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After years of hunting small game and birds, I took up bowhunting last year. My first year was not a very good one, as I did not kill any deer. However, every time in the wood is a learning experience for me. I sat for hours on public land and never saw a thing, or when I did, I wasn't ready. Public land deer can be very wary. Anyway, the point of the story is my first deer, which I got about a week and a half ago. It was the first cold day we had this year, Nov 15. I had serveral deer around my stand in the am. I had a doe come in about what I thought was 30 yards (rangefinder batteries were dead) and I took the shot. Missed!! About an hour later, a group of about 7 does came walking up from downwind of my stand and stopped and turned about 50 yards out. Too far! Another 30 minutes later a small spike walks right under my stand and I pass on him. I gave up and went home for lunch. When I came back in the afternoon, I sat untill almost sunset when I see two very young does chasing each other and playing all around me. A couple more does later, a larger deer steps out and I am ready. The shot was a little far back but hit him for sure. I was right at sunset and by the time I got down it was very dark, so I decided to come back in the morning. Next morning, there he was about 100 yards from where I shot him. All 5 points of him, were laying at the end of a massive blood trail. He is now in the freezer and his antlers are on my wall, much to the chagrin of my dogs. I hope he is the first of many to come.
11-25-2010, 12:55 AM
ohiobuckhunter
My first deer was a westvirgina 8 point. I was 11 years old. My father and a few other family members hunted the first too days of the season then my dad drove back home and picked me up that night . I was abel to hunt wendsday morning because I was off school for thanksgiving. Wendsday morning my father takes me up the holler and taks me to an open field and tells me to go to the end of the field and go into the woods about 50 yards and find a log to sit on. He told me he would be about 80 yards from me and if I needed him to just walk over. As I was crossing the field the sun was comeing up enogh to see as soon as I got in the woods I could hear footsteps in the leaves on the flat below me I got in the woods maybe 25 yards and I saw the 8 pointer feeding on acorns. I pulled my 30-06 up and shot the buck in the shoulders he ran about 80 yards to the creek bottom and died. My father never made it to his stand he came running over thinking I had tripped and my gin went off. When he saw I was ok he asked what I was shooting at. I told him I just shot a nice 8 point buck. We went and got some help to get the deer out of the woods when everyone saw the buck they couldn't believe that I killed this good of a buck on the 3rd day of the season because this farm has alot of pressure and everyone is meat hunters in this area so a buck with 6 or more points is not a common thing. On opening day there was 6 bucks killed on this farm all spikes and 4 points. The second day nothing was killed and on the 3rd day my 8 point and nothing else that week. My buck was far from being a big deer he scores 95 inchs but for this farm and the 3rd day of very heavy hunting pressure he was pretty good and being in the woods for a total of about 5 minuts wasn't to bad either.
11-26-2010, 07:16 PM
Stonegod
Well I guess that we've run out of first time stories? How about just a few more? Hey what can I say, they're the best reading on here!!! How about your wife or kid's first or grandkids??? Thanks
11-26-2010, 11:38 PM
CdBurner
I'll chime in...
It was fall of 1996. I had hunted the year before maybe 10 times and never saw any deer in bow range. I only bow hunted back then.
Back up to to the season before, on opening morning 1995, my buddy had been talking for weeks about the deer bow opener. Well by 9:30am opening day he was at my work with a 140" 9pt. I was hooked when I held those horns. Went right out got a bow, shot it a few weeks and hunted his stand. Never had any luck but learned that I loved the woods and the bow.
Forward to 1996 season. I see my buddies at the bar (my work, I owned it) around lunch time the second week of October. They were eating lunch then headed back to work, I was headed to the woods.
They all had questioned me for going into the Pennsylvania woods at 1pm when it was over 70 degrees out deer hunting. They all said wait till last two hours before dark.
I figured what else was I going to do since I had taken the day off. So I drive down the road to my hunting ground and find a new tree to hunt that was 500 yards down the hill from my regular spot.
I get climbed up in my stand, sweating like a hooker in church. It had to be near 80 by now. Way unseasonably hot! Funny how things work because I am not there for 20 minutes and guess what shows up?
A whole bachelor group of bucks come busting by my stand. Had to be 6 or seven bucks. Later on I figured a dog or a coyote spooked them up.
Anyways, there were bucks running all around me on the bench I was on. I came to full draw but they weren't stopping. Everyone went by me inside of ten yards. Busting hard.
I tried stopping them by whistling but to no avail. I let down the bow then the last one came running in. As luck would have it (luck was on my side this day) the deer bedded down not 6 or 7 yards away from me, directly infront of me, in some thick lush green stuff.
