How Old Were You When You Got Your First Deer

[Dakotared]

I started when I was 12 and finally sealed the deal when I was 18. It was about a 250 yard shot at a doe running full speed across a potato field 3rd shot dropped her head over heals. Man just typing this up brings me back to that great moment for me. Since then I have taken 8 more and helped finish off a half dozen more or so.

[762sultan]

I always wanted to hunt with Dad but at 5 I did't understand that I was too young. He got me my first gun at 6...a daisy BB gun. By age 10 I was very good at keeping rabbits out of the garden. At age 12 I began shooting his Springfield 30-06. I was ready to hunt... finally. As luck would have it a group of his friends hunted with us and put on drives so a deer would come our way. At about 3pm they pushed a doe right past our stand. I don't know who was more excited...him or me. I still have that old Springfield and I plan to work up a cast boolit load for it.

[rush1886]

I was 22.
Mom never cottoned to guns. To boot, I was a "sickly child" Had polio, rheumatic fever, a fractured skull from being hit by a truck on my way to kindergarten. Mom was some protective, and never cottoned to guns.

By the time I turned 18, I'd had about enough of being shielded and protected. Went out and bought myself a 22, then another, then a 30/30, and proceeded to go deer huntin'. Not a clue, no training, no outings with Dad or other kin. I wanted to, and I did it. Took several years. I knew nothing!

Learned all I could thru Outdoor Life and Sports Afield. Managed to be there when a coupla high school buddies took their first ones.

Got invited to hunt with a group of 4 other guys, in October 1974. It was a brisk 10` morning. We were going to fan out across a ridgeline, hunt to the top, meet up for lunch and take it from there. About half way up the ridge, I came across a decent set of tracks