First Deer

[Tinesdown]

TinesDown..., are you OK?

Drunk?

U got it right drinking have my cousn out that way his place rush creek n.w of caselton seems decent deer ground?

 

[Wall-eyes]

5x5 with a 12ga pump and slugs. It was kill or be killed as he was coming straight at me. LB

them slugs make big holes.

 

[Wall-eyes]

1983
Yes drew 4C my first time applying at 14 years old I believe. Members of my family also drew and we walked our butts off and weren't seeing hardly any deer. Everyone met at the blazer and were going to head back to the old little single axle bubble camper for lunch. I said I would walk this big drainage back, it was a couple miles long. The blazer headed out and I walked up over the hill to look down into this drainage and there on the other side was this big beautiful muley buck trailing a doe nose on her butt oblivious to me on the opposite side at about 450 yards. I got down on my belly and chambered a round into my .243 Winchester featherweight. But he had chased her into a big patch trees on the side of the hill. I could see completely around it if they scooted out and I scanned into it trying to find him. There at the base of it was a small fork horn standing in waist high brush staring up at me. This was my first deer hunt and he was a buck so I aimed and shot at what I thought was his side covered by brush, nothing. Other side bang nothing, just stood there. I chambered another round and looked up to see the big buck marching up the hill above the trees. I was aiming at his back and he maybe had 25 yards before he was up and over and gone. I was ready to pull the triggger when he stopped and turned broadside to look back at me. I put the crosshairs of my 3x9 leupold " I bought used from Sioux sporting goods with grass mowing money" on the top of his back above his front shoulder and pulled the trigger. He went straight down and started to roll and roll and roll. I think I almost beat him to the bottom of that draw! I was stunned standing there looking at him..no gun. I'd left that up where I took the shot. Then I took off running as fast as I could back to camp! I ripped open the door out of breath and shouted out I'd shot a big mule deer buck! They were all just finishing up eating and thought I was pulling their legs and had gotten a ride back since there was no way I could be back at the camper that soon ha ha! We got back over there and I showed them were my rifle was where I took the shot and where the buck had been standing across on that butte. They said it had to have been 450 yards, we all went down there and no one could believe how big his body and rack were. We had no cameras with of course, sure wish we had. But i remember all of us helping drag the entire critter down that drainage for at least a mile or more, we were beat. It was getting toward evening when we got him up on the side of the road. I remember all the hunters that stopped and admired him and shook my hand that day, it was something I will never forget. I ended up even winning the local big buck contest, I think I won a buck knife. And then the coolest thing happened.. I was raised by a single mother and we didn't have much. The good men of the local sportsman's club took my buck to a taxidermist and had it mounted for me. I believe his name was Lawrence Ketterling in Lehr, it costed $75 to get mounted that I paid for mowing lawns that next summer. The mount still hangs in my shop to this very day, and my youngest has that .243.
The good old days!

Nice write up. I would imagine we all have that first hunt of lifetime. Great memories for sure.

 

[Retired Educator]

I was 13, no license but was pushing bush for my dad and his hunting partners. Chased out a fawn with a back leg about shot off. When we finished the drive the adults decided that this deer would be better off if we finished it. None them wanted to shoot it so they offered to let me shoot the fawn. Walked the slough where we saw it run into. I had my dad's gun and when the little deer came out I shot and missed the first shot. The deer stopped and I shot again and it fell. I was excited even though it was a small deer. Threw the deer in a pickup and went home to clean it. Fawns aren't much to get excited over but when it's your first deer I remember being pretty excited.

 

[Tinesdown]

I was 13, no license but was pushing bush for my dad and his hunting partners. Chased out a fawn with a back leg about shot off. When we finished the drive the adults decided that this deer would be better off if we finished it. None them wanted to shoot it so they offered to let me shoot the fawn. Walked the slough where we saw it run into. I had my dad's gun and when the little deer came out I shot and missed the first shot. The deer stopped and I shot again and it fell. I was excited even though it was a small deer. Threw the deer in a pickup and went home to clean it. Fawns aren't much to get excited over but when it's your first deer I remember being pretty excited.

I like the thread want to get it going again i know others on the forum have a story to tell

 

[Tinesdown]

I like the thread want to get it going again i know others on the forum have a story to tell

I have deer hunting stories that are not firsts but love to talk hunting because i live for it

 

[Opie11]

1985. Mule deer doe in what is now 4C but at the time was 4B. About a 150 yard shot from the top of the ridge down into the draw. .243 Winchester Model 70 XTR Featherweight. Tough drag to the top as it was pretty steep and it was just my little brothers, my dad and I. Remember it like it was yesterday!