Your first deer

[treeroot]

For some it was long long ago, others this year. What is the story of the first deer you harvested?

[Jmitch]

Killed my first deer at 18 after trying for 5 years. My dad and I were in the 3rd year of trying to teach ourselves how to hunt big woods deer in northern WI. Set up on a big oak flat all opening day and about 3 in the afternoon I saw my first deer of the day. A lone adult doe feeding on acorns maybe 50 yards away. One quick round thru the heart and I was officially a killer. Ended up getting pretty good at that big woods game until the wolves, winters, and then wife and kids made it so I has to stick closer to home about 5 yrs after that. Still miss those "deer camps" with just me and dad tho. And something about the seemingly endless public timber was always fun to me. Hope someday I can convince myself to hunt up there again.

I had a few opportunities before that doe but just never sealed the deal. When I first started at like 13 or 14 we hunted in one of the highest density areas of the state right before cwd was found. I saw a ton of deer but the only gun I had access to was a 870 12 gauge with a rifle barrel and scope. Now at 13 I probably didnt wiegh close to 100 pounds and that gun rocked my world and I was scared to death of it. I never told my dad that was the reason i never killed anything is I was scared of my gun and to this day I still havent killed anything with it. When cwd hit we left that area as it was smack in the middle of the core area and started hunting at our cabin.

[The Mediocre Hunter]

For some it was long long ago, others this year. What is the story of the first deer you harvested?

It will be this coming weekend. Story is still being written.

[The Mediocre Hunter]

Killed my first deer at 18 after trying for 5 years. My dad and I were in the 3rd year of trying to teach ourselves how to hunt big woods deer in northern WI. Set up on a big oak flat all opening day and about 3 in the afternoon I saw my first deer of the day. A lone adult doe feeding on acorns maybe 50 yards away. One quick round thru the heart and I was officially a killer. Ended up getting pretty good at that big woods game until the wolves, winters, and then wife and kids made it so I has to stick closer to home about 5 yrs after that. Still miss those "deer camps" with just me and dad tho. And something about the seemingly endless public timber was always fun to me. Hope someday I can convince myself to hunt up there again.

I had a few opportunities before that doe but just never sealed the deal. When I first started at like 13 or 14 we hunted in one of the highest density areas of the state right before cwd was found. I saw a ton of deer but the only gun I had access to was a 870 12 gauge with a rifle barrel and scope. Now at 13 I probably didnt wiegh close to 100 pounds and that gun rocked my world and I was scared to death of it. I never told my dad that was the reason i never killed anything is I was scared of my gun and to this day I still havent killed anything with it. When cwd hit we left that area as it was smack in the middle of the core area and started hunting at our cabin.

That's awesome man! Was it non stop after that first doe? Have you thought about taking the wife and kids to deer camp? I don't know how old your kids are. Took mine last year. They stayed around camp doing school work and other tasks. Also bought a blind and took them with me and they seemed to enjoy it.

[BigRed]

I was 16, hunting public land hill country in se mn, thanksgiving day '98. I was listening to the Vikings high powered offense beat the Cowboys to prove they were for real that year w my walkmen through static and poor reception lol. That was back 20 yrs ago when there was a lottery for doe tags down there still. My dad had a doe tag I didn't. We didn't really know what we were doing at that point. It was getting towards closing time and we hadn't seen anything so we headed back toward the cut corn fields on the top of the ridge to maybe catch something feeding. It was a long ridge that was 2 miles long probably. Out in the middle of the highest point of the ridge was an old windbreak where there was a huge oak tree. There was a guy that used to sit in that thing all day in an old wood permanent that had been there a long time. We named him "tree stand man," you could see a long ways from there which could be a blessing and a curse in the days before rangefinders. We were probably 250-300 yards from him but couldn't see him due to the rolling landscape. All of a sudden he opens up 5 times, over the hill come 2 mature does running full bore. My dad shoots when they came within 40-50 yards unloads and misses. He says take a crack. By this time they are 75-80 yards away and running harder for dear life. I thought ok, w little hope of actually connecting. I lead the first one w my open sights 870 and shoot once. She summersaults but over tea cups dead. The other doe disappears over the hill. i couldn't believe what just happened and neither could my dad. Of course he was more jacked than I was. We walked up to it and I had shot it through the heart. It was a shot I'll probably never make again if I tried. However Im not a huge fan of shooting at deer running like that anymore at the risk of wound one. It was a fun memory that still gets talked about when we starting talking about tough shots. The only regret is there are no pictures.

