Tell us about your first deer and how the hunt went down.

[blood on the ground]

I was 9 or 10 and hunting with my BIL in Talbot co. A rainy morning found us slipping along some ridge tops hoping we would see some deer in the creek bottom below us.
We jumped this little guy and a couple others on the way ... He just happened to be the one that stopped long enough for me to point my gun, close my eyes and shoot!?
Anyway it made for a great memory!

 

[baddave]

way back in the 1800's we all had been hunting for a few days and nobody was seeing much .. so one morning i was in my stand around 11:00 a.m. and this cowhorn 3 pt.walked by me and i shot it and to my surprise he took off so i rattled off about 3 more shots . the funny part was everyone had gone back to the cabin sitting around w/ long faces when i shot . they told me they ran out so fast the first guy tripped and the next guy tripped over him and they had a dog pile @ the bottom of the steps.. we took pics but i don't really want to transfer them here but i do still have the mount . buck field dressed 135 lb

 

[coastalredneck]

screven county. 1989.. i was 10. massive 8 pointer.225lbs live weight. i was in a climber (tomcat) on the second day of the season.. very cold. was putting the batteries in my socks to get my feet warm and looked up.. there he was. Had to watch him come up the hill to my left and almost get by me before i could shoot. 243 right in the boiler room. He ran probably 50 yrds right to the four-wheeler. I leaned over the side of the stand and puked from all the adrenaline. called dad on the walkie talkie and told him the news. Never forget it.

 

[PappyHoel]

My dad said don’t shoot a spike. The first deer I saw was a spike and to this day I would swear it was a 10 pt. He came soon after the shot and he was tickled pink with my first deer a spike

I have an almost identical picture to the one above on my dads tailgate. It’s somewhere in my parents photo collection

 

[Wayne D Davis]

Some time in the mid 70's... Troup county with my cousin. I wandered into the woods before light. I got lost in the thickets/ briars and just climbed the nearest tree. After being there all day right at dark caught movement then a tall 12" spike stepped out. Done deal

 

[frankwright]

1981 I was 34 and second year in a club trying to figure out deer hunting! Stand nailed between three trees with a VW front seat to sit in.
Cold and windy, very windy, wondering why I was there! I put Pete Rickard's Indian Buck lure on my boots and walked to my stand in the dark. Wind about to knock me out of the tree!
7:05 in December a big branch crashed down to my left and a big buck ran right towards my stand, maybe even under it, passed to my right and headed for the fire road where I walked in.
One of the few deer I had ever seen in the woods and definitely the biggest. I was kicking my self but the deer was running and I didn't have time to do anything!
I heard a noise and looked over my right shoulder and the buck was walking back to me with his nose to the ground. I shot him with his head down and he went down like he was deflated. I got down and could not find a mark on him.
I had never field dressed a deer but had been reading up on it and no one was around so I got to it. He was full of blood and I saw I had hit him dead in his spine at base of neck.
Truck came along and old member checked my field dressing and hauled it to camp.
I got free membership ($35) for the next year for biggest rack.

 

[Jim Thompson]

I had always been in the woods chasing something, but having a single mother and being dirt poor, the thought of deer was just that, a thought. Instead I spent my time shooting squirrel and rabbit with a pellet gun and then finally a shotgun that my drunkard abusive daddy swung by and gave me at 10 or 11 outside the trailer one day...the shotgun ended up being a gun he stole from his buddy before he so graciously gave it to me.

In 85 or 86 a girlfriend's daddy asked me if I wanted to go deer hunting. He put me in a box blind on a firebreak over a bunch of pines in coweta county. I nearly froze to death, but I killed the 1st deer I saw, a doe. He killed 2 hen turkeys that morning with his rifle.

The rest is history. If it wouldnt have been for that poaching piece of garbage fella asking a 17 or 18 year old me to go with him, not sure when I would have ended up in the woods doing what I love. Although I know for a fact I would have ended up here somehow, some way.

