Post your favorite

[CrossCentered]

Post a picture of your favorite nontraditional trophy. By that I mean, a deer that was maybe special to you, a deer with a crazy/unique rack, your first deer, just any deer you are proud of. First picture is my first bow kill, second is my first buck WAY back in 2008.

 

[Hunter922]

The first pic is one of my all time favorites. This is my son and At the time of the first picture (2016) he had 3 deer on his wall over 130" all taken with a rifle. This was his first deer taken with a bow sitting in a stand by himself. He has shot bigger deer with a bow at this time but we were both in the same tree together when he shot those deer.. This smile proves to me it is not about the size or how big a buck is to him. It's about the hunt, making memories and having fun.
The second picture was last year and he is still making memories , smiling and having fun. He took this one in Cobb and it was on the live from the tree thread. I am proud of him and he has taught me as much about hunting as I have ever taught him.

 

[SC Hunter]

I've killed more deer in my life than most people ever will kill. Growing up in a farming community I have hunted some amazing properties in my life. I met and recently married an amazing woman about 3 years ago who has two little amazing boys that have never been involved in the outdoors. My oldest stepson who was 9 at the time expressed interest in hunting and I gave a call to one of my good friends about sitting in a stand we had built in honor of Thomas Poole who passed away in a wreck. We went and sat in Tom Tom's stand one afternoon when this little spike came out. Oscar made a picture perfect 50 yard shot with my 243, 100 grain pointed soft point federal bullet. The bullet got both lungs and off side shoulder breaking the deer down pretty good. The deer ran about 10 steps and crashed and started kicking. I was crying like a baby, he started crying. I got more excited about that deer than any big buck I have ever killed. As I type this we're about to get ready to wake him up for breakfast, he's playing baseball today to advance to the state championship game in 12u dixie youth. Let's go Schley County!! Note: Schley County got 2nd in the state to a very strong Irwin County team. Congrats to the Indians

 

[Jim Thompson]

2004

This one holds something special in me. This was the OG, the original, the starter that started it all. This was most likely the very first deer ever killed that was posted on the internet live as it happened. This little fella started Live From The Tree. I saw this buck and had never killed a 10 before and was the biggest I had ever killed at that time.

At that time, before Facebook and IG, Woodys Campfire was only 3 years old and was deeply entrenched in so many of us. Heck I was even wearing that old Woody's hat.

I was talking to Bubba and Ol May on 2 way radios about this buck feeding. Telling them I was thinking about shooting it. So I pulled out my trusty blackberry, found a signal and logged into the Campfire, started a thread in the Deer Hunting Forum and took a pic of it working it's way along a acorn covered ridge down in Heard County GA and posted it Live From The Tree just before I unleashed the .270. Man the back slapping at camp that evening were sumn else!!!

Many of you will giggle about it or think this is idiotic or that it's garbage, but that moment changed my deer hunting forever and opened the door to a world of LFTT that I've fallen in love with. Almost every hunt since then has had some form of being live and of course that's progressed with technology.

I absolutely love sharing every minute of my season with all of the folks that follow and contribute here as well as all of the other forms of social media. I hate social media, but I love Live From The Tree.

 

[HarryO45]

My Dad hanging a deer from his frat house at the University of Maine. Not sure the date, but in the 1950s? Model 94 that I now own.

 

[Blackston]

At the time he was my biggest to bad he was broke up. But he came in at 25 yds mid November ears pinned back all bristled up hunting that buck grunting in HIS thicket. I’ve killed bigger since but ole heartbreaker is one of my favorites

 

[CrossCentered]

I definitely enjoy reading the stories of ALL types of trophies!!! In my mind any deer is a trophy, if you appreciate the process, along with the kill.

 

[antharper]

Great deer and stories so far , I’ve got so many that are special to me that I could write a book , as most are special in their own way . One is my daughters first decent racked buck , and one is my biggest buck and probably my favorite is my daughters first buck sitting by herself , was I one proud dad when I heard that 6mm bark and before I could text (was that u) my phone started vibrating , next came the voice of one excited little girl !

