Hunting provides Hoosiers chance to get mind off football

Rods, reels, camouflage, shotguns and shells -- not exactly a description of football, but for a select few on the IU football team, that is how they spend their time after the drills and whistles end and the final horn sounds.\nFinding an activity away from the hard-hitting life of a football is important, junior defensive lineman Russ Richardson said.\n"There is so much mental and physical exertion you put out (in football)," Richardson said. "It is nice to get your mind off it and have a little time to relax and do something not mentally or physically fatiguing to you and sit back and relax."\nWith practice five days a week and Saturday game days, time off the field is limited for football players. Some players can't escape the game, spending their free time either studying more film or dueling it out with fellow teammates in the most recent football video game. A handful of players leave the couches and the Playstations to explore nature, going to a 200-acre farm about 20 minutes north of Bloomington.\nAs the autumn colors begin to color the myriad of trees, deer-hunting season commences.\nWith much of their time consumed by football, a group of players focuses on relaxing in nature and enjoying each other's company rather than fourth-down scenarios.\nThe bonds formed from the hunting experiences have resulted in more than just trophy bucks.\nFor junior linebacker Kyle Killion, finding Richardson was a hunter himself was a real treat his freshman year.\n"It was cool that he and I got to be roommates off the bat. We hit it off like that," Killion said. "We've become almost like brothers right now. It is so cool to go out there and kind of have a brother in the field with you to go hunting with."\nOnce the fall season ends, the thaw of winter passes and spring fades into summer, fishing becomes the sport of choice.\nThough hunting is limited to a select few, more players pick up a rod and reel during the time between classes and weight lifting. The group of outdoorsmen are always looking to show other teammates a good time on the water, sophomore offensive lineman Justin Frye said.\n"We'll take people who haven't been before," Frye said. "There is nothing better than sitting out on the bank with a Coke ... and fishing with your friends, nobody to bother you, and you're just having a good time."\nFor sophomore linebacker Jake Powers, finding a school with the right mix of academics and athletics was important, but finding players with outdoor interests like his was a consideration, he said.\n"One of the big things that drove me to go here was there were guys into the same things I am into," Powers said. \nThe players' competitive natures on the field aren't lost in the woods or by the pond, as there are always challenges to see who can nab the big buck or the largest bass. Currently, Powers has the upper-hand in the turkey standings, with one, while Killion and Richardson still await their first. During the summer, Killion won in fishing by catching large bass on a regular basis, Frye said.\nThough most of the outdoor activities between players happen in Indiana, players go back home during breaks to continue hunting and fishing.\nKillion, who was more accustomed to shooting a rifle than a shotgun prior to coming to IU, brought Richardson home to Kingwood, Texas, last winter break.\n"We went on a little hunting trip last Christmas break, and he got a really big buck, a 14-pointer; it scored a 160. It was huge, and he has it on video," Killion said. "I was really glad that I was able to take him down there, and for him to be able to do that was real special."\nA side effect of the players' sharing a common interest off the field leads to more trust and confidence in other players during the game, Frye said.\nThough many of the teammates don't understand the rationale behind hunting and being outdoors in their precious spare time between the tackling dummies and sprints, it has a special feeling for those who partake, like making a blind side sack on a quarterback on third and long, Powers said.\n"It can get your heart going just as much as if you are running into a packed house."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.