Do You Remember Your First Deer?

[THE GOB-FATHER]

How many here remember the exact details of your first deer you harvested? Share the story with us... these are always the BEST memories!

[grizz1]

Remember the hunt just like it was yesterday and everyday I look at him on my wall it brings back memories of my Dad and the many hunts we went on.
The year was 1970, a full year after I had missed 3 deer with an old model 12 shotgun with slugs. My Dad had traded a big steer calf to a guy for a riding lawn mower and an old Springfield 30-06 bolt action that had been modified from it's day in the Army. The action was still in great shape but the sights left much to be desired, shot about 5 inches right at 75 yards.
With this in mind along with extreme cold my Dad let me out 3 miles from home to hide in an old barn that had a pear tree growing in the barn lot. He said something might come by if I'd stay a few hours but I should be able to stay warm by getting inside the hay bales.
There were a few frozen pears on the ground and the deer often came there to feed on them.

About 1 minute after he and my uncle drove away I was cold and began thinking of survival! Another few minutes in the cold dark morning I began to think that deer hunting wasn't for me,I was freezing, so began pacing back and forth across the old barn to stay warm. Most of the clothes I had on were home made, no insulation, just all the layers you could get on till something didn't fit.

The sun was not up but dawn was coming and I could see about 75 yards when the buck came around the corner of the barn, head down tracking. He was 20 yards, maybe less when I leveled the 30-06 across the hay rack and fired at the middle of his rib cage. NOTHING HAPPENED so I shot at him 4 more times thinking I was missing. He went 30 yards and fell over head first, five bullet holes in a straight line on his rib cage.
Knowing it would be 3 or 4 hours before Dad came to get me I ran the mile to the nearest neighbor who helped me load the deer and haul home. We left a note on the gate at the barn for my Dad saying I had went home with my deer.
Although I had field dressed the deer being careful not to cut the neck, when my Dad came home he immediately cut the neck further so the buck could drain better. The mount is a short neck mount with a scar because of his butchering, it's not a good job of taxidermy either, these two things bothered me for a few years until I became older. Now with my father having been gone for 22 years this mount is my favorite of all as I can recall him telling me how to properly butcher my deer and how I had messed up by not taking care of him immediately.
This deer has hooked me for life as I have loved deer hunting ever since that day. Two more good bucks fell to that 30-06 but I retired it from action in 1973 and bought a new Browning .270 thinking that a rifle that shot where I aimed was a whole lot better deal. Most of the time I've been right about that but when those big antlers show up I believe my heart beats just as fast and hard as it did 40 years ago.

[Kt29]

Great story Grizz. Thanks for sharing it. Its truly amazing how one can remember clearly these details. Its wonderful.

[4Pointer]

WELL I WAS 16 AND 7 OF US WENT DEER HUNTIN AND STAYED IN A TENT ,,ONLY TWO OF THEM HAD DRIVER LIC. WELL WE SET UP A DEER DRIVE ALL ON PUBLIC GROUND,, ON THE THIRD DAY OF THE HUNT NO ONE GOT A DEER UP TILL NOW.. WELL BACK TO THE DEER DRIVE,, I WAS ON A STAND AND A DOE RAN BY ME AT 20 FEET,, THAN CAME A BUCK, HE STOPPED AT 30 FEET FROM ME AND LOOKED BACK,, I WAS SHAKING SO BAD IT WAS EVEN HARD TO RAISE THE GUN,, I SHOT AND THE BUCK WENT DOWN AND I TRIED TO LOAD THE GUN AND I HAD MORE SHOTGUN SHELLS ON THE GROUND THAN I HAD IN MY POCKETS,, THE OTHER GUY'S GOT UP TO ME AND STARTED TO LAUGH BECAUSE THE DEER WAS DEAD AND I WAS STILL TRISING TO LOAD THE GUN,, IT WAS A SMALL 5 POINTER.. I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY..
WE TOTALED OUT THAT WEEK WITH 6 BUCKS...

