Tell us about your first deer hunting season...

[leechlake]

This time of year we all get pretty worked up for deer hunting. Tell us the story of your first deer hunt, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mine was about 22 years ago I was 15 years old and had no clue. I saw zero deer on stands but seemed to always miss one as I wandered aimlessly around the woods, some of the shots were a piece of cake but I still missed. I even missed probably the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods, near beginners luck. I ended up shooting a doe about one hour before the season ended. We were eating lunch getting ready to go home and a doe swam across our lake and I got a shot at her as she ran into the woods by our cabin. I would have taken a picture today, but I was proud then.

I remember using a Jon-E handwarmer out in the woods. Remember those, smelled to high heaven? No wonder I didn't see any deer on stands, my rifle was an old 8mm Mauser my unlce brought home from WWII, still have it.

[Ole #1]

My first deer season, I thoght my dad was punishing me. I froze my butt off, hands, feet and everything else. It was a very cold snowy opener, I got my firearms saftey permit as young as you could, I think I was 12 (14 yrs ago).

I didn't see any deer my first year, but my second year was something I'll never forget.

I shot a 6 point buck (the rack is still on my wall) in the first hour. My dad showed me how to gut it (I thought that was pretty interesting), then gave my 30-06 to my uncle because he hasn't shot his 1st deer yet. So I sit in a different stand later that morning and I was using a 12 GA becuase my uncle had my 30-06. I was looking one direction, then turned to look another and this giant buck was just there, only 20-30 yards from me, it was like it just showed up. This was a massive deer with a massive rack. I shook so hard, I couldn't aim straight, took a shot and the buck just looked at me. I pumped and took another shot, and the buck took off crashing away.

We searched and searched and but couldn't find any blood. The worst part was that my two uncles that were hunting with us didn't belive me, but my dad did.

I have been hooked ever since then, but back then we hunted on 165 acres in Blackduck. It was my dad's uncles land, he died of cancer about 11 yrs ago and his wife sold the land to someone outside of the family for only $25,000. I haven't used a rifle to kill a deer since then, just a bow becuase I only have permission to bow hunt on land in the cities.

I still love to deer hunt, but boy do I miss that land in Blackduck.

Ole

[hunt4food]

I remeber it like it was yesterday, but it was really 20 years ago. I was 14 years old when dad finally allowed me to hunt on my own. We hunt the metro area so shotguns and slugs were our method. I remember barely being able to hit a 5 gallon bucket at 50 yards with that old springfield 12ga. with a 30" full choke barrel and those old slugs. On the opening morning, I was up in my stand watching as the sun came up and all the brush and bushes started to look like a deer if I stared at them long enough. I was watching all around me just craving to take my first shot at a deer. I was confident that if any deer came within 100 yards of me, I would spot it. I still can't believe it, but I thought I heard a sound in the leaves so I turned around to look behind me. Much to my surprise, there's a 6 point buck standing broadside not more than 25 yards away. It was as he appeared right out of the ground. I put the bead on him and fired. He dropped in his tracks. At that point, my legs started trembling so bad I was just barely able to climb down the ladder to go check him out. I am pretty sure Imissed the bottom three steps. He was still alive, so I figured I would just simply use my knife and slit his throat. Well, I got a quick education when I tried that. I figured I would just step on the antler, reach down, make the cut and step back. Wrong!!! When I stepped on the antler and bent down, that buck expended his last ounce of energy and sent me flipping head over tea kettles with my knife still in my hand. I was lucky I was not hurt, but it did leave a dent in my pride. I stood there waiting for my dad with my gun pointing at that buck for fear it was going to get up and run away. My shot was good and knowing what I know now, I should have just stayed in the stand and waited. My dad also gave me the honors of gutting that first buck. It wasn't too bad since I had watched him do it several times before. I tore into it with confidence and really wanted to prove to him that I could do it. Well, everything was going well. I had the gutpile out, but it was still attached in the pelvic area. I figured if I grabbed there and pulled hard, it would come loose. Well, it did come loose, but not without first splashing what seemed like a gallon of blood and who knows what else all over my face, glasses, jacket, pants and boots. My dad was laughing so hard I thougth for sure he would pass out. I learned quite a bit that morning and I still laugh when I think about it. My legs still tremble every time I shoot a deer, but now I stay in the tree until I calm down a little. My dad only hunted a few more years after that and then he quit for awhile since he was self employed and was really busy in the fall. Last year, I talked him into doing it again after 10 years of not hunting. I was proud to do the honors of gutting his buck for him and it was funny to see how excited he was. I know he will deer hunt every year with me again now. He forgot how much he enjoyed it, but quickly rememered after shooting that buck!