Now I was shaking like a leaf. I had a nice 8 point right in front of me bedded down an it was looking down the hill right past me. I wanted to draw and shoot but there was a sapling right between us that was blocking most of the vitals.
I'm sitting there, not only first encounter with a buck, but to have it bedded right in front of me. I sat there like a statue wondering what to do. After about 10 minutes I figures I have to do something to shoot this deer.
So I hook my leg around the bottom of the stand and draw back the bow.
Then I hung off the side of the stand as far as I could so I just got the sapling out of the way. I was stretched out as far as I could without falling out of the stand.
I let that 2216 Easton fly. And I hear a big swack!!! I immediately think, I smacked him. He jumps up and runs 20 yards, stops and stands broadside, looking right past me. I'm thinking I don't see a hole, blood or an arrow.
So I hurry up and nock another arrow. He is now staring at me stomping. I put the 20 yard pin on him and let that 125 grain thunderhead eat. It's a clean pass through both lungs. The deer runs 50 yards and crashes!!!!
I was so overcome with adrenalin and emotion! Never have I felt such a rush. Not knowing any better, I immediately get down, look at my first shot and it's burrowed into a log he was laying up against. It acted like body armor for him.
I was amazed. As it turned out that second shot was the one that mattered, and it got the job done. When I called my buddies by 2 o'clock and said I had a nice 8pt down, they were in shock. Saying deer never move in this heat.
Well, they were wrong. It turns out I have never had such a crazy hunt in all the years following. It was enough to get me hooked for life. I've been addicted to whitetails ever since. I've made it a personal quest to study, read, watch and learn all I could about these majestic creatures.
Thanks for letting me reminisce. It's been a long time since I told that story but it seems like just yesterday.
11-27-2010, 05:29 PM
varmint_sniper
My 1st deer
My first deer was back in 2002 if i remember right?......Was opening day of gun season and my friend took me i walked in a logging road 2 miles and set up 1/2 way down the hill with a good trail coming over the side and behind me 4hrs after daylight i heard a noise behind me and turned and seen a head peeking over the hill i slowly turned and crouched as low as i could turned out i had 14 does in a single file walking this trail i put the Remington 870 20ga. on the lead doe she was a huge doe probably 250lb live weight then i remembered reading that buck's will follow doe's so i held off the trigger and waited let them all walk by at 25yds and to my disapointment no buck was behind them :banghead: The rest of the week i seen a few doe's running but held off the trigger having never shot a slug at a moving target b2 i wanted to make a 1 shot kill and a clean kill so i kept my kool last day of gun season i was helping my buddy load his van for the ride home and we were in my dad's backyard and i heard 3 shot in the woods by my house i tol my buddy how kool would it be if they ran into our field and stoped he laughed then it happened .......I looked up and hear came 3 doe's and 1 bog doe my 20ga was in the house and my buddie's gun was packed up they stood 50yds away stareing at us and them broke hard left into our field then i felt a gentle nudge it was my buddy handing me a S&W 44mag he had under the seat fully loaded got behind out grage and used the corner of it for suspot and cocked the hammer and let the big lead doe have 1 1st sot with a pistle ever hit her in the hing leg she took off down hill into our little 1 arec wood's and i emptied the gun trying to drop her few sec. later my dad came out asking what happend with a 12ga browning a 5 in his hand and some slug's told him i hit a deer but was a bad hit he said you know what to do so i set off tracking her in the wood's found her stuck in a little creek running through out wood's big enough she wedged her self in she was stuck and hurt i had 2 shot's 1 shot was from 20yds she had her head on a log and just as i squezzed the trigger the mover her head and dirt went every where :banghead: 2nd shot i moved in closer know knowing she was stuck and got behind her and put her down i was so excited i ran to the house to get my orange hat and to get dad took 3 of us to get her outta the creek she wedged he self in and up the hill i was so excited she was so heavy i had to call a buddy to come over and have him help the 3 of us get he hung in the grarge dressed weight was 300lbs what a rush even though it was not a buck it was my 1st deer and a huge deer would not trade it for the world I was hooked after that dad was never a buck hunter he was a meat hunter and I'm the same way i will bow hunt buck's but i shot gun and M.L hunt what ever walk's in front of me hope y'all like the story ........Sniper
11-27-2010, 08:36 PM
varmint_sniper
My 1st buck story 2006
