As many struggle to find an outlet from the stresses of work and day-to-day life, English teacher Alex Hollis finds his through hunting and fishing.

“I’ve been in pursuit of a hobby and have gotten drawn to it,” said Hollis. “One because it’s a separation from the normal always in front of a screen life I have with work and so part of it was just getting away from that.”

Hollis grew up in a house with a father who hunted and fished but wouldn’t develop an interest in it until his adult life.

“My father-in-law is an avid hunter and fisherman, and so he kind of gradually started saying, ‘Come with me when I go,’ and so I started doing that and that’s how I learned,” said Hollis. 

The primary type of hunting he partakes in is deer hunting, but the kill is not the only pursuit.

“Sometimes you don’t have a successful hunt by getting a deer, but you still go out and say it was a good hunt, it was a good morning, or it was a good evening, and to me, that has been the real enjoyment of getting into hunting,” Hollis said. “It’s not about the kill for me. If I kill a deer we do eat the meat, but I’m not just out to kill an animal just for the sake of killing an animal.” 

During hunts, he gets the rare chance to admire the beauty of the workings of nature.

“During this past deer season, I sat by a little pond one day and watched a kingfisher literally dive down and pick up brim and hold them in his beak,” said Hollis. 

Hunting isn’t the only thing Hollis enjoys; he also enjoys the thrills of saltwater fishing.

“I love saltwater fishing. Freshwater fishing and bass fishing are fun, but I really love saltwater fishing, and I like going out on the water,” said Hollis. “It’s one of those things that you kind of can’t really see what’s beneath the surface, so you never really know what you’re gonna get.” 

That uncertainty is part of what draws Hollis to his hobby, in general.

“Not knowing what’s gonna happen or what you’re gonna see adds an element of surprise that can be rewarding if you do get something, but not really anything lost if you don’t,” said Hollis.