I havent missed a season (or a weekend or even many days) since killing that doe and I cant be more thankful for that garbage poacher asking me to go with him. Happy none of his antics rubbed off on me cause there's no way I would have been able to enjoy this as much if I had to hide it like he did on the way home with those turks under a blue tarp on the way home that morning.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Now for the one that I remember the most and that I am most proud of.

After killing that doe in 85 or 86, I killed at least a deer a season with a rifle. Sometimes does and sometimes bucks. I killed them on WMAs mostly although I did start looking for "better" land and joined a lease in Heard County.

I picked up a bow for the 1st time in 1988 or maybe 90 when I ran across a fella named Travis Turner...T-Bone...the bow tech in a little outdoors store in Dallas GA. I traded Travis some video equipment for his previous year's PSE tourney bow.

Man I tried everything you can imagine to kill a deer with that bow. For 3 years I slung arrow after arrow at them and never once connected! Having a bow in hand made me feel foolish. In my mind they were so easy to kill (hard to hunt easy to kill) with a gun, but with a bow I made every mistake a fella could make. I shot trees, my arrow fell off the string, my stand would creak, I would shoot over their backs and under their stomachs etc etc etc.

Then one year me, Travis and 3 other fellas leased a little tract of land in Coweta right off the interstate that Travis kept as bow only.. Man the place was loaded with muscadines and persimmons and loaded with deer.

My luck of course continued . Well until one day when it was pouring rain and as hot as a September can get in middle GA. We were all in camp sitting in trucks with AC on napping. All of a sudden we got a break in the rain and I yelled I am going hunting!

I set up in the middle of some persimmons and hadn't been there more than 10 minutes with this little fella came down my same trail and was inhaling the grapes. He started walking straight away from me and I whistled, settled on his ribs and let loose!!!!

I heard him crash!!!!!!!!!

Then I drug him to where I could load him up and drove back to camp for back slaps and high fives.

That baby buck led me to where I am today. A lot went into killing that little fella and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Life is good people...and 28 or so years later I am glad I aged gracefully and learned to smile.

 

[JustUs4All]

I was 38 years old. Dad had given up hunting by then. He never deer hunted but had taught me a lot about woods and field whild hunting small game. I had read everything I could get my hands on about deer hunting including the GON news paper thing. First year of hunting I never saw a deer in the woods. Second year I was in a stand on the farm that had been erected in the fork of a tree by a poacher. Got there an hour before sunup and it was DOEDAYS. I heard a neighbor come to a stand on the neighboring property just at sunup and shortly thereafter caught sight of the deer that he unknowingly drove in my direction. Mod 600 Mowhawk .308 anchored the yearling doe and I went immediately to the old fellow who was renting my Grandfather's house at the time for help on what to do next since the only other thing I had dealt with was rabbits. Turned out it was all very similar only bigger. I repaid him for his help with a ham.

Hard to explain, I was a little sad at killing the deer but at the same time I don't think I stopped smiling for a week. It has been a long and pleasant ride since then.

 

[specialk]

1970 something, running dogs in VA....granddaddy down about 50yds to my right , daddy about 50 to my left.....monster button head comes tipping out and I let him hold 4 rounds of buckshot....he was a tough little thing!.....after that you couldn't tell ne nothing about hunting deer...I knew it all then!!

 

[bilgerat]