My 1st buck story ......... It was opening day of gun season in ohio 2006 at the time i lived in logan co. ohio I had hunted this small wood lot all season for squirrels with my 17hmr and was it over loaded with squirrels i got a total of 85 that year any how back to my buck story......There was a cut corn field on 1 end and a tore up rail road bed on the other and a thick hay field on the other side of the old r.r track's i figured the deer were bedding in the tall hay fiels so before daylight i got to the tree i wanted to sit at busted a deer on the way in now this wood lot was mabey 5 acer's total i could hunt at 1st light i seen a coyote but was not ready or i would have shot him (note my screen name ) then 20 min's later i see a wild boar coming down a deer trail i take a shot and hit him square and he goe's down i leave him it's 40deg. out and raining my buddy give's up at 10am and is wet and tired and tell's me in crazy for staying i say i took the day off work and i'm gonna hunt at 11:20am i hear a noise behind me and i turn and look and i see nothing i turn back around and there he is 1/2 his head is behind a tree and i can see 4 point's on 1 side of his rack he is not 15 step's in front of me he appered outta no where let me rewind a little bit when i was born i was a twin and my brother and i were 7months old when we were born i was a 1 1/2lb baby when born my brother made it 6 months and passed away:Angel_anim: now back to my story before i got outta the car that morning i said a prayer to my brother i asked him if he was listening if he could let me see a buck and he if could let me have a shot at 1 ....Well now before me i have a what i think is an 8point buck 15 step's in front of me all i need is 1 more step i raise my mossburg 500A 12 ga and senter the scope on his off side front shoulder and he step's out the gun goes off and the 12ga roars from the 3in winchester rifled slug and i feel little recoil from it he take's off on a death run and i shoot 1 more time hiting him a 2nd time and he goe's down I let him be for 5 min's i can see him from where i was sitting under the oak tree he never move's again i get up and pack up my gear and slowly walk over to him then i see it he is a 1/2 rack buck with a toal of 4 point's a young deer but he is my deer and my 1st buck ever i kneel beside him and run my hand down his hide and thank my brother for giving me this buck and i look up and smile (Thank you Nathaniel ) I get him dressed out and start the short drag to the car but it's a big bodied deer and it take's me and hour to to 75 yrds i get him to the road and go get the car now i have to get him into the car by my self (yea right ) :banghead: Some guy going down the road stop's and offer's to help me (Thank you gain Mr sorry i can't remember your name) and he tell's me how nice my 1/2 rack buck look's and what a good shot i made. I get him home and it take's a pick up truck to hoist him into the tree he was that heavy . I was so excited as i was cutting up my deer i got to the off side shoulder and i hit some thing hard with the knife but the bone was not there there stuck into the off side shoulder i find my winchester rifled slug all mushroomed out and flanted i still have the slug i dug outta my 1st buck it was pretty kool hope ya like this story i know kind long but i wanted you to feel like you were there with my .......Also the wild boar was my 1st and it was good eating also.............Sniper
I think my first deer was a doe in 1993. Killed near Newcomerstown with my .45 cal muzzle loader. My late Grandfather was there with us and he got to see me kill my first deer. I was hunting a ground blind very near my brothers stand. He let two does walk right past him knowing I was yet to kill my first deer. I picked out the biggest one and let loose a 325 gr. Great Plains bullet. That heavy bullet knocked her off her feet and she died where she fell. I had hunted several times with my Dad years before that like 1980-81 but kinda lost interest in it. My Dad liked taking me grouse hunting in Ohio which can be alot like looking for a needle in a hay stack, which may be why I lost interest for so long. However, since that first deer I've killed a few more deer and a few of those with my antique Raptor Carbonite. In 1994 I think I hunted geese for the first time. Since then I have focused more on waterfowl than deer. I've won several duck and goose calling cotnests all over the country even finished as high as 5th in the 2003 World Goose Calling Contest. Currently on a little break from the contest stage. Now my focus is getting my kids out from infront of that damn television and in the woods. But time is scarse with all the sports they play and work etc.
I am by no means a pureist when it comes to deer hunting. Just read my signature. I do admire those that go through the effort to scout and hunt a particular deer. For me, I feel too much emphasis on the antlers and not the blessing of the hunt and the harvest.
Anyhow, I'm glad to have found this forum and look forward to watching you guys chase those big antlered deer!
Honk!
12-01-2010, 08:01 PM
Stonegod
I wish they could make this a sticky thread, everytime it goes to the top of the list it picks up another 3 or 4 great stories!!! I'm so sneaky!
12-01-2010, 10:47 PM
hortontoter
Maybe you could start a new thread "Your Second One". P.S. my second one is my best buck thus far. Nice chattin with you today.