Goessel High School senior and cross-country runner Dawson Duerksen is the spotlight for this month’s KDWP Call of the Wild.
It was his father who first took him fishing and hunting. Later the pair would start trapping as well.
“My dad got me started on hunting as well as fishing from a very young age. Once I was older, we went trapping together and I absolutely loved it,” said Duerksen. “I started hunting when I was very young. I would go out in the woods with my dad and just watch him hunt. I didn’t start hunting for myself until I was in junior high. My dad and I really like to go turkey hunting, but we have started to go deer hunting more as well. I didn’t start trapping until I was in high school. I have only trapped for one full season. I am currently in my second season of trapping right now. I didn’t sell any of my furs the first year I trapped but I am hoping to sell my furs this year.”
Being outdoors comes natural to Duerksen.
“The part I enjoy most about being outdoors is enjoying all the wildlife around me. The best part about hunting/trapping isn’t about getting an animal, it’s about spending time outdoors and making memories with the people you go out with,” said Duerksen.
His future plans include taking a gap year to do a year of service work in Colorado Springs, CO, where he will be doing maintenance for a low-income housing development. After that, he’s planning to go to Hesston College to become a firefighter.
