# When did you get your first deer and how



## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

I was reading another post here and it got me thinking about my first deer and thought it would make good reading about others experiences.
My first deer was with a borrowed 30-06 in Pa. about a 150 yd. shot opening morning in the middle of a field under an apple tree from the woods, snow covered ground and a half mile drag back to camp. (down hill). 1972 8pt.
Second 1973 shotgun Ohio doe near Rockbridge.
Third With a borrowed 39 pound recurve after gun season Doe also near Rockbridge Ohio.
Since then I have been hooked on archery and taken lots of deer in several states along with two bear, one Elk and one Mule deer.
At least one deer every year except for two years I was not able to pull a bow due to injury.


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

Might have been 1983, then 33, down by Lesville lake on a friends property with the 44mag. Went down the day before and slept in my van with a space heater. The guy said to sit atop of his storage barn and face SW. The shed was 150yds down hill from the van. Sometime mid morning I shot this mangled up 9pt buck missing the lower half of a front leg. He helped me out by running 80yds up the hill towards the van. Evidently with the missed up rack was from the injury to his leg, which was still red and healing. I still have the rack and use it sometimes to rattle with another. 
I enjoy the experiences I have just watching the wildlife I don't shoot.


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

it was 11-11-06 

Well sat my neighbor and I went out to alum. We got there and set up about 8am or so.
I got in my stand and settle down then in walked a yearling..so I threw her a wink and said you safe..it was sssooo cool she set there and tried to look for me for everbut then a big wind blew and she pegged me and took off.then I started to think to myself Why did I let her GO!!!!!!!!!!! Well now I know
This buck comes walking up just to the right of me. He got to the edge of the filed and started to walk away from meso I start callin.. He then turns and came to me!!!!
It was sssssssoooo funny it took me for ever to drawl back with out shaking!!!!!!!!
I see a whisker biscuit in my future. Well I get ready then I hit this dead tree limb.
I said to myself SHEEET!!! But that buck had no clue I was there. And with out thinking of taking the shot I did!!!!!!!!!!! It was automatic.I burned that pin like I never did before. BAM it hit I right it in the spine right above the bread basket. (So I need to learn to judge my distance) So I get out of my stand and finished the job. My first deer ever is a 8pt buck!!!! WOW!!! But man I was ssooo happy Im still grin ear to ear. 
I just want to thank God for giving us the bounty. He put them on earth for us!
My wife and family, my two brothers Kyle and Matt (Hunting fishing buddies) also I need to give thanks to little king for selling me my bow.
And special thanks goes to my neighbor Steve.
With out him I would have never been in the woods in the first place.
My dad past away dec. 18 of 97 I miss him so much but, Steve has been a father to me ever since we bought our house 3yrs ago. He took me under his wing and showed me everything I needed to know on how to shoot a bow.
Steve thanks so much!!!! Youre the man!!!


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

I was about 18 at the time. I was selected in the Ravenna Arsenal deer hunt lottery. Killed a button buck with a 12 ga slug. It was herded to my position by the staff near the end of the hunt.

Spent my early years hunting rabbits & upland game with my dad. He wasn't really into deer hunting and neither am I.

**Oops! just noticed this is a bowhunting thread


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

back in 1981 shot a doe at 11 years old only the older guys got to shoot bucks then .. then hunted deer till 2004 then went full time bird hunter


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Pretty sure it was 94' or 95'... I had bought my first bow- a High Country Excalliber and shot all summer... I was sooo dialed in and ready for opening day.

Opening day came and it was thunderstorming and raining buckets off and on the whole morning. I get to my buds house and he asks me- "still want to go?" I said "hell ya!" 
So we walked out behind his house in Bloomfield- its pitch black and raining like crazy and I was happy as a monkey in a bananna tree. 

We kinda get lost/misplaced in the morning- and I don't get to the stand until daybreak... but luckily the rain stops as soon as light comes. I'm in full body camo feeling all professional. A doe and her two yearlings trot across a trail in front of me.... Then one of the yearlings comes back to the trail and starts walking towards me at 80 yds or so... I bleat with my the only call that i owned at the time... and that yearling walks within 25 yds and then walks right next to the flourescent orange mark I had walked off before I climbed the tree. (no range finders then!) I took him out at 20yds.... he ran 60-70 yds and piled up. I was so proud of that yearling...probably the most proud I'd ever been in hunting.


