It is 4 a.m. and Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player Justin Vincent has a long day of waiting and hoping ahead of him.
No, he is not waiting for a football game or hoping to get out of practice early. Instead, the waiting and hoping will be for the prize kill of the day.
Vincent, like many others at the University, is an avid hunter.
It is an opportunity for Vincent to get away from the daily hassles and spend quality time with his father and uncle.
Brian Gremillion, an agricultural business senior, is just like Vincent in his love for hunting.
“Just being outside in nature is peaceful,” Gremillion said.
Both Vincent and Gremillion started hunting at an early age through the encouragement of their parents.
Vincent was introduced to the sport of hunting at the age of 12 by his father, while Gremillion’s entire family got him involved.
The hunting day starts early for Vincent — 4 a.m. After a cleaning of the body and gun and a quick cup of coffee, Vincent heads out the door. His destination — Elton, La. — a spot Vincent has hunted for years.
“It’s kind of freaky walking into the dark woods,” Vincent said. “But what can I be scared of? I have a gun.”
After the adventure into the woods, Vincent climbs into his deer stand and waits. He waits for the perfect buck or rabbit to pass, something that he has not seen since he was 17.
“When I was 17, I shot a six-point, but I have not killed one since,” Vincent said.
Vincent missed the entire deer season this year due to his obligation to football.
“My dad would call me sometimes on Sundays to go hunt, but I would be too tired to do it,” Vincent said.
But Tigers fans should not worry about Vincent trading in his cleats for a gun on a permanent basis.
“Hunting will always be there, football won’t,” Vincent said.
Whereas Vincent missed the entire deer season, Gremillion was out in nature just about every weekend.
Gremillion’s family owns a camp in Brookhaven, Miss., and has been traveling to the site for the past 20 years to hunt.
“I have skipped class on Fridays to go hunting early and skipped class on Monday to stay late,” Gremillion said.
Gremillion said the family atmosphere he experiences when he hunts is fun.
“This season I killed a four-point, my mom killed an eight-point and my dad killed a seven-point,” Gremillion said.
But Gremillion said sitting in the deer stand and waiting for a buck to enter his sight can get monotonous.
“It can get boring if you do not see anything, and you’re just sitting there,” Gremillion said. “Usually [deer] do not come out until right before dark, so you usually sit there for about four or five hours.”
But when the deer passes in the line of sight, Gremillion said he cannot freeze up.
“[Hunting is] challenging,” Gremillion said. “You might be out there with a high-powered rifle with a scope on it, but you can never outsmart nature.”
Gremillion killed his first buck before the age 10 and said he took part in an old hunting tradition — to smear the blood of one’s first kill on their face.
“It is nasty but you’re so excited it does not matter,” Gremillion said.
Vincent said when he killed his first buck, he stayed away from the blood smearing.
“I’m not into all that,” Vincent said.