[The Grebe]

First deer hunt was about 35 years ago...went down south, down around Redwing, with a fella I did'nt know very well.

It did'nt work according to the plans, I got left in the dark of morning and wound up meandering around those hills down there, until my legs about fell off!

Got back to the parking area and some really old guy had set a 5 gallon pail next to his truck sat down and wound up killing a nice buck almost in the parking lot! I'm thinking.."How hard can this be?"

The guy I went with, came across a little pod of deer, got buck fever and mowed them all down with a bolt action shotgun!

He was in a trance and working the bolt and pulling the trigger on an empty firearm! One guy had to gently get the gun out of his hands and lead him, mumbling and stiff legged, back to the car!

He just sat there, kinda dumb and numb looking, like someone had beaned him with a Louisville slugger! That was about it?

I can't recall if it was that same year, or the next, we were up by Cambridge, right on the line where Shotguns and centerfires meet, hunting some land we found out about.

Shortly after getting there, some guy clips a thumb sized branch off right next to my head, with his rifle! A little later in the day, some kids shotgun accidently fired and blew a big puff of dirt up right in front of us! I said, "Screw this!" it was the last time I hunted deer with a firearm...went to the bow and I think I became a pretty good hunter because of it! I figure there is a big difference between hunting and shooting!

[MARINERMAGNUM]

1975 11yrs. old,dad stopped truck,said "go stand in s.e. corner of field. got there,loaded slug in 20 ga.single shot,2 minutes pass,deer running to me,shot him thru neck. 15 pointer,just re-scored in 1998 at 159 5/8. 1st deer season? about 10 minutes! but will never forget.

[BLACKJACK]

It was 1980, had just gotten out of the Navy (Oct 19, will never forget that day!!!), decided to go deer hunting on Dads land. Borrowed Dads 16 gauge, scouted out a nice scrape, next morning I walk in carrying my chair, running late, I could already see around, sat down on my chair about 50 yards from the scrape. A little later, here comes a nice buck walking down to the scrape. As he checked it out, I stood up and let fly, he took off running back down the trail that he had come in on, broadside to me, me firing away. On my fifth and last shot he did a sumersault and laid there dead! It was 10 point but I was such a rookie that I called it an 8 point, not knowing that you also count the brow tines. Autopsy said that I'd hit him right in the neck/spine. I had never gutted a deer before or even watched it done, but I guess I had done enough squirrels and got'er done. Its been my biggest buck to date and hangs on my wall. I'll never forget it.

The first bow hunt that I ever went on, I had two spotted fawns come right in front of me. Cool. I've never seen spotted fawns again that late in the season.

[EXTREME]

My first day of season...19 years ago, was an interesting situation. Me and the old man sat until about 10 am when we decided to walk to the other side of the property. We were walking on the crunchiest leaves that I can ever remember when all of a sudden we stopped. I could hear a deer coming. How it didn't hear us was amazing in itself, but it was a nice 8 pointer. It was walking up to us swinging his head to and fro. He was in full rut. He walked at about 15 yards from me, and I can still hear my old man whispering, "shoot, shoot". At the time it seemed as if there was too much brush. When the deer got directly broadside with us, he started to pick up the pace...the old man finally plugged it before it got away. He just stood there and shook his head at me with a grin on his face. I still believe that if my did wasn't there, I would have got the deer. I think I was too afraid to shoot and miss in his presence. It was an awesome experience and one that I will never forget. Never got a deer until the next year, but that was cool anyway. Good thread!

[bigbucks]

I was 14, which makes it 23 years ago or something like that. Dad took me out in the grove behind the house with the old (1912 I think) single shot 12 gauge, with a paper cased bird shot shell, & had me shoot an old metal chicken feeder at about 20 yards. Okay, you're ready to go, well I wasn't really. I mean I'd had gun safety, but didn't know squat.

Opening day came, he put me on the ground on a field edge & I saw a deer run across the road down a field that I thought was out of range, so I didn't shoot. These days I'd have drilled it. It was probably 75-100 yards. After an hour or so I was so cold & my stomach so upset I had to head for Grandma & Grandpa's house. Spent the rest of the day between the couch under a blanket & the john, memorable, but not in a positive way.