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## DMinn Angler (Feb 13, 2012)

1996 - Chrysler LaBaron doing about 40mph... first and only


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i could give you step for step of my first deer. but that would take way to long.

the winter of 80 i borrowed a muzzleloader and got permission to hunt some private land. i had never deer hunted before and i didnt see a deer that year. the next year i find out a couple of my friends had put in for a drawing for opening day of gun season at a wildlife area. so i go up and put in for the drawing. we all get drawed for the same area. my one friend puts me on this old dead fall in the corner of a field. i did have a doe and 2 yearlings come up out of the swamp. and i seen a couple more deer down in the swamp. so after lunch i moved down in the swamp next to the river. i have 7 does come down and cross the river and came out right on top of me. man i was pumped.

the second morning i just go down to the river and climb a tree. about 9:00 i see something moving on the other side of the river. i keep looking, this big doe comes down to the river but doesnt cross. she turns and goes to my right. i have always heard if you see a lone doe to keep a good watch sometimes a buck would follow. about that time i catch movement out of the corner of my eye. i look and i see this rack moving through the heavy brush on the trail the doe had came down. he walks right up to the river and starts to cross. about that time i hear the doe grunt. the buck backs out and starts down the side of the river. he gets behind some brush, i get my old savage shotgun up and ready. he walks out in the open and i fire. he takes off running and i shoot 2 more times. then my gun jams i look down and unjam the gun. i look up and see the deer standing in some heavy brush. i raise the gun and pull the trigger. the gun snapped, when i unjammed the gun i had ejected the shell. so i watch the deer as i reload. then it moves, and i see it is the big doe i had seen. boy was i glad my gun hadnt fired. i wait a few minutes and climb out of my tree. the doe takes off running, but im thinking the buck might be over there or she would have already left.

i walk about 150 yrds down the river and find a shallow place to cross. i walk back up the river and find the trail the deer had came down. i go to the river and start walking real slow looking for the deer or sign. i went about 20 yrds and find blood. i walk a few more feet and the blood looks like somebody just took a bottle of blood and started pouring it out. i follow the blood with my eyes about 5 yrds and there lays this big 10 point buck. i start yelling for my friends, and they answer, i tell them i have a 10 pointer.

i field dressed my first deer, then i start trying to drag him out. there was this big high grass that was laid over. every time i pulled the deer the antlers would hang up in the grass. it took me like 30 minutes to go 50 yrds. i wasnt getting anywhere. it was cold and snowing. and i had 2 friends on the other side of the river. and it was open on the other side then went into a field. so i decided to take the deer across the river. when i got to the other side my one friend tells me i need to get to the van and get out of my wet clothes. i take off to the van and my friends drag my deer out. where i waded the river it was pretty deep, it came up to under my arms. by the time i got to the van my clothes had frozen to where it was hard to even walk. but i was so pumped i didnt even feel the cold. i changed clothes and took the van up and picked up my friends and my 1st deer. that was in 81 and i was 30 yrs old, and i still remember that one like it was yesterday.
sherman


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

DMinn Angler said:


> 1996 - Chrysler LaBaron doing about 40mph... first and only


it wasnt my first, but i was on my way to tenn for a funeral and about 8 miles out of jamestown on hwy 127 which is a pretty crooked road. i was in a hurry and it was late at night with no traffic. so i was going alittle faster than i should have been. i went around this curve and there was a huge herd of deer standing in the road. i tried to get stopped but didnt make it. deer was flying like bowling pins. i ended up hitting 3 of them. i really hated to just go off and leave them but i had no choice. it did over 4100.00 in damages to my 98 mercury grand marquis.
sherman


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## Harry1959 (Mar 17, 2011)

Sherman That is the best 1st deer story I ever heard. lmao


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

I was 13 and hunting during an antler less only weekend. My dad pushed a small wood lot towards me and one deer came out about twenty yards away. After making sure it didn't have antlers, I dropped it with a spine shot from my youth mossberg 500 20 gauge 


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## ltfd596 (Apr 15, 2005)

It was 1991 and I was 13 years old. I had been deer hunting before, but this was the first time that I was allowed in my own stand. I found a spot with a lot of deer sign across the road from my house. I put the stand up a week or so before opening day.

