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Post by dbd870 on Sept 30, 2008 14:03:00 GMT -5
With the youth hunt stories and all; and posting this on another site I thought it would be fun to hear about everyone's first deer.
I had been out once before this in another state, saw a doe but had no shot on her - but now it was opening morning of gun season, my first time deer hunting in Indiana. I was using my 870 slug gun, smooth bore but it did have a scope. I still can tell you what time it was - 8:20am. I saw a deer off to my right, he was heading in straight in, now I'm getting wound up and I decide to pick my shooting lane and let him come into it. Just before getting there he turned, well I wasn't going to let MY deer get away! All I had a good look at was his neck and head, so I used a tree for a rest and put the cross hairs on the back part of his head and took the shot. He danced around for a few seconds and fell down dead. He was probably 50yds. out - a 1.5yr. old 9" spike. I was thrilled, it was a great morning and I knew I would be back out doing this again. I still have the skull cap, I'm thinking now I ought to get one of the mounting kits and put it up, he deserves a little respect; thanks little guy - you got me on my way.
BTW - That's the only time I've ever taken a head shot.
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Post by Sleazy E on Sept 30, 2008 14:42:20 GMT -5
I was 14 and it was my 2nd year deer hunting. No one in my family really deer hunted much so I learned by trial and error. I was out sitting on a log in a spot that I had seen alot of deer at before while squirrel hunting that year. It was opening day of gun season...... I could hear the deer out in front of me before the sun came up working the left over corn in the field. I swear it seemed like hours before the sun came up and I could see. All I saw was the deer walking away and I did not have a shot. I was heart broken..... the deer must have moved out of sight and circled in to the woods because all of a sudden it came up on my left about 15 minutes later just inside the wood line. I waited for her to get her head behind a tree and drew up on her with my 870 wingmaster (since lost that gun in a fire) and took aim..... she made the last few steps in to my shooting lane and I let her have it. She ran about 30 yards into the picked corn filed and piled up.
It was not until that I gave any thought to how I was going to get her home.... cause there was no way I could haul her on my bike. Rode to my grandparents house and told my grandpa.... he took me back in the truck and helped me field dress her and load her up.... took it to get tagged and then hung it in his garage for a couple of days... him and my uncle taught me how to butcher it and helped out.... they also gave me my first beer (that had been given to me by an adult anyway) and we each drank a beer when we were done butcher her.
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Post by Hoosier Hunter on Sept 30, 2008 17:34:14 GMT -5
I was 25 when I got my first one. I'd been deer hunting since I was 15. I was living in Massachusetts. There if you saw one deer the entire season you were more successful than many others.
It was the archery opener and I had just bought new a new Browning Compound and was in my homemade "Baker" style climber. I was apparently in a honey hole and seen does all morning. By 9am a sole 4 point buck was walking behind me about 20 yards. A complete pass thru lung lung shot took him down. I was really happy and also won the deer contest where I worked.
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Post by Ahawkeye on Sept 30, 2008 20:04:44 GMT -5
It was thanksgiving day I was 13 or 14 I think. It had rained (poured) that morning and had stopped about the time we got out of our truck at our hunting spot we had a half mile walk and I was sitting on the edge of some newly reclaimed hunting ground. I heard a shot about 150 yards away and thought I better get ready, she popped out of the woodline about 60 yards away I leveled my 870 smooth bore open sights (sleazy e I feel your pain but I still got mine) and pulled the trigger, she ran off and I went to where she was standing. Dad met me at the spot and asked if I got him, I said I wasn't sure and as we walked up dad said hey look! It was a bunch of blood, we followed the trail over a spoil bank and there she was! Man I'll never forget that moment. At that point it was the biggest doe dad or grandpa had ever shot I was one proud little hunter and I'm sure dad was proud too.
