# Finally shot my first buck!



## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

I started hunting very late in the season of 2009. None of my family members hunt, so it was not introduced to me at a young age like most. I was 25 at the time. I bought a Mossberg 500 combo a week before gun season. Long story short, I hunted all of gun week after work, I had no clue what I was doing other than what I learned during my hunters ed. class. Needless to say, I didn't have any success.

After the season was over I decided I wanted a crossbow, as I knew nothing about bows period, and figured there was less knowhow needed to bow hunt. I spent a ton of time reading magazines and this forum. Also a good buddy of mine from this site showed me a lot. In 2010 on the second day of bow season I bagged my first deer, a decent sized doe. From that point on I've gotten one or two every year after. I even put my 11 year old on a deer this season, that was my number one priority. I still hadn't gotten a buck, came close a few times but never got to sling an arrow at one, so that was my goal for the year. So I took a week off of work starting on the 5th.

I work third shift and took a half day vacation, decided to take a nap before heading out for the morning. That turned out to be a bad idea, I woke up late and got to my hunting spot 30 mins after legal time. On my way to my stand, roughly 150 yards away I spooked a really nice buck that was on a trail that runs right by my stand, I was super bummed. I didn't see anything else that morning, it was slow!

I decided to go to a different area for the afternoon, a new farm that I just recently gotten permission to hunt. It is SUPER thick in 90% of the woods, too thick to even think about hunting. It took me a long time to even find an opening to hunt, and when I did there were many stands already there. I finally found an area off the beaten path that nobody else was near, it looked to be an area that deer passed through as they head to bed down, but it was still thick enough for deer to bed in, so I was unsure when to hunt it. 

I get in the stand around 330, again a little later than I wanted but it is what it is. I'm not in the stand 20 mins and two guys come walking in being loud and talking, they walked right by my stand, never seeing me. At this point I'm thinking, great they probably just pushed any deer in the area right to the back of the property. 

An hour later I hear leaves crunching, I look to my left and bam there was a deer in the thick brush headed my way. Come to find out, it was a buck! He walked right to the base of my tree and I could do nothing about it, he kept looking up at me, but I stayed still and closed my eyes for a few seconds at a time. He turned, providing a quartering away shot, but the window was small, I had to shoot in between branches and I didn't have my bow ready, because I could do nothing as he looked at me. He walks in front of some little cluster of brush 5 yard in front of my stand, I ready my bow as he can't see me now, then the bastard laid down!

I stood there, bow ready for like 5 mins, my arms got tired so I sat down and waited........and waited. At this point, I'm texting my buddy and wife letting them know what's going on. I decided to hit the bleat can I had in my pocket to get him to stand up, I flipped the can and he didn't even look! What the hell? I wait, flip it again and he at least looked but didn't give a damn about that bleat. I ended up waiting for over 30 mins! 

Then, he finally stood up as he heard something behind me. I'm thinking, god don't let those guys that walked in be walking out and spook my deer. Well that didn't happen, and the buck finally starts to walk away from me, I raise my bow waiting for him to turn slightly, and hit a window of an opening for me to shoot. He did just that, he was quartering away, inside of two small trees, when I put my Muzzy right behind his ribcage, smack! I nailed it, it took off like a bat out of hell crashing through the brush, then I heard it fall and get quiet! 

I was on cloud nine! Outside of my son's first deer, it was the best hunt I've ever been on, so many things ran through my head during that 30 min wait. I waited until I stopped shaking to get out of the stand. I climbed out, found blood and started tracking. I figured I was good because I knew I hit him good and I heard him crash. As luck would have it, he fell right next to a farm trail, big enough to drive my truck down! I drove my truck down the trail, loaded him up by myself I might add, and backed out to the field to gut him. Sorry for the long winded story, but It was a good day that I felt I wanted to share.


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

Not a giant, but I'll take it!


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## dmgonfishin55 (Jan 8, 2009)

Congrats IDK!


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## fishforfun (Apr 9, 2005)

Congrats on your buck...


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## AEFISHING (Apr 25, 2004)

Congrats!!


