Abilene High School junior Maxwell Callahan has spent much of his youth and high school years hunting, fishing, shooting and simply being outdoors. The junior is an avid fisherman and loves to hunt deer, turkey, fowl and even bullfrogs with a blow gun. Callahan recently started a movement to get trap shooting sanctioned as a high school sport in Kansas. His effort are making people to notice to the sport.
“I started fishing around 2nd grade. I have always wanted to hunt when I was younger, but we lived in Omaha and Wichita and there was not a lot of hunting options that I knew of. When we moved to Abilene my 7th grade year we found a lot of great people who allowed me to utilize their land to hunt and others who would take me out on hunting trips to teach me how to hunt properly and ethically,” said Callahan.
Although I truly enjoy hunting, I would say fishing is my favorite. Kansas offers so many great lakes, rivers and streams to fish, but my favorite place to fish is when I go to my Grandparents cabin on the Nebraska/South Dakota border and spend solid week fishing for Walleye, Northern Pike and other freshwater species and of course hanging out with family.
Callahan is also a member of the Boy Scouts, currently serving with Troop 40 in Abilene. He’s working towards becoming an Eagle Scout.
Callahan is a member of the powerlifting team and he was state runner-up at 123-pounds. He also plays on the tennis team. Callahan believes in conservation and taking care of the places we love to fish and hunt. “Conservation is essential to maintaining a healthy balance of our ecosystem. Hunting and fishing allow great financial opportunities for conservation and conservation research efforts through collection of license and permit fees. As outdoorsmen and women we are responsible in making sure our lands, waterways and wildlife are protected and managed for generations to come,” said Callahan.
After he graduates, Callahan plans to join the military and obtain his degree while working
towards becoming a Game Warden after his military service is completed.