[matt1336]

I was 13. I was sitting in some dangerous stand made of 2x4s. No safety harness no supervision. I wore my sorel boots that never kept my feet warm, cotton long underwear, a flannel and some puffy orange coat with a furry collar. A nubby buck came in and I shot him with my 12 gauge that had a bird barrel on it.....I could hit a pumpkin at 50 yards 4 out of 5 times with that thing. Close enough was good enough. It was 1980something. Don’t make it harder than it is. Lol.

[treeroot]

I hunted on a guy's land that allowed me to sit in one stand. I didn't grow up in a hunting family, actually my mother was against it. I wasn't allowed to hunt alone on our property so i only had one choice. I hunted everytime I could get a ride to his place. I hunted the same stand every time for bow for two years. It was a homemade ladder nailed to a pallet that was nailed to a beech tree. Without a seat I had to sit sideways on a branch, most of the time I just stood. The second year I finally saw my first deer a small 4 point. I shot straight over it's back. How I could even shoot that bow is a mystery and a story for another time.

That year at 15 I could finally gun hunt. Against my mother's wishes my father bought be the cheapest mossberg pump shotgun with a bird barrel. I traded some work for a neighbor for a box of slugs and boy was I ready. Opening morning came and brought with it a snowstorm. 2 feet of fresh snow and more coming down. I didn't care I was a big gun hunter now. The morning light broke free along with shots heard in all directions. Before i know it i have two doe running down the hill towards me. They pause 40 yards away and I unloaded at the biggest one. 5 shots worth of my sweat rang from that old mossberg. Up to that point I never shot my gun i only had a box of slugs. But being a dumb kid with no instructions I was bound and determined to get a deer. 4 of the 5 missed but by the 5th I corrected for the no accuracy and shot the poor deer straight in the but as she ran away. By some miracle she made it a few steps and fell over. I found the bullet lodged in her ribs. Finally I was a killer. But I didn't know what to do next. So I climbed down and drug her through a valley and up hill the 3/4 mile to find the land owner.

A few hours later he came through and saw my doe and me sitting there on the hillside in the snowstorm. He says "do you have a doe tag?" I showed him my tags and he began swearing at me. I should've known better but at the time I thought it was an either sex tag, I was wrong. He signed over one of his still swearing. Then tells me to get her gutted and drag her the rest of the way back. I asked how to gut her as he was waking away all I got was "you take the guts out."

So for the next hour or so I tried my best at getting the guts out and started dragging her the other 1/2 mile. I kept having to stop and stick my hands in her to warm up so I could keep my grip. I spent the rest of the day waiting to either be picked up, or for him to come back so I could call home. I lost my knife somewhere in the snow and got chewed out for it. That was the last time I wad invited to hunt with him. By the next season my rebellious years were in full swing and I cobbled my own portable plywood stand together and hunted at home.

Yes I I should've known better lol.

[matt1336]

I hunted on a guy's land that allowed me to sit in one stand. I didn't grow up in a hunting family, actually my mother was against it. I wasn't allowed to hunt alone on our property so i only had one choice. I hunted everytime I could get a ride to his place. I hunted the same stand every time for bow for two years. It was a homemade ladder nailed to a pallet that was nailed to a beech tree. Without a seat I had to sit sideways on a branch, most of the time I just stood. The second year I finally saw my first deer a small 4 point. I shot straight over it's back. How I could even shoot that bow is a mystery and a story for another time.

That year at 15 I could finally gun hunt. Against my mother's wishes my father bought be the cheapest mossberg pump shotgun with a bird barrel. I traded some work for a neighbor for a box of slugs and boy was I ready. Opening morning came and brought with it a snowstorm. 2 feet of fresh snow and more coming down. I didn't care I was a big gun hunter now. The morning light broke free along with shots heard in all directions. Before i know it i have two doe running down the hill towards me. They pause 40 yards away and I unloaded at the biggest one. 5 shots worth of my sweat rang from that old mossberg. Up to that point I never shot my gun i only had a box of slugs. But being a dumb kid with no instructions I was bound and determined to get a deer. 4 of the 5 missed but by the 5th I corrected for the no accuracy and shot the poor deer straight in the but as she ran away. By some miracle she made it a few steps and fell over. I found the bullet lodged in her ribs. Finally I was a killer. But I didn't know what to do next. So I climbed down and drug her through a valley and up hill the 3/4 mile to find the land owner.

