Your first deer

I was a late bloomer. I was 20 years old (1977), Browning BLR, 308 Winchester. Deer was hunted and killed in the state of Maine. I sold the rifle in 1978, I was a starving college student.
 

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First deer was when I was 14 with a rifle that I worked for during summer break for a wage on the ranch. A 1944 German Mauser k98k sporter, still have it and wont part with it. It's my first love and what has gotten me into hunting and Mauser's.

I have much nicer hunting rifles now but still take it out from time to time. I got many firsts with that rifle. First deer, moose, bear.
 
Last year...41.

I was in a bad mood from work and went out (wanted to take 3 days off for the season and couldn't so I called in sick). Didn't see anything all morning. Decided to check the wooded valley north of us and went down to a spot that was easy walking. Heard the branches snapping up on the valley wall about 75 yards aw Saw the Antlers, and luckily I put my scope back to 2power, let my custom (not built by me, 43kar98 action, zastava barrel, walnut stock) 6.5x55 rip. Thought I missed as he struggled up the steep snowy wall, As soon as he half assed jumped the fence I saw his insides bounce out. Luckily it wasn't a gut shot but it split him as if he was being gutted by a knife. Went back up the way I came and saw him sprinting with insides hanging out and bouncing. He tried another fence and left his insides on it. Luckily he piled up on the other side.

Got my truck and went all the way around a mile to the other side.

Successful gut of what was left...drag to my truck. Got barely stuck as its rwd...walked a mile home. Got quad and sled....the rest is history.

Decided to get tire chains for the quad , scabbard, and a better sled. Plus 300ft of rope just incase. I was thinking as I was driving the truck around to him, I should have took the quad.

Still have that 6.5x55. I use it primarily for coyotes. It shoots 100grn bullets very well. Not sure why I decided to take that one with me. Think I had my other rifles with me previous year and skunked out.
 

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For me it was a mulie doe in 1982 when I was 16 if I recall correctly. WMU 306 here in Alberta, with a Remington 700 ADL 30-06, Federal Premium 165gr boattail loads. Still own the rifle.
 
My first, and only to date, was a nice 6 pt buck, taken in 2009 with a fellow hunter buddy and coworker’s Savage Axis bolt action in .30-06. It was a clean through and through that got the lungs and the top of the heart perfectly. I probably couldn’t do that shot again if I tried. The buck was maybe 40 yds from me when I hit it. It dropped in 6 paces.
 
hondroid said:
My first, and only to date, was a nice 6 pt buck, taken in 2009 with a fellow hunter buddy and coworker’s Savage Axis bolt action in .30-06. It was a clean through and through that got the lungs and the top of the heart perfectly. I probably couldn’t do that shot again if I tried. The buck was maybe 40 yds from me when I hit it. It dropped in 6 paces.
Click to expand...
My first deer was taken with my first gun. Large doe in Saskatchewan with an SKS at 100 yards. Still have the gun.
 
Funny side note to my story... Dad and "uncle" (very close friend of my father) guided me over radio on how to field dress it. What we didn't know is that the general store in town had a scanner. The owner and patrons were quite entertained. We found out when we got back to "camp" (the property owner's and good friend's farm house). He went to the store to pick up some stuff and was told all about it. He didn't know it was us until he got back home.
 
Jungle Carbine (303) back around 1970. Another hunter showed me how to gut it right. At 16 I didn’t know shi+. Was a very large mule buck that tasted of musk 😨.
 
I was 13 years old and I was using a Winchester 30-30. It was a doe at a slow walk at about 60 yards. I grew up hunting in Northern Ontario with a family and close friend group of about 15 people
 
Having been toted to elk and deer camps since age 4, in 1969 - At the ripe ol' age of ten, Pa decided it was time for me to start earning my keep. So he and I wandered up one of the local mountains in search of Mulies.
Saw a few, but Pa was fussy, insisting they had to be a four point or better to come home with us.

At one point I saw what I thought was a decent buck, and whispered to Pa - hey, is that one good enough?
His answer was an incredibly fast mounting of his 270, and a swift shot to the lungs of that big buck.
Then he looked at me and said, the lesson here is not only do you have to be good son, it pays to be rather fast!
I did not connect that year...

Fast forward to 1970 and back up the same hill with pa.
Saw another four point buck at around 100 yards.
No word to Pa, and Ma's 250-3000 climbed to my shoulder smoothly and swiftly.
Pa jumped some at the shot, as did the buck.
Pa recovered quickly, not so much for the deer.
Pa grinned at me and said I see you learned well my son, then gave me a huge hug before we dressed my first of many...

I have hunted, and connected on big game every single year since then.
I suspect I will continue to do so for as long as I am on this journey called life.

As for the rifle, it remains in the family (Pa).
I will eventually inherit it, but hope that day is a long ways off!

Cheers,
Nog
 
I never hunted a whole lot when I was real young. My father never went, so I kind of got into it on my own. I got my PAL and hunter safety courses when I was old enough, and just kind of hunted off and on for a few years.
Got my first deer November 12, 2003. 150 yards or so, with a Remington 7600 carbine. Still have the rifle, and I’ll never part with it.
 
My first deer was in September 2022. A black tailed buck. I was 37 years old and I used a rifle, Parker Hale custom no1 lee Enfield. It was the first rifle I ever bought (got it in 2015)

But before my first deer I shot a mountain goat (August 2022) with the same rifle. I know most people shoot a deer first but I was assuming you were implying first big game animal.
 
I was 13 or 14. Running deer with hounds. Nice doe at 80 yards. My dads Winchester 30/30. Its a family gun, my nephew currently uses it, he got a nice buck with it last fall.
 
My first deer was a young 4x4 whitetail shot in the neck right behind the skull at about 40 yards with a 50s era Model 94 30/30. That rifle isnt changing hands and still sees range time and the occasional trip thru the bush.
I was 13 or 14 at the time. Had previously missed a mature buck that morning running thru a logged cut block. Excitement and shakes likely to blame.
The young buck I did get later that morning led me to hoot and holler in excitement. My dads hunting buddy was the first to come over as he thought I shot my foot hahahaha
 
my first deer was when I was 11 years old ( with my dad of course)( I'm 67 years old)
I used his 94 30/30. ####-eyed mounted scope,because of the top eject.
I still have that rifle. The butt stock looks like a bear had chewed on it.
Went on to buy a Marlin 336c. Many years later I lost it in a poker game. Dang
 
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