The next day I was well enough to hunt all day & was part of a 5 man panel that proceeded to miss 2 or 3 deer that jumped up in front of us, in a fenceline we were walking along, enroute to make a drive. The deer were out there a ways & jumping almost straight up & down. I think there were around 20 slugs fired at those deer, without a hair being touched. That was back when there just weren't many deer. If we got 3 or 4 for 9 guys we had a very good hunt. I actually didn't get my first deer until my 6th or 7th year. I got two about 45 minutes a part & we only got one other deer that season.

[The Grebe]

You know, I posted a little earlier, on my less then desirable first experience deer hunting, but it did'nt sour me on it...I have had a ton of excellent experiences since, using the bow.

I've arrowed some deer, seen a whole bunch of nature right in front of me, seen some trophys, even seen late October spotted fawns, like Blackjack mentioned in his post.

First time was a definate bummer, but I can't remember a season since, that I have hunted, that I did'nt have a great time.

[BLACKJACK]

And you know what Grebe, as you get older you appreciate the hunting seasons even more!!

[mudman]

My first bow hunt was when I was 14. my dad doesn't hunt and gramps only gun hunts so I learn from the TV shows.
shot a small 6 first year! It was great tracked him for about 200 yds and found him in a small pond floating!
got some wadders and a rope and lassoed him and brought him back to shore!

Frist gun hunt was the same year with gramps. cold & snowing on some public land saw more hunters than deer.... no deer
but first time in the woods with gramps never forget.
Many a hunt has passed and we have been to different spots in the last 15yrs. mostly friends and familys land. shot some nice bucks but the real trophy is all the memories with gramps!

[bigbucks]

When you talk about hunting with gramps that cracks me up. My Grampa used to occasionally deer hunt with us, but he was no hunter. He couldn't hear that well, he was noisy, & had a lot of trouble turning his head due to a semi roll-over, but he was still really entertaining. His lack of patience is legendary. A deer better be on the run within 200 yards headed for his spot when he got there, or he'd be ready to go somewhere else. It was hilarious & he was a terrible shot. He rarely got the gun up fast enough to shoot & if he did he never hit anything.

He was most interested in driving the 4 wheel drive truck or tractor "where no worthless two wheel drive truck could go" to pick up a deer or pull out a "worthless two wheel drive". He was a livestock hauler for over 50 years, can you tell?

[TomBow]

I got started late with deer hunting. I remember hearing the stories of the deer hunting from my dad when we lived in WI and seeing the pictures of him and the guys he went hunting with. Typical rough looking guys, but what do you expect from 4 guys staying at a cabin with no running water and no women around. At about 10 years old, we moved to IA but I never deer hunted there. The first time I went was with my Dad and his bosses up in Rhinelander, WI. It was great to see the traditional hunting cabin, hear the big talk (b.s'ing), see all the old memorabilia collected over the years and see what the traditional hunt was all about. We are talkin' real WI deer hunting here in every traditional sense of those words! The first deer that I saw was a doe running across in front of me at about 40 yards. Never even lifted the gun, just watched her go, didn't even think that I should shoot.
My first successful year was after I moved to MN. Hunted with a friend of a friend, another WI transplant, down south of Hastings. We drove down in the dark to the parking lot, he went up one valley and I headed another direction. Wandered up the hill and sat down. At first light, I hear crunching in the leaves, look to my right and see an 8-point walking down the trail.....that I am sitting on! I turn my eyes away figuring he'll get off the trail and I can slowly turn and get a shot. I slowly turn, get the gun up, see the deer 50 yards into the brush, take aim and fire. I shot 3 slugs at that deer and never touched him. I just about left right there figuring if there was a barn, I'd be missin' 'er clean!! I moved up the hill and checked all over for blood, hair, anything and never found a sign of a hit after 45 minutes. I saw down on a rock and waited. 30 minutes later, a big doe comes down the same trail the buck was on, I take careful aim and pull the trigger when she was at 35 yards. She flipped end over end and didn't twitch once. My first deer ever. It's funny, I can't remember your name right after you tell me it, but I can see pictures in my head from every hunting trip I've ever been on! Best of Luck, hope all your hunts are awesome!