[JerseyHunter]

Mar 4, 2010 11:44:47 GMT -5 4Pointer said:

WELL I WAS 16 AND 7 OF US WENT DEER HUNTIN AND STAYED IN A TENT ,,ONLY TWO OF THEM HAD DRIVER LIC. WELL WE SET UP A DEER DRIVE ALL ON PUBLIC GROUND,, ON THE THIRD DAY OF THE HUNT NO ONE GOT A DEER UP TILL NOW.. WELL BACK TO THE DEER DRIVE,, I WAS ON A STAND AND A DOE RAN BY ME AT 20 FEET,, THAN CAME A BUCK, HE STOPPED AT 30 FEET FROM ME AND LOOKED BACK,, I WAS SHAKING SO BAD IT WAS EVEN HARD TO RAISE THE GUN,, I SHOT AND THE BUCK WENT DOWN AND I TRIED TO LOAD THE GUN AND I HAD MORE SHOTGUN SHELLS ON THE GROUND THAN I HAD IN MY POCKETS,, THE OTHER GUY'S GOT UP TO ME AND STARTED TO LAUGH BECAUSE THE DEER WAS DEAD AND I WAS STILL TRISING TO LOAD THE GUN,, IT WAS A SMALL 5 POINTER.. I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY..
WE TOTALED OUT THAT WEEK WITH 6 BUCKS...

GREAT READ BRO.

[Olddog]

GOOOOOD story 4PNTR

[Kt29]

A great story Larry. No better trophy in the world than that buck. Thanks for sharing. It was great.

[LongSpur39]

Actually my first deer I hit I lost. I hit him pretty good. followed the bloodtrail over onto the neighbors and one of his former buddies. Finished off the nice buck and claimed it. The following year i made up for losing one big buck to getting another. The first day of gun season. I had an accident. I fell out of an old wooden treestand and dinged up my knee pretty bad. i'm lucky I did't break my leg or worse. I had to have surgery on my knee. So for the next two weeks,I was laid up. The final weekend of gun I was determined to go. I was on crutches and my stitches were comin out,from not following dr.'s orders. I made it quite a long ways up the hill to a ravine. When i got there,there was a bunch of deer tracks in the snow from the day before. i decided this was the end of the road. The pain was unbearable and I was bleeding a little bit. I sat for nearly 4 hours. I eventually got up and decided to head down for lunch. I no more stood up when, my dad and uncle began to shoot. A short time later i could see a deer above me cross the ravine. had no idea what it was. I hobbled up and here were the tracks. I followed them for a short ways. Then said heck with it.I was miserable. I got mad and decided to just carry the crutches . As i'm limping my way down the hill ,along the ravine. I caught movement on the other side. i looked over and saw one side of his rack. I had no idea how big or what he was. As i reached the bottom sneaking as best that I could. He dropped down in the ravine from the other side. At the bottom the ravine opens up.I could hear rocks getting kicked over down in there. But he never showed. Then i catch movement to my right and here comes this rack at 15 yds. When he came up he stopped at maybe 10 yds. he looked right past me scanning up the hill. then snapped his head back and stared right into my eyes. I already had the gun on him. I shot him in the neck. He stood there for a moment.Then his eyes rolled back and he tipped over. I still had no idea how big he was.I got over to him and was astounded and just couldn't believe,what i had shot. My dad came walking a short time later. He just stood there staring.I remember one word from him and will never forget it.WOW!! Took us 45 minutes to drag him 200 yds.

[LongSpur39]

Too add to the story a bit. When my dad and uncle shot there were two big bucks together. they broke out into the field. The 8 and a 10 pt the same size.My uncle sadi what a sight to see. He ended up getting buck fever so bad he unloaded a couple full loads on the ground. My buck broke off and the big 10 went to my dad,trailing a doe. My dad said he heard a grunt turned around and heres this giant buck staring at him. He swung around and fired hitting a tree twice and then took a hale marry shot that wasn't even close he said.I wish my Dad had gotten the other,imagining the both of us coming out of the woods with good bucks. Would have been very cool!

[grizz1]

That's a great 8 pointer there Longspur,that's the way to get your deer hunting career off to a good start.

[LongSpur39]

Mar 9, 2010 23:23:25 GMT -5 grizz1 said:

That's a great 8 pointer there Longspur,that's the way to get your deer hunting career off to a good start.

Thanks buddy. Yeah if i could only mess my knee up again ,maybe I could top him! ;D ;D ;D

[4Pointer]

GREAT STORY AND BUCK,,

[JerseyHunter]

REALLY LIKE THAT STORY BRO NICE 8 POINTER .

[LongSpur39]

Thanks guy's ! It's a memory whne relived feels like yesterday.