 

[Jimmypop]

My 3rd deer, second year of hunting back in 1970. Heard him coming up a draw 15 to 20 min. before coming into sight. I kept a cigarette burning the whole time to cover my drifting scent.

 

[bilgerat]

My first trip to Canada was a blast, killin a buck was a bonus!

 

[hambone76]

My Son got his first deer ever in October of last season, a mature doe. We had a great evening sitting there on the riverbank in a blind that we made out of some brush. We sat there, talking and watching the evening wind down. The deer was the icing on the cake. My 6 year old Son made a 90 yard shot on the doe after watching her feed her way towards us. She ran 60 yards after the shot. We went and made the recovery, had a celebration full of high fives, hugs and fist bumps. We took some pictures and then decided to go ahead and start getting her out of the woods since it was rather warm. On the walk back to get the atv, we spotted another doe feeding on acorns in the river bottom-I asked him if he wanted to shoot this one too and he nodded yes with a big grin on his face. We got down prone on a big rock, propped the rifle up on my backpack, he got settled on her and he dropped her in her tracks to make it a double! Deer #1 and 2 in the books in one sit! God was smiling down on us and blessed us with a great evening together and some excellent table fare.


My Daughter made a fantastic shot on a deer last November. She’s killed her share of deer over the years as some of you already know, but this one really holds a special place in my heart because of how long she watched it and waited to make what turned out to be a rather difficult shot. We shoot a lot, I mean a whole lot in preparation for the season, but we’ve never practiced the shot that she was about to take. If I had a shred of doubt that she couldn’t pull the shot off, we would have let the deer pass. She’s a very good marksman and will downright refuse to take a shot that she doesn’t feel good about.
This particular deer came in from dead behind us and stayed back there for at least half an hour, browsing in the select cut. We are in a two-person ladderstand- Mya is sitting on my right and the deer is over my left shoulder. We watched it feed around for a bit and with daylight beginning to fade, I told her to get ready to shoot it since it’s started to move around towards the side of the stand, at the 7 o’clock position. She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind and said “I don’t know how to make that shot”. I put the rifle aside, instructed her to get up from her seat and sit on my right leg, then I help her prop the rifle across my chest. I placed my hand beneath the rifle to support its weight since the shooting rail is now too low and had my other arm around her for stability. She’s in a Tree Spider harness, so she has just enough slack in her strap to sit this way. The deer isn’t at a good angle so I tell her to just wait til it turns broadside. She’s about to hyperventilate by this point, so I started coaching her to help her get control of her breathing. The deer is now at 45 yards, broadside and she’s pulled herself together by then, so I tell her to go ahead and take the shot when she’s ready. I hear the safety click and she takes a breath, holds it briefly then lets it out slowly as she pulls the trigger, just as I taught her. The deer jumped at the crack of the rifle and stumbled across the ridge for about 10 yards before piling up! I was so proud of her for regaining her composure and making such a good shot on the deer.

To say I am proud of them is an understatement.

Spending time with my kids and just being out there with them, sharing the good Lord’s creation has been such a wonderful experience for me and them both. I hope that I’m around to see them pass the torch on to their children one day.

 

[BowanaLee]

My son Johnny Johnsons Dekalb 10 pointer. Grossed 158, net 146 2/8. Still in Dekalbs GON top 10 list. A big white oak was dropping and I hunted there a couple days in a row. Saw a bunch of deer but no shooters. I talked him into hunting there and this came by behind a hot doe. He was pretty young back then. Hes 35 years old now. Body wise, its the smallest big buck I've ever seen. Dang niceun though.

 

[bucktail bob]

For me, a couple firsts come to mind. My first buck with a handgun and hunting with the grand kid for his first buck.

 

[pottydoc]

I can’t find the pics, but two of my fondest were taken by a couple of young men (10 and13) from two groups that we invited to our lease from the Florida Baptist Children’s home. One was a button buck, the other a big doe, but those two boys couldn’t have been more excited if they were stud bucks. As far as it goes, I was in the same shape.

 

[44magpastor]

I like the stories about youngsters first deer. Keep them coming