Huntingis a very popular sport where I live. In fact, it's about the only thing to dofrom September through January. I have grown into hunting and I love it. I can'tbe without it. When I was a toddler, I would tag along with my grandpa and unclewhen they went hunting. I always had a blast going out with them, hiking up intothe mountains, seeing big bull elk, and sometimes camping out overnight.Sometimes I would get really mad, like when my grandpa missed or passed one up. Ihave been waiting years to carry a gun and shoot something by myself. Finally thetime arrived.

There were many things I had to do to get ready. I had tobuy a hunting license, warm clothes and bullets. I didn't realize that huntingcould be so expensive, but it was worth it.

Then my grandpa called totell me he would be at my house at 5 o'clock in the morning. I was so excited andhappy that I ran to my room, got my gear ready, and went to bed early so I wouldbe sure to wake up. The alarm rang at 4:30 a.m. and I jumped out of bed, threw onsome clothes, grabbed my gun, and waited for my grandpa.

Right on time, mygrandpa arrived and we headed up into the mountains. When we got to our secretspot, we made a plan. The sun started coming up, so we quietly opened the doorsand sneaked off into the woods. It was the first day of the elk hunt, and usuallythat is your best chance to get one because they are not spooked yet. Since itwas my first year, I knew I would shoot anything that had antlers. My grandpa wastaking me to a park that had always had elk, and I hoped there would be some thisyear. We could see the park from a distance. We scoped it out to see if therewere any elk. My grandpa spotted a herd, and we started to sneak up on them. Thecloser we got, the more nervous I became.

Finally we got within range of acouple of bulls, and my grandpa told me to take the one to the right. I croucheddown on my knee and put the elk in my crosshairs. I was so nervous that Icouldn't keep the gun steady. My grandpa told me to calm down, take a couple ofdeep breaths and squeeze the trigger. I tried to take a few breaths, andsqueezed the trigger.

I looked in my scope to see if I killed the elk andcouldn't find it. Finally, I stood up and walked over to where I thought itshould be. When I got there, it was dead. It was a big four-point bull elk. I wasso thrilled that we hurried and gutted it out and hauled it off to the truck sowe could go home to show it off.

Hunting is a good time for people to havefun together and enjoy nature. Hunting isn't just killing animals. You get to beout in nature and spend quality time with your family. Hunting has been a part ofmy family for generations, and I hope that when I get older, it will still bearound. I hope I can do what my grandpa did for me, because when I havegrandkids, I'll take them hunting.