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

Thanks guys!


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Nice job on keeping a calm head while it was bedded. Congratulations on your first buck. 


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## lang99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Awesome congrats!


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

Thanks Bob, it was a tense half hour for me. Haha. I was afraid I was going to blow it.


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## Homey (Apr 20, 2004)

Congrats! Nice 1st buck!


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

Atta boy Bobby!! Good story to read!


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## wannabe (Dec 24, 2007)

That's a great hunt,one you will remeber forever!!!


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Congrats on your first!


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## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

GOOD FOR YOU. CONGRATs. 

Nik,


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

&#128077; thanks. I'm now attempting a DIY European mount. Time consuming


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

congrats on your buck! let me tell you the short version of my first buck. I put in for a drawing to hunt opening day at a wildlife preserve with some friends, and we all got drawn to hunt. and like you I started deer hunting at an older age, I was 30 on my first hunt. my friends put me next to a swamp close to the river. it was gun season and bucks only. well I had a couple of does walk out of the swamp and came within about 20 yrds. my heart was beating about 3800 beats a minute. so after lunch I moved down the trail next to the river for my afternoon hunt. I seen 4 does but no bucks. it was still a great day for me. so the next morning I went back down to the river and climbed up a tree. about 9:00 am I seen this big doe coming down the trail on the other side of the river. but it didn't cross the river it made a turn and walked along the river.

I kept thinking about what I had been told about a lone doe might be followed by a buck so I kept watching the doe and her back trail. and sure enough I seen something move in the corner of my eye. and I looked and it was a nice little buck. I didn't try to count points or anything it was coming right at me. it got to the river and just stepped in the river and the doe grunted. the buck raised his head and went back to shore. then he turned and walked down the bank. I waited for him to get behind some bushes and I got my gun up and got ready. as soon as he walked out I fired and he took off running and I fired again then my old gun jammed. the gun was an old savage auto loader that my brother had found in a trash can with a bent barrel. he straightened the barrel and sold it to me for 40.00.
then he got behind some bushes and I couldn't see him so I climbed down and started looking for a place to wade the river. when I got to where I shot the deer the blood was everywhere. he ran about 30 yrds. he was a nice little 10 pointer, nothing to really brag about, but I was very proud of him. and I remember every little detail of that hunt. and i'll bet 30 yrs from now you'll remember this hunt like it was yesterday.

this post ended up being longer than I thought and for that im really sorry. oh yea I took the rack and feet and made me a nice little bow rack.
sherman


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## beetlebailey (May 26, 2009)

idontknow316 said:


> Not a giant, but I'll take it!


alsome good job!!!!


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## rutnut245 (Jan 18, 2009)

Congratulations! Very cool, but I have to disagree about bow hunting requiring less or being easier than gun hunting.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Great job *idk316* 

Agree strongly with this...



> orig. posted by *bucknut245*:
> 
> ...but I have to disagree about bow hunting requiring less or being easier than gun hunting.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

rutnut245 said:


> Congratulations! Very cool, but I have to disagree about bow hunting requiring less or being easier than gun hunting.


I have to agree with this myself. I hunted with a compound bow for many yrs and only took very few deer. I have gun and muzzle loader hunted for more yrs than I want to admit. I have been lucky enough to get atleast 1 dear every yr but 3. most of them came in muzzle loader season.. I've been deer hunting since 1981 I think, LOL.
sherman


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

Sorry guys, but did I miss something? Who said bow hunting was easier? I sure don't think that's the case!


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

Ah, I see. I meant easier and less knowhow required to shoot a crossbow vs. a compound.


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## Dan (Jul 16, 2007)

Congrats on your first buck!


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

idontknow316 said:


> &#128077; thanks. I'm now attempting a DIY European mount. Time consuming


Congrats on your deer. How did your first euro mount end up for you? If any of you members on here try it for the first time make sure that you stab the deer in both eyes with a knife before you start simmering. You will understand why as soon as you start pulling flesh.


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

It was a lot of work, more than I thought it would be. Very time consuming. But I did it, not bad for the first try. I haven't bleached the skull yet.


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