Ther year was 1969, I was 11 years old and it was the first time I was hunting by myself, Daddy had set me down against a tree over looking a creek bottom in Morgan county. He walked about 50 yards and climbed up into his box stand in a old black walnut tree. Not long after after daylight I heard My dad whistle and looked up and saw a deer running up the ridge on the other side of the creek. I raised My 30-30 that I had gotten for My birthday a few months before and tried to pick out a gap in the trees in the direction he was headed like My daddy had taught me. well the deer turned and ran straight down the hill directly twards me and I panicked , I aimed at the white patch on its chest and pulled the trigger. and nothing......im the excitement of the moment I forgot to take the safety off. The deer saw me fumbling around with the gun and put on the breaks and slid down the creek bank and did a 180 and headed back the way it came , I clicked the safety off and thru a shot at it as it went over the ridge. My dad had watched the whole thing unfold from his stand, He got down and walked over to me and I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. He ask what happened and I said "I dddddunt know" I can remember him holding back the urge to laugh but he held back and said "well boy lets go see if you hit anything". We walked up to the crest of the ridge and there he laid, It was as as purty a sight as Id ever seen, A glorious trophy 3 pointer !!!. the shot connected in his rear and went all the way thru him and came out his front right shoulder. a perfect alabama heart shot as My dad called it . I still got the antlers at home and enjoy telling the story around a campfire every now and then.

 

[Jim Thompson]

These stories are gold!

 

[Deleted member 35556]

I'm a late onset hunter. I've been an avid fisherman and outdoorsman my whole life, however. The story of how I came to hunting is a bit long, but it kind of started with being a fan of MMA. Joe Rogan being linked with the UFC brought me to his podcast which I would listen to at work to pass the time. He had Steve Rinella on and it was massively intriguing. Steve quickly followed suit with a podcast and I immediately subscribed. One of the first things he said was when folks ask me what I like to do, I say "Hunt'n and Fish'n." And he further expounds by saying...I've never met a guy who was passionate about fishing who didn't also like hunting. Immediately, I was like...if there's something out there that I might like as much as fishing, I'm in. So 4 years ago I attended hunter safety in person at a local place in Canton in the spring. I picked up a copy of Rinellas guide to hunting and fishing big game. I picked up a Marlin 336 and sighted it in. Got a set of camo and an orange vest. Then we set our sites on opening day. Opening day rolls around, we head out to 50 acres of private land, sit down on the ground and proceed to learn a whole lot of lessons that morning about what not to do. The next day is fast approaching and we decided we needed to be off the ground. We hit up Dick's, bought a two man ladder stand and deployed it in the same day. By 3 that afternoon, we had our stand set and we were off the land ready for the morning.

Morning rolls around and we're in that stand (Two full grown dudes) and hour before first light. We both snoozed on the gun rest as the frosty morning progressed. The wind was slightly in our face, there was a light fog blowing around. Within the first 30 mins deer are moving around us. Soon, a small buck slips in behind us and picks up our wind. He's not mature enough to really recognize the danger, so he stays longer then he should have. He's standing there trying to figure out what we were, when all of a sudden a DEEP grunt up wind sounds off from a brushy/field edge. That small buck immediately get's agitated and starts vocalizing back looking in the same direction. We both immediately start looking in the same direction, when off to the left a doe comes skipping in 30 yards in front of the stand, up wind. She pee's on the spot, and not 10 seconds later that 120" buck appears through an opening following her trail. If he goes left, my brother is up, if he goes right in front, i'm up. That buck cuts in front of the stand, pauses and I shot him. Just a memorable morning for my brother and I, and was collectively our first deer. My brother shot 120-130" buck later that season as well, but that first hunt is completely burned into minds. We've hunted every season since, had successes/failures. My daughter was in a blind with me last year. I enjoy it just as much as I do fishing, so Rinella wasn't wrong.

 

[Ruger#3]

1980, small game hunted all my life, decided to take up bow hunting deer. Sitting in a stand in Felsenthal NWR, AR, I was surrounded by large oaks with honey suckle curtains hanging from the lower limbs. After a couple hours in the stand I could hear steps behind me. I kept leaning around the large oak I was in and looking trying to see what was walking around. This went on for what seemed forever but was likely 15-30 minutes. Finally, I saw the honey suckle to the left moving up and down as a doe was pulling mouthfuls down. I raised my bow way too early and it got heavy after a bit. Raise the bow and put it back down, raise it again and lower it. A fat doe finally stepped out broadside and I drew back my bow . Struggling to control my nerves I focused on the pin, the aim point, I let the bowstring loose from the finger tab. The arrow flew right where I was aiming and the doe dropped and started kicking. After a few minutes the doe stopped kicking. I placed my bow in the holder on the stand and climbed down. I was so excited about killing this doe. As I rubbed her hair and looked at her I suddenly remembered my belt knife was in my backpack hanging from the side of the tree. I stood up to walk back to my stand and get my knife and standing under my tree were two more does.

I looked up at my bow sitting there in the holder on the front of my stand.

 

[rutnbuk]

I hope this thread keeps getting bumped with stories all year! My first one was not much of a story- only it is still vivid 30+ years later. Sitting OTG with 30/30 with iron sites only. Last 30 mins of light and a "monster" button head fed to within "bow range" before I could settle myself for a shot. I think I fired 2-3 times with at least one connecting. Was so proud of that deer and could care less if anyone else was- I was instantly the greatest hunter I ever saw- LOL.

 

[MYRX]

I was given a Ruger in 270 for Xmas in 1976. The following year, a friend took me to Stuart County Thanksgiving week so I could deer hunt. They pointed me to a tree on a terrace of a plowed under field where they had nailed a 2 x 6 board between two limbs. I was told to climb, remain motionless and watch the edge of the field near the hardwoods. I remember it being very cold and windy. Just as the sun was dropping behind the tree line, a 7 pointer walked out of the woods. His rack looed huge, he looked huge. It was only the second alive deer I had ever seen! I guess I watched him walk across the edge of the field in amazement. Somehow, I came to my senses raised the rifle and shot. The deer jumped and disappeared. Little did I know my friend and his family were watching me in parked pickup truck. They came running up yelling great shot. I said he is gone and they all started laughing. When we walked to the spot where I shot him, he was laying on the ground shot through the heart. I was hooked on deer hunting from then on.

 

[SRShunter]

Great....just great stories and memories that I really enjoyed reading. So glad we all get to enjoy hunting and call ourselves hunters!!!

 

[bloodiarrow68]

On a cold morning, opening day of gun season in 1988. I was 18 yr old and walked in to a clearcut I had already scoped out. It was before daylite and I walked in until I found a decent stump right off the trail. I sat down facing the creek and about 30 mnts after good lite I hear sumthin behind me. I look over my shoulder and see a small basket racked buck about 15 steps. I stand up and aim my Remington Model Six in 30.06 behind the shoulder and pull the trigger. He runs about 30 yards and piles up. Dead as a hammer. Probly 2 1/2 yr old 7 or. Just as much of a trophy as my biggest to date. Remember it like yday. Only thing about it is i didn't take pictures.

 

[specialk]

in addition to post #11, here's the tag to that deer as well as some old license of mine......some VA some GA....

 

[Meriwether Mike]

The year was 1989 when I connected on my first one. I had gained permission from a buddy whose son played ball with my son to hunt his seven acre tract behind his house in Bremen. To say the deer population was low would be an understatement. I had hunted the entire previous season without connecting. I had seen a couple of does and one buck during that year. I had borrowed a Remington 742 in 30-06 from a fishing buddy and was using a aluminum climber made at the shop where I worked. It was the last day of deer season and things were not looking good. I had just climbed up when a dog ran a deer by my stand and I was rather doubtful of my prospects, nevertheless I continued to endure the cold. I was wearing some old style long johns, blue jeans and a green Southern Tech jacket which was all I had for hunting. About 45 minutes after the dog run the deer by I observed the deer easing back towards me through the woods. I got the gun up and got a good rest on the tree I was facing. I shot and the deer went straight down. I climbed down and went to the deer right away. It turned out to be a 60 pound button buck. I gutted it by the instructions on the deer cleaning kit I bought as I had never done one before. I have a picture of me and that deer sitting on the tailgate of my 86 GMC truck somewhere at the house.