Senior, Collin McGahey poses with his hog after a hunt.

Senior Collin McGahey carefully puts the beast in the sights of his weapon. With the release of a breath and the experience of a lifetime, he times the pull of his trigger perfectly. A shot cracks out across the dear lease followed by the sound of the massive hog hitting the dirt.

Legacy’s attendance zone covers Rendon and Burleson, so with those students comes an old culture of hunting. Students who hunt have done so from a young age and have adopted this culture as their own. This reason is why McGahey would disagree with the ethical conflicts that come with killing for sport.

“I think you have to do it to maintain the ecosystem,” McGahey said. “Especially with hog populations. They’re pests, and if no one were hunting them, there would be a much bigger problem than there already is.”

The majority of McGahey’s kills are feral hogs which destroy of habitats and agriculture. Although hogs are mainly inedible past a certain size, McGahey’s family eats most of their other kills, storing the prepared meat in freezers and donating any surpluses to friends or people in need.

“I always helped with gutting and since I was raised up around it, it just always seemed right,” McGahey. “I could see how it’d be different if it were a new experience.”

McGahey often hunts with his friend, senior Matt Miller. As a future Marine, has similar views regarding the ethics of hunting and sees it as another entertaining hobby.

“It’s always nice to know that your aim is straight,” Miller said. “That’s a plus going into the Marines.”

Miller and McGahey’s families have always taken steps to avoid harm anyone. This has prevented any major accidents from happening during either of their experiences.

“Safety’s been a number one priority for as long as I can remember,” McGahey said. “It’s a huge part of hunting.”

Coupled with a long family tradition and a grueling safety regiment, McGahey sees hunting as a great influence on his life. It’s hard for him to see hunting as anything other than a wholesome event.

“It’s something to do that keeps me in check and gives me goals to accomplish,” McGahey said. “My parents wouldn’t let me hunt if my grades were slipping and I think that helps me out a lot.”