A few hours later he came through and saw my doe and me sitting there on the hillside in the snowstorm. He says "do you have a doe tag?" I showed him my tags and he began swearing at me. I should've known better but at the time I thought it was an either sex tag, I was wrong. He signed over one of his still swearing. Then tells me to get her gutted and drag her the rest of the way back. I asked how to gut her as he was waking away all I got was "you take the guts out."

So for the next hour or so I tried my best at getting the guts out and started dragging her the other 1/2 mile. I kept having to stop and stick my hands in her to warm up so I could keep my grip. I spent the rest of the day waiting to either be picked up, or for him to come back so I could call home. I lost my knife somewhere in the snow and got chewed out for it. That was the last time I wad invited to hunt with him. By the next season my rebellious years were in full swing and I cobbled my own portable plywood stand together and hunted at home.

Yes I I should've known better lol.

Wow...he let you hunt, that’s cool. but what a butthole.

[EllieTheChubb]

12 years old I got a moose draw the 1st year my pops could put me in. He was happy I got it but told me many times he had been putting in for it longer than I'd been alive and never been drawn. I shot a cow day 3 and I was hooked.

First whitetail was a year later with a muzzleloader. Went out with one of my dad's friends and we bumped a couple does. I dropped one but not before my "guide" got real nervous I was taking so long. They were so close all I could see was brown when I brought the scope up. Took me a few seconds before I could figure out where I wanted to put the shot.

MY first deer was a small 8pt when I was 16. Bumbling around solo for the first time I just randomly picked the right funnel in big woods hill country thanksgiving weekend. I got lucky. Still my most memorable deer!

[PaPublicLandHunter]

I believe it was 2005. It was the rifle opener for Pa. Back then you could shoot either buck or doe (now it’s buck only the first week). It was my first year not sitting with my dad. He was only about 100 yards away with my younger brother for his first year hunting. As the sun came up the orange army shots rang throughout the woods. About a half hour later a group of 5 does came barreling through the thicket behind me and I couldn’t get turned fast enough for a shot. Next, another group of does came through the thicket and once again I was not ready. Shots seemed to be non stop that morning and I started to think there weren’t gonna be any deer left for me haha. Around 930 a group of three came out of the thicket and down the ridge passed me. At about 60 yards I got the scope on the first one I could and squeezed the trigger. It dropped in its tracks. I was so excited for my button buck. Funny thing was after walking up to it I found out my younger brother also had it in his scope and watched it drop from my shot I’ll never forget that hunt and think about it every year as I head for deer camp for rifle season.

[Hildebrand]

For me is was 2015, I was 24 years old. Was not brought up in a hunting household. Just thought it would be cool to hunt deer because I had some friends do it. I had went out a few times in prior years but maybe once a season and had no clue what I was doing lol I just had a weapon in my hands and walked around till I seen a trail and sat there lol In 2015 I was hunting a private land farm and there was corn around. It was about 30 minutes before dark and a raccoon came out and I stood up because I wanted to shoot it, I was in a ladder stand. As I was trying to get a shot I caught something in the corner of my eye and looked and seen a deer so I sat down and looked and said thats a buck. I remember telling myself that lol As I was trying to figure out in my head when to shot I seen movement behind him and said that deer is bigger and hes coming right to me. I will never forget shaking so bad I have no clue how neither one of these deer caught my movement. This buck gets 10 yards from me and turns broadside on the trail I walked in on and I shot. All I remember was I told myself I just shot this deer. I watched him take off and and go out the back of the woods into the corn field. I got down right away to check the arrow and sure enough I got guts/liver. I ran to my truck and called my buddy and had him come out and help me. We got the the corn field that butted up to a winter wheat field that was just popping and seen blood and tacks. He goes I dont know man,I dont thibk we will find him. If he get across that road and into the river bottom we are screwed because we cant track there. So we fallowed this edge of corn and wheat and had blood on the corn stocks and in the wheat. We got like 80 yards down and the deer jumped into the corn and my buddy goes this is good hes not doing well here and he should not be far away. As we got in the corn the deer kept cutting rows and taking corn with him and sure enough about 20 yards in he piled up. At that time I had my first buck in my hands and I will never forget that moment. A Michigan 8 point. And from there on I was hooked.

