless slaughter."

Beckstrom, Valenti and Zarem agree that there are certain negative stereotypes that come along with being a hunter. Valenti said the problem stems from misunderstandings and a lack of understanding of the sport. According to Valenti, some people change their views of the sport after a little convincing, but many people are firm in their beliefs.

"A lot of times they're set in their ways and just think of it as killing," Valenti said. "They just don't want to listen."

A strict moral code comes along with hunting. This unwritten code outlines the respectful way to hunt animals.

"The moral code is basically being ethical," Beckstrom said. "Never take a shot that will not assure a clean kill. Don't kill hens if it can be avoided. Don't shoot for antlers by that I mean don't shoot for the trophy and waste the meat."

In hunting, animals are always respected. Hunters do not hunt simply for the glory, but they eat everything they hunt and nothing is wasted. Preparation for some animals can be done by the hunter, but in particular cases the meat must be shipped to a processor to be made ready for eating.

"After harvesting an animal, the preparation depends on the type of animal," Valenti said. "For ducks and birds, you do all the work from plucking their feathers to cutting out the meat. It's pretty simple. With larger animals such as deer, after the animal is harvested, you must 'field dress' or gut the animal, so the meat doesn't spoil. Once you've done that you just take it to a designated deer processor, which are much more common in other parts of the country."

According to Beckstrom, hunting is morally justified and conservation of the animals is very important to hunters.

"The animals go cleaner, and we are the number one supporters of conservation," Beckstrom said.

Zarem believes that eating hunted meat is more humane than eating meat bought from a store. He does not like the idea of livestock being raised to be food and says the meat he eats is from animals who had a chance to live in nature.

"I don't like tortured meat," Zarem said.

Along with having moral discrepancies, hunting is often considered an unsafe sport. The involvement of guns always brings danger into play, but training and classes help minimize the risk.

"In order to get a California hunting license, you have to complete hunter safety," Beckstrom said. "It is a two day class that mostly covers safety, conservation, and ethics with a touch of basic hunting skills. After completing the class you get a hunter safety card which is good for most states and with that card you can purchase a hunting license."

The extensive training and classes help prevent hunting accidents and familiarize the hunters with the safety precautions.

"The danger is weeded out pretty early," said Beckstrom. He has taken both gun safety and hunter safety classes.

"It's not dangerous unless you don't have common sense," Zarem said.

The Paly hunters are willing to take the risks involved with hunting for the joy it brings to their lives. Stereotyped views and hunting restrictions hinder its popularity in the Bay Area and California, but for Beckstom, Zarem and Valenti, hunting is a passion.

This story originally appeared in The Viking on January 21, 2009.

Provided to me by Connie at The Paly Voice