By Matt Browning
All it took was a target practice session with his dad for Salina South’s Caden Stauffer to be hooked.
“After that, I was addicted and asked every weekend to go out and we did,” Stauffer said. “I shortly evolved to a 20-gauge and the rest is history.”
Being in the outdoors is therapeutic for Stauffer and he knows no matter how bad his day has been, he can go outside and instantly feel better.
“I really just enjoy the geography and taking that fresh air in the mornings,” Stauffer said. “It just gives me a clear mind and lets me think better every day. It’s like a medicine to me if that makes sense.”
Stauffer is a three-sport athlete for the Cougars, so finding time to hunt or fish can be difficult.
“We still find ways to get out,” Stauffer said. “We go pheasant hunting, dove , quail, and prairie chickens. We fish for almost anything we can get; my dad’s a big fisher. Mostly walleye and catfish.”
Recently, Stauffer made a memory that he will never forget.
“A particular hunt would definitely be shooting my first pheasant this winter,” Stauffer said. “It was amazing. It was a great shot and the first of out three of the day.”