[Hildebrand]

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[Jmitch]

Killed my first deer at 18 after trying for 5 years. My dad and I were in the 3rd year of trying to teach ourselves how to hunt big woods deer in northern WI. Set up on a big oak flat all opening day and about 3 in the afternoon I saw my first deer of the day. A lone adult doe feeding on acorns maybe 50 yards away. One quick round thru the heart and I was officially a killer. Ended up getting pretty good at that big woods game until the wolves, winters, and then wife and kids made it so I has to stick closer to home about 5 yrs after that. Still miss those "deer camps" with just me and dad tho. And something about the seemingly endless public timber was always fun to me. Hope someday I can convince myself to hunt up there again.

I had a few opportunities before that doe but just never sealed the deal. When I first started at like 13 or 14 we hunted in one of the highest density areas of the state right before cwd was found. I saw a ton of deer but the only gun I had access to was a 870 12 gauge with a rifle barrel and scope. Now at 13 I probably didnt wiegh close to 100 pounds and that gun rocked my world and I was scared to death of it. I never told my dad that was the reason i never killed anything is I was scared of my gun and to this day I still havent killed anything with it. When cwd hit we left that area as it was smack in the middle of the core area and started hunting at our cabin.

That's awesome man! Was it non stop after that first doe? Have you thought about taking the wife and kids to deer camp? I don't know how old your kids are. Took mine last year. They stayed around camp doing school work and other tasks. Also bought a blind and took them with me and they seemed to enjoy it.

Pretty much. Think I've killed atleast one every year since and quite a few doubles. Including 5 bucks over 135" in the 15 yrs since. Early on it was a struggle to even see deer now I pass countless shot opportunities a year and never really worry about "getting one".

Someday I'll hunt up north again but for now I have way better opportunities 10 minutes from home. Makes the 4 hour trip one way hard to do. Plus my dad stopped hunting out of the cabin at the same time as me and most of our friends from the neighboring camps either got old, died, or quit going to camp too when the deer numbers nose dived. All that combined with young kids makes it hard to justify even if for just nostalgia.

[Racks&Beards]

1989 12 years old. Took a doe on public land with my Model 700 .243

[The Mediocre Hunter]

Killed my first deer at 18 after trying for 5 years. My dad and I were in the 3rd year of trying to teach ourselves how to hunt big woods deer in northern WI. Set up on a big oak flat all opening day and about 3 in the afternoon I saw my first deer of the day. A lone adult doe feeding on acorns maybe 50 yards away. One quick round thru the heart and I was officially a killer. Ended up getting pretty good at that big woods game until the wolves, winters, and then wife and kids made it so I has to stick closer to home about 5 yrs after that. Still miss those "deer camps" with just me and dad tho. And something about the seemingly endless public timber was always fun to me. Hope someday I can convince myself to hunt up there again.

I had a few opportunities before that doe but just never sealed the deal. When I first started at like 13 or 14 we hunted in one of the highest density areas of the state right before cwd was found. I saw a ton of deer but the only gun I had access to was a 870 12 gauge with a rifle barrel and scope. Now at 13 I probably didnt wiegh close to 100 pounds and that gun rocked my world and I was scared to death of it. I never told my dad that was the reason i never killed anything is I was scared of my gun and to this day I still havent killed anything with it. When cwd hit we left that area as it was smack in the middle of the core area and started hunting at our cabin.

That's awesome man! Was it non stop after that first doe? Have you thought about taking the wife and kids to deer camp? I don't know how old your kids are. Took mine last year. They stayed around camp doing school work and other tasks. Also bought a blind and took them with me and they seemed to enjoy it.

Pretty much. Think I've killed atleast one every year since and quite a few doubles. Including 5 bucks over 135" in the 15 yrs since. Early on it was a struggle to even see deer now I pass countless shot opportunities a year and never really worry about "getting one".

Someday I'll hunt up north again but for now I have way better opportunities 10 minutes from home. Makes the 4 hour trip one way hard to do. Plus my dad stopped hunting out of the cabin at the same time as me and most of our friends from the neighboring camps either got old, died, or quit going to camp too when the deer numbers nose dived. All that combined with young kids makes it hard to justify even if for just nostalgia.

That's cool man, plan on getting having that success rate one day. But yes I see what you're saying. I don't have any public right where I live but have a ton within 45min to 1.5 hrs from where I live. Problem is it gets pounded during rifle so I stopped going to most of it. Sometimes I think I'm pretty deep in and find beer cans and stuff laying around. Glad you have some nearby.