I got into the woods before daylight. My dad was about 150 yards away from me. He told me that if I shoot one, to wait 30 minutes and then to yell for him to help me dress it,

I was using a 12 guage Mossburg 500 with iron sights. at 5 minutes after 7 I heard soemthing in the leaves. Here comes a 5 point buck. I lined up the shot like I was taught, and squeezed the trigger. I hit it in the read hind quarters. It went down, but got back up. I racked another shell and shot, and another and another. (This was before the gun had to be plugged). When it was all over and doen with, I emptied the gun. 

I waitied what i thought was a half hour... it was only about 8 minutes. I yelled for dad. He come up to my syand and I told him what happend. He ask where the deer was.... and i didn;t know. I told him my gun was empty... and he said, "but you omnly shot 5 times". In the excitement of the deer, I ejected a live round.

We walked over the hill... and there was my monster 5 point. with only ONE hole in it... I missed it the other 4 times.

I am reminded of this deer everyt day because I have half the rack as the tap handle for my kegerator!

It is hard to belive that was 21 years ago.


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

First deer was in '75 when I was 14. Athens county on the last afternoon ; 20 gauge Ithaca 37 featherweight. Hit her in the neck & she ran forever, but we tracked her down. Lashed her feet to a sapling we cut & carried her up & over 2 ridges to get back to the farmhouse, not realizing she died about 75 yards from a small gravel road !!

First bow kill was 2 years later at 16 in Union county. Still hunted a windy afternoon & spooked 3 does. Stayed after them & finally got a 20 yard shot a couple hours later. I used a Bear Grizzly recurve (55 lbs) & Bear broadheads ; she jumped straight up when hit, then took 2 steps & fell over. I was so pumped that I quickly field dressed her, threw her over my shoulders & carried her the 400 - 500 yards to the house. Got there & nobody was home to see it !!

Been quite a few since , but you never forget those.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I was 19 or 20 I think. I was freshly equipped with a Mossberg 500 shotgun that I bought for the princely sum of $79.95 at Woolco. Yeah, I know, I'm old! 12 gauge, improved cylinder barrel w/front bead. My buddy and I hunted rabbit, pheasant and quail together. Yeah again! This was back in the day when you could actually find quail and wild pheasant in NE Ohio! 

I had the itch to go deer hunting, and Ohio had a season but not much of a population. There was a guy from New York who did business with my Dad. One day he was in town and we got to talking, and he said he'd take me deer hunting in New York State if I could get the time off. So, I drove to his house the day before, and then he drove to Steuben Cty. This is just north of Potter Cty, PA. In other words, big hills!

He puts me in a spot before first light and tells me he'll be back to get me when it's time for lunch. I don't see any deer, but I did see more wild turkey than I think I've seen in the rest of my life. They were everywhere! First wild turkey I'd ever seen, so that was pretty cool. We ate lunch at the truck, and now that it's daylight he explains the lay of the land to me. We have the whole top of a great big hill to hunt. Ii have the entire week to hunt so he tells me not to just sit in one place all the time. Move around a little and learn about the place. 

He also tells me about a large grove of scrubby pines low on the face of the hill, just above the road we drove in on. He said it was a good idea every once in a while for somebody to still hunt through it as deer liked to bed in there, and if no one moved them they'd just lie in there all day. He also told me that if I went through there and saw fresh tracks going out of the pines and up the hill, that I should drop over the shoulder of the hill onto a 4 wheel drive track that ran up one side of a hollow. I should get up that track, quickly, to the head of the hollow where the deer would cross to another part of the hill.

His 2 nephews had driven out for the rest of the hunt, and we went back out for the afternoon. Again, I didn't see anything, but I tried that moving around business a little bit. I must have flopped on my butt about a dozen times. Being a flatlander, I was unprepared for what happens when you step on a fallen branch pointing downhill that is covered by a foot of snow.