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Post by Decatur on Sept 30, 2008 20:39:43 GMT -5
It was opening day of bow season in 1990. It was my second year really bowhunting. I was, and still am afraid of heights (my treestands are only 10 feet tall lol) so I was hunting out of a natural materials ground blind, which I enjoy building BTW. I was hunting in this crick bottom that connected a river bottom with crop fields and a big woods. I was in a section of the bottom that narrowed down to about 25 yards, a natural funnel. At about 7:15a.m. I saw movement about 75 yards to the north of me. I got out my binocs and saw a deer coming my way, and a buck to boot! I remember telling my self "you can either calm down and take this deer home with you or freak out and miss", It calmed me right down. As the deer approached I never looked at his head gear, in fact I thought he was a spike after I shot him. He followed a trail until he got within 30 yards then he angled toward me and stopped 8 yards in front of my blind, with his eye behind a sappling, and began to deficate! I couldn't believe it! God was giving me this one. I told myself it's now or never, and let an arrow fly, Score! Double lunged him! He went about 40 yards and keeled over. I tried to blood trail him but was too excited, and way too inexperienced to do any good, so I decided to go to my truck and drive home to get my Dad to help. I was out of the crick bottom about 20 yards when I topped a small rise and saw him laying there. As I was admiring my "trophy" an older hunter came up who had been still hunting the neighboring and said he had kicked up that buck earlier that same morning. He showed me how to field dress him and then with his fingers he wiped deer blood on my cheeks like the indians used to do, I've continued that tradition with everybody I know that hunts. It;s a cool tradition, it makes the hunt a little spiritual and symbolic. Here is a grainy picture of my first deer.  |
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Post by Decatur on Sept 30, 2008 20:44:53 GMT -5
These stories are getting me pumped!
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Post by elmo on Sept 30, 2008 23:10:50 GMT -5
I was 35 and had just barely seen a deer in the 3 years that I had been hunting. My son wanted to start hunting so I got him all ready. We put in for big oaks and got drawn for the first 2 one day gun hunts for that year (02). We got to our area well before first light and just stopped along the road and walked in. I took kyle and sat him down in a spot that looked somewhat open, but in the dark it is hard to tell. Then I went another 200 yards into the woods and found another opening. I plopped down in front of a big tree checking my compass to make sure that I was facing away from him and the tree was between he and I so there would be no accidents. About an hour after first light I am looking to my left and as I turn back right a doe runs by me from my right not more than 10 yards in front of me. When she gets about 40 yards past me she stops broadside. As I take aim I notice that she is looking back to where she came from so instead of shooting at her I turn to see if a buck is following. About this time another deer comes out of the woods from my right. He runs out in front of me about 40 yards and as I'm getting ready to shoot at him he starts running again. He runs to about 10 yards in front of me and then notices that I'm there, but it was to late by then. he ran about 50 yards and crashed. It was the greatest button buck that anyone had ever shot.
Oh by-the-way I shot my second deer that very same day. It was a basket racked 8, but I couldn't have been happier. Actually I could have been if Kyle wouldn't have missed the buck that he got a shot at.
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Post by dbd870 on Oct 1, 2008 4:08:53 GMT -5
Noticed the 870 has been used more than once so far. I'd bet if you could take a poll of everyone who hunts/hunted a shotgun only state it would be the most commonly used model of firearm.
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Post by danf on Oct 1, 2008 6:49:27 GMT -5
With the youth hunt stories and all; and posting this on another site I thought it would be fun to hear about everyone's first deer. Dangit Dave! You beat me to it. I was thinking about starting a thread like this today; wanted to give some time after the youth weekend before I did!  I'll get my story posted up tonight if I get time. |
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Post by cleetus on Oct 1, 2008 6:53:20 GMT -5
My first deer was last weekend of the 1989 shot gun season and man was it cold. My uncle and cousin both had already taken one on the Friday and we were leaving after the morning hunt on Saturday. About 9:00 that Saturday morning I was debating on getting down since it was so cold when I saw a doe come running past me. I barely had time to realize she as there when she headed over the ravine and out of site. Then about a minutes later another deer come walking the same trail she used, I raised my 12ga pump action Mossberg and fired. The gun kicked me so hard I didn't see if I hit the deer then alone what direction it ran. My uncle came over to my stand about 15 minutes later and I told him I shot at a deer but don't think I hit it. He look over the hill and yelled good shot. I was so spooked by the sight of a deer I didn't realize I was shooting buck. First deer was an 8pt 176 pound 6 year old buck.
