My first deer

[deadeye]

While cleaning my deer rifle the other day, I got a little nostalgic and dug out some old photos.  Below is a picture of me, my gun and my first deer.  This was taken back in 1974 but I remember it as if it were yesterday.  A friend and I headed out from his in laws house into some woods we had never been in.  We came up to what looked like a good stand tree.  Back then a good stand tree was one that was big enough to support you and had low branches that you could use to climb into it.  Once in the tree, I found a spot where I could wedge myself into with some reasonable chance of not falling out.  My friend continued on deeper into the woods.  Not long after he was gone, a buck came towards me from the direction my friend had just gone.  This was my first lesson on how bucks avoid hunters.  The buck was moving through a small stand of aspen about 20 feet from the tree.  All I know about the next few seconds is I somehow managed to get a shot off without falling or shooting my foot.  The problem was the deer wasn’t lying on the ground and wasn’t running away, but I couldn’t see it.  This was my first lesson on how a motionless deer can simply not be seen.  After some searching through the scope, I saw an eye, then an ear, and then the deer materialized just standing there.  Now this time I took my time, lined up on his neck and the deer dropped in his tracks.  This was my first lesson on taking the time to make the shot count.  By the way, I’m still using the same rifle and scope (Remington .270 Leupold scope) that I have used every year since I shot my first deer, including the nice 10 point I got this year. 

[Boar]

Way cool. DE.

[corny13]

Sweet!
 

[dakids]

A good gun will last a lifetime.  Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

[corny13]

Great story Deadeye, mine was 1969 Sept. I had saved my $$ and bought a Ben Pearson recurve, homemade cedar arrows, single blade broad head,  15' shot. I was sitting in a tree fork about 15' up.  First a doe showed with this little 4x4 following.  My buddy's dad came and taught me how to track a blood trail. He found him about 50yds away.  He also taught me how to butcher a deer that night.  Thank you, Mr. Rall.I was hunting about 50 yds from the Red river north of Grand Forks. I was 14, still have the Bow, kill arrow, and Rack !  Sorry quality of photo its faded with time, my mother kept it in her kitchen.

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