Your first one - Tell us the story of your first deer!!

[Curran]

[bigcountry]

Well my first kill came to my when iw as 14 yrs old back in 2003..i still remember it like yesterday. It was tuesday nov. 19th, 2003.. I just woke up and realized i had over slept and was late for school. Went into my moms bedroom cuz i was gonna have her run me into town but when i opened the door she was sleeping, so i thought to myself " eh, ill just sneak out back...shell never know..hehehehe" well i hurried up but quietly got my bibs and jacket on and waited till got outside to put my boots on and as i walked out the door i grabbed my grandpas Remington 870 wingmaster and quietly shut the door. I started walkign down the 2 tracks to get to the woods and i looked down at my watch it was only 8:45.." OO yea perfect time to catch something sneaking from corn to our woods"..as i approach the woods on the edge of corn field.. i see these 3 does just 30 yrds into the woods right on path to enterance.. so i wait about 10 minutes and they didnt move a ft. Well there was a steady drizzle coming down and with the leaves being wet i figured i could get closer without them knowing.. so i did..i managed to get within 25yrds..so i pull up the ol 870 look down the scope picked the biggest one i seen that was broadside..and i dont even remember pulling, squeezing, or touching the trigger..the shot went off and it seems like i shot a million miles away everything froze..until i relaized what had happened...i just shot my first deer..:)..but when she took off i seen her drop in the tall weeds we had in front of woods...so im thnkin all right this one is in the freezer..take 3 steps and she jumps back up and runs..by this time im thinkin there is NO WAY i missed so i bleat and she slowed a lil bit and was broadside long enough for me to squeeze one off...and she dropped right there...take about 20 yrds up to her and she jumps up and runs another 40 yrds...( she is just running in a circle really) and i stalk up to where i last her and there she is around 40 yrds broadside and she looks like she is goin down so i pumped another one in her to make sure it was FOR SURE...well that was her last step..i was soo happy..i know it was unethical to shoot her that many time but i knew i hit her good the first shot and i was young.. well when i went up to her i looked down and ill be darned.. 3 round right in the lungs...so now i have to figure a story to tell mom why i didnt go to school..hahaha yea right..so i head up to the house just thinkin of stories to tell her..i mean everything was goin through my head..well everyone else skipped school...is was middel scholl skip day..ya cant just tell a boy he cant hunt...and the one i actually used was What would grandpa have done..think about that mom"..lol..but it was my first kill and it was during gun season up in southwest michigan...god i miss that place..lol

[Hos230]

My first was back in 1990, during gun season, and I was 14 years old. I was hunting with my uncle on the land of a cabin my family used to own in Fairfield County (I'm originally from Columbus). It was snowing....HARD. The day before, I had developed a case of Buck Fever, and completely missed a roughly 10 foot shot at a nice 8 pt that wandered just behind me, on the other side of a tree that I was sitting at the base of. Suitably embarassed, I set myself up the next day on the tree line on the other side of the field from that failure. I had been sitting at the base of another tree for probably 5-6 hours, and was surrounded by about a foot worth of drifted snow, when I heard movement on the other side of a slight mound in front of me. I watched a little spike buck work it's way toward me, and stop dead about 20 yards directly in front of me. It stood there, facing me, staring at me for what seemed like forever, but was most likely more like 10-20 seconds. I was hoping he would turn broadside, but I got antsy, lined up dead on the white of his chest, and let my 16g Winchester rip. The little spike turned and ran. At first, I thought I missed again, but as he tried to jump a fallen limb, he missed and crumbled, not 10 yards from where I hit him. I vividly remember saying "well, son of a ..." We quickly recovered him, an I was properly instructed on how to field dress a deer. Strangely, or maybe not so much, I still, to this day, think more about that 8 pt that I missed than the spike I hit. Sure, I've killed bigger bucks since, but I WANTED that 8 pt.

[backstrapassassin]

I began hunting three years ago as a junior in college and killed my first deer just last year. It was the Sunday after opening day of archery and I was pumped to get out into the field because I had just got a Horton crossbow that summer. I was upset to find that as I climbed into the treestand that morning, the ratchet strap securing it to the tree broke. I was forced to sit on a stump in the middle of a thicket (which I had very low hopes for). I thought my day was over before it started. Just a short hour later I had three deer walk up within seven yards of me. To say I was hit by the fever would be an understatement. I shot the lead doe (or so I had thought). In my mind, I had shot a decent sized doe. To my surprise when I recovered the deer, it had been much bigger in the red dot scope than in reality. This yearling button-buck (oops!) dressed out at an astonishing 42 pounds, but I couldn't have been prouder. Just a month later I shot my first legit buck (a small 6 point). All it took was that first deer to make deer hunting seem much easier!

[Seeker Bp]

OK, here go;s ::: In 1988, I was driving home from a local establishment here in Town. While driving my 1978 CJ5 on my normal back road out of town a very mature doe decided to jump out in front of me and i ended up clipping her. Low and behold, not one for wasting grub, proceeded to load her into the front seat of my jeep upside down. Well to my suprise, about 400 yards from my home, she decides she is not dead, and a great tussle erupts in the front of this cj5. I manage to get into my ddriveway, and its just my luck that my pissed off wife is waiting for me on the front porch. Well to her dismay, The doe lost the fight in the front seat....And that Stonegod was my first deer kill... And, my wife never said a thing about stopping at the establishment that night. Needless to say, no more driving from establishments anymore...Its just not worth the cuts and bruises. Seeker

[ghunter]

My first deer was back in 2002 opening day of shotgun season I was 15 at the time. This was the first time I have ever gone hunting and went with a family friend down to public land in southern Ohio. I sat in stand all morning not seeing a thing so we started to do a few drives in the warm weather. I was only on stand for maybe 5 minutes when I heard movement in front of me and a small 6 point was trotting down the hill. I line up on him when he was about 50 yards away and pull the trigger and I completely missed him. As disappointed as I was I still sat there about another few minutes went passed and I hear movement in front of me and I think its the 6 point coming back down. When I look up I'm surprised to see a bigger 8 point so I let him get really close and pull up on him and squeeze a shot off and he starts running up the other side of a hill and I watch him drop about 30 yards from me.

