As he aims with his crossbow, the air is filled with excitement and anticipation. He squeezes the trigger. A bolt flies through the air and collides with a deer.

Last Thursday senior Sam Hoscher and Coach John Brune went hunting in Brune’s backyard. This was Sam’s third year going hunting with Coach Brune and the first time he got a deer.

“It was a blast,” Hoscher said. “I was happy happy happy.”

When Coach Brune saw Sam in his Outdoor Education class he asked Sam if he wanted to go hunting. Sam said yes. After contacting Sams mom and practicing a bit they were ready to go hunting.

“In tenth grade he asked me on the first day,” Hoscher said. “It came out of nowhere.”

They decided a crossbow would be the easiest to use. They got a lot of help and donations from a non-profit organization, called Missouri Disabled Sportsman. After they discovered that Sam’s pull length was too long, meaning he couldn’t see the dots in the scope, Brune went out and got an iScope which is a device that allowed him to use his phone as a scope.

“One of the thrills of hunting is the unknown,” Brune said.

For three years they had some trouble. The first year they went, Sam shot a deer but only wounded it. The second year he didn’t get a shot at all. The third year their van got stuck, causing Brune to have to go back to his house and get his truck to pull the van out. Although they had some trouble Sam shot a deer that day. They took the deer back to Brunes’ house where the deer was cleaned and cut. Sam got to take home a deer steak dinner to try that night.

“Some of the best moments of my life were hunting,” Brune said. “The memories made are irreplaceable.”