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Post by dbd870 on Oct 1, 2008 7:11:37 GMT -5
With the youth hunt stories and all; and posting this on another site I thought it would be fun to hear about everyone's first deer. Dangit Dave! You beat me to it. I was thinking about starting a thread like this today; wanted to give some time after the youth weekend before I did! I'll get my story posted up tonight if I get time. Great minds......! ;D |
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dog
Junior Member
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Post by dog on Oct 1, 2008 12:33:43 GMT -5
I shot my first deer when I was 12. It was my second season and I had found several exciting ways to miss deer. I was hunkered down in the "swamp" north of the farm when I heard three shots from the ajoining property. I saw a forky jump the fence @ 40 yards and knew the game was on. I was using a single shot stevens smoothbore with rifle sights. I lined up the next opening and pulled the trigger when I saw a deer shoulder. The deer dropped on impact and I ran to retrieve my trophy. When I got there I saw a small doe and no forky  . Luckly I had been drawn for my doe tag so all was legal (remember when we had to draw for a doe tag....). To this day I have no idea where the forky went or where this deer came from. Many lessons learned.... |
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Post by oldrookie on Oct 1, 2008 19:58:00 GMT -5
still waiting for my first....
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Post by 10point on Oct 1, 2008 20:16:47 GMT -5
Got my first deer my second year hunting at age 15 I think. It was my first opening day of gun season ever. I was at Salamonie reservoir with my Dad. Right about light a 4 pointer comes in and I shot him with an old sears gun that just had a bead for a sight. It was probably before shooting time actually as shooting time back then wasn't until sunrise. We put that deer in the back of a Honda.
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Post by danf on Oct 2, 2008 21:16:49 GMT -5
I think I was around 12 or so the first year I hunted deer. Dad (dadfsr on here) had put me through the rigors of sighting in a 20 gauge with slugs, I can still remember the pain from that. ;D
At 6:45 on opening morning he took me to a spot on a ravine next to a cornfield and got me ready, then headed off further down the ravine towards the woods. Shortly after it got light, I saw a doe come running up the edge of the field. She disappeared into brush at the edge of the ravine and the next time I saw her she was headed up the other side of the ravine from me. She stopped at the top of the hill and looked back. I can remember breathing hard from excitement and remember the sound of the shot, but can't for the life of me remember where I put the crosshairs.
The best part is after I pulled the trigger..... ;D She ran back down the side of the ravine she was on, crossed over to my side, up the hill and then proceeded to run right past me- within 3 feet! She dropped about 20-30' later. The slug had hit the bottom of her heart and there was a 3' wide blood trail. I went looking for Dad at 7:45, and he still laughs about the look on my face (and the size of my eyes!) when I found him! ;D She was a yearling doe, probably dressed out around 90 pounds.
One thing I've done through the years, and I wonder how many others have done it too, is to keep (when I can) the spent shell from each deer I've shot. Only one time have I had to shoot a deer more than once, so if I can find the case, I'll pick it up and mark it with a permenant marker the date and what the sex was.
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Post by indianadan on Oct 2, 2008 22:43:27 GMT -5
I was 28 I think, although I was just a kid at heart when deer hunting. Weapon was an 870 and the camo was old BDU's from my days in the reserves after I got out of the Navy. Regretably the only pics I have are of this buck in the back of a truck! I didn't know any better back then.  |
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Post by dbd870 on Oct 3, 2008 4:41:44 GMT -5
Nice 1st one!
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. Luckly I had been drawn for my doe tag so all was legal (remember when we had to draw for a doe tag....). To this day I have no idea where the forky went or where this deer came from. Many lessons learned.... 