[spike]

Ok ,here's mine back in 1989 I got married and my new father-in-law decided that I was worthy enough to become one of his hunting buddies and decided to take me out during shotgun season on one of their "famous " drives ,he dropped me off at the corner of the woods as a stander and told me not to move until i could see the whites of his eyes when he was to come and get me after the drive was over.So as he got into the truck to drive away a decent 8 pointer came out of the woods not 20 feet from where I was standing stood there looking at me ,so the old 12ga.let out a bang and the buck fell over dead . So my whole hunt lasted less than 10 minutes and that's my story.

[firemedic0306]

My first deer was on halloween day, I was 16 yrs old, 3 years of hunting deer with no success. On the way home from school on the bus me and all of my friends were making plans to all meet up and go trick or treating. One stop away from my house a big buck ran infront of the bus right into the the small wood lot my parents owned which I was bowhunting. When I seen that buck my trick or treat plans changed. My friends were all pissed but I didnt care. I was so excited to get into the woods, i wore my school shoes becuase I was to excited to put my boots on. . I got dressed in my one piece camo suit that was 2x to big for me, got my stand and bow and got into the woods within about 5 min. of getting off the bus. Climbed up a tree on the edge of a soy bean field, and sat untill about 15 min. till dark and said scew it all my friends are having fun im getting down. Lowered my bow and as soon as it hit the ground I seen the buck from earlier about 50 yards from me heading right towardards me. Somehow got my bow up and a arrow nocked with out him seeing me. He was ten yards away I shot him right in the sweet spot watched him drop. Was so excited climbing down I got hung up on a knot onthe tree about 10 ft up and just jumped spraining my ankle. Skipped up to my house taking the short cut through the swamp ruining my shoes. It was a 130ish 8 point. My first deer.

[zach-the-deer-slayer]

I was 8 or 9 when I killed my first deer. Earlier in the year I had gut shot a small doe, tracked it forever and it wasnt meant to be. Fast forward to the youth gun season. It was a cold day, flurries in the air, just an awesome day to hunt. My dad took me and dropped me off with my brother on an old fence line across from a 10acre patch of perfect deer habitat. We have killed a hundred deer out of here over the years. Anyway, I'm standing there with my brother waiting on dad to walk through this for me. Were waiting.... And waiting... And waiting.... *SNAP* there's deer coming out of every opening! I pulled up my brothers old 870 and laid it on the first deer I saw coming head on at me. *BOOM!* this deer turns around and goes back in, runs about 150 yards and dies. I shot it's leg off. I remember seeing my first spot of blood. I was on that trail like a dog, and just so happened one of the farm dogs helped find the deer! A big fat button buck! I was tickled to death, hooked, and proud all at the same moment.

We took that bad boy home, showed it to mom, then headed to the gas station! I was struttin like a banty rooster! All the gals in the gas station were talking me up something awful lol. After that we took him to be butchered at my long time friends place. He did it for free!

I'll never forget that day. I don't exactly remember my first bow kill because I've killed so many deer with gun and bow since my first but I'm sure I was pumped! I killed my biggest buck to date last Halloween with a bow, a 140" 8 pointer dogging 3 does! My first buck was a tiny 6 pointer, hit him in the shoulder and he got away. Dogs found him later on though, but I still take credit for the horns lol.

[jem101]

Just joined and I am loving these stories. Just thought I would add mine. I started hunting when I was 11. The first year I missed a small doe with a shotgun from 20 yards. I remember shaking like a leaf. Such a great memory. One year later I took up archery hunting and lved every minute of it. From the summer shooting to being able to hunt for four months. It was awesome. Unfortunately, I had the worst luck and I didn't take my first deer till I was 15.

In 2006, I had another gut wrenching archery season with no luck. As gun season approached my Dad and I planned our annual trip for a weeklong hunt (perks of being homeschooled) in South East Ohio. Unfortunately, right before gun season my month old cousin tragically passed away. Anyways, we were unable to make it to SE Ohio until Thursday evening. The next morning, we headed out to sit on stand. I had my climber and was 20 feet up the tree. Later that day we planned to do some drives and my dad was going to swing by around 9:30. In the first two hours, I heard my cousin on the opposite hillside shoot several times. As I sat on stand without seeing anything I became really jealous. "What if I had sat over there?" I kept thinking. As 9:30 approached I became more and more discouraged. Around 9:10, I caught movement to my left. Out of a draw came a buck. I caught antlers, but didn't dwell on them. At this point I didn't care how big or small it was. As the deer moved across the hillside in front of me. I steadied my 20 gauge and unloaded from about 50 yards. HE gave a mule kick and took off the hillside in front of me. I thought I had a good shot, but I emptied two more rounds into him. After running maybe 60 yards he piled up. I couldn't believe it!

I don't think I've ever gone down a tree so fast! As I ran up to him, I was in disbelief! This buck was huge! My cousin joined me and said my dad would crap his pants upon seeing it. My dad din't quite go that far, but it was a great experience when he walked up. After gutting him, I had an 150 yard drag to the truck. While dragging it began to pour down rain. I looked to the sky and laughed out loud. I was on cloud nine! God truly blessed me that I was able to experience this great moment with my Dad. This is something that I'll never, ever forget. In the end, he scored 149" and is my best buck to date. To all those who may be discouraged, keep hunting. It does get better. Good luck!