The next day I sat till about mid-morning and decided I was going to try that "still hunt the pine grove" move. Although I moved slowly, and thought I was being really stealthy, I never caught a glimpse of a deer in there. But there were tracks and beds galore and, son of a gun, smoking fresh tracks heading out of the grove and up the hill! And I actually knew what to do! So, I dropped onto the 4 wheel drive track, hustled up to the head of the hollow and found a place to sit and wait. And wait, and wait, and wait! Finally, I figure the deer weren't coming and was just about to light a cigarette when the first doe poked her head out of the pines to my right. One by one, in single file, they started to cross the head of the hollow. There were 8 doe in front of that little six point buck. The king of the mountain! 

I'm not sure how far away they were, 60 or 70 yards maybe. What I do remember is that the front bead on my barrel covered the entire front half of that buck! I figure I have about a 0.00001% chance of hitting him! I drew down as fine as I could and touched her off. The next thing I know the buck completely disappears! Then, he reappears! And runs off behind the does that are vacating the area in a real big hurry. Remember, this is my first deer hunt, so I really have no idea what just happened, but I had read enough issues of Field & Stream and Outdoor Life to know that you always follow up on a shot. 

So, I go up there and find the path they were traveling. Right behind where the buck was standing there was a sprawl mark in the snow, and dug up snow and dirt his hooves made when he lit out. But no blood! Not a drop! I follow the tracks for 5 yards, 10, 20 yards and still no blood. Convinced that I missed him, and just about ready to give up, I take 2 more steps and see 2 tiny drops of blood on the snow, little bigger than pin heads. Then 3 more drops, then 5, then a whole bunch of blood, and then... 7 or 8 big sprays of blood to the right hand side of the path! 

Now I'm starting to shake like a dog crapping razor blades! I know I've hit him, and hit him hard. I keep following along, then look up, and there he is! The Lord of the Forest! My magnificent 6 point buck! 

OK. Now all I have to do is gut him and drag him out of there. Except, I have no knife! Talk about a rookie move! At least I have a drag rope, and it's all downhill and snow covered to the gravel road. That part's a piece of cake. But it's sunny and warming up fast and the gravel road is now bare of snow. Even at 19 years of age, and I was doggone strong back then, no way could I drag that deer up the hill on gravel. So I tie the drag rope to a tree on the down hill side of the road, really steep, and shoved the buck over. He was hanging almost vertical, and totally out of sight from anyone driving on the road.

I hiked up the hill to the parking area and, luckily, the 2 nephews were there having something to eat. We drove back down the hill, and they basically dressed the deer for me. We found that my shot hit the buck in the left "armpit", and exited out the right front of his chest taking half the heart out along with it. They all kept congratulating me on a great shot.

To this day, I still can't believe it!


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## JShort (Sep 16, 2011)

My first was last Saturday, October 6th. Me and my brother were invited to go on a youth hunt in Coshocton county by Mose Keim, president of the East Ohio branch of the QDMA. At around 3:00 we (my guide and me) headed out to the box stand and were settled down a little before 4:00. We were sitting between a corn field and woods with a food plot going halfway around the stand. We were both looking out the one window when I looked out the other window and saw a little spike about 25 yards away feeding. Even on a little deer my heart was pounding and I was a little shaky. I settled down and my guide told me to shoot whenever I was ready. It walked a few steps towards me and turned broadside. I put the crosshairs right behind the shoulder and that Ten Point crossbow put the arrow right where I aimed. I had a pass through so I walked out and got the arrow then we sat for another 15 minutes or so. We got out and couldn't find blood for the first 20-30 yards. Finally, I saw the first drop of blood on a little blade of grass, after that we followed the blood into the woods then I saw it laying about 50 yards down the hill. We drug her up and got her field dressed. We called the guys down at the base and they brought up a gator which we hauled it back in. Out of 6 kids on the hunt 4 shot a deer, 3 little bucks and one doe.


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## RiverWader (Apr 1, 2006)

My first gun kill was in 1989 at age 10, it was a doe and it came running by about 35 yards out I unloaded My Mossberg on Her, I Didnt think I had hit it so I kept shooting. The Deer traveled round the Hill and died 10 feet from My Uncle, I had connected on 4/5 shots.

My first Bow kill came at 13, 10 pt that score 157. Me and My cousin saw the Buck on the Bus trip home from School, So went up the road where We thought the Deer would be headed , We were in the woods about 2 hours when the Buck came down the trail in front of the dead tree i was sitting in , He came to about 20 yards and stopped broad side to eat some acorns , I shot him through the Heart and He walked about 10 feet and fell over.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

theres some very good memeries here. that first one just sticks, the rest all get jumbled around. i can remember alot of them but not in order and nothing like my first. i remember this one that i got with a 12 ga muzzleloading shotgun. cabelas was selling this 12 ga and 50 cal double barrel combo. i ordered one and sold my old gun. well they sent me the 12 ga shotgun but the 50 cal barrels was put on back order. as the m/l season got near i didnt know what i was going to do. and somebody told me about this gun shop that sold .690 round balls for a 12 ga shotgun. so i read up on using the shotgun with a .690 roundball and 90 grns of black powder. i used a .025 patch, which was a tight fit for that gun. the barrel on a 12 ga is .720.

we was at the range shooting. i loaded my gun with 90 grns of black powder, then my son has a problem with his gun, so i lay my gun on the shooting table. get my son all taken care of, go back over and load my gun. i raise it up and fire, it kicks so hard it steps me back a couple of feet. the second charge didnt fire but i had a 90 grn charge pushing 2 .690 round balls and an extra 90 grns of powder out the barrel. i had forgot i had already loaded it. but the 2 bullets both hit the target about 8 inches apart. and thats when i started marking my ramrods. now i always load my gun and then set the ramrod down the barrel and take a knife and cut a small grove in the ramrod at the top of the barrel. so all i have to do is look at the ramrod and i can tell if my gun is loaded and if its all the way down.

we went hunting and i had my 10 yr old son set up about 20 yrds from me. i see this forkhorn coming out of the swamp, i try to get my sons attension but had no luck. it came right up about 30 yrds from him but he,s looking the other way. so i get my shot and fired, he came running right at me, i cocked the other barrel and about 5 yrds i pull the trigger, and nothing happened. when i shot the first shot the cap jumps off the second nipple where i had it on half cock.

the deer runs down in the swamp and out of sight. i ask my son if he sees anything and he says no. so i climb down and go up the trail the deer came down, and found no blood at all. it was about a 50 yrd shot. so i walk about 30 yrds looking for blood and then walk back down to where it passed my tree stand. then i walk down in the swamp where i last seen the deer. and there it laid. it had its head down when i shot. and when i shot and it raised its head it covered the bullet holes. because when i opened it up it was full of blood. and i didnt find that first drop on the ground.

i know this wasnt my first deer but it was my first one with a 12 ga shotgun muzzleloader. and i have alot of good memeries about that hunt with that gun and my 10 yr old son.
sherman


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## flintlock (May 30, 2006)

Some good ol' memories for me, as I can see for y'all too! 

Gun:
I had been shooting ground hogs all summer w/the 06' that year (30years ago) and I found myself watching a LONG beanfield toward dusk on opening day. I saw a deer come into the field at the very end and after I looked at him in my scope I could tell he had white above his head. A spike buck!! So, I guessed the distance and aimed the 30-06 about 6" above his back and squeezed.

He went down! I ran down that long field foreever and when I finally made it to him he was a 15" 7pt! I knew it was far and the bullet had hit him in the spine.

BOW:
(28 years ago) I hunted the ground and after daylight saw 3 bucks coming toward me up the oak flat. I was just kneeling in front of an oak tree with no cover and wasn't sure what to do, so when they got to 15 yards, I started to draw (LOL). They turned to run, but I came to full draw and a smallish 7pt stopped and turned around. I let him have it and hit him in the spine too! He dropped right there and I finished him off.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

1984, I was 13 and took a doe at beaver creek state park with a Winchester 1400 12 gauge. I think the doe weighed more than I did at the time! I shot many more deer from that same spot over the years...

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## bankfish (Sep 3, 2012)

1978, Clinton co. Pa. 30-30Win. Doe season. My dad, brother, an uncle and a couple other guys were at our huntin camp. I was 12 and it was my first year huntin, last afternoon my dad and uncle made a drive for me and Mike, one of my brothers friends. Waiting and watchin for about 1/2 an hour when I see brown running right for me. She stops about 40 yds and I hammer her. Wow!! Down she went. Wait. She's trying to get up. She ain't gettin away, so i shoot her again. Tough old mountain doe, she's still trying to get up. Gonna shoot her again when Mike yells down," don't shoot her again" What a rush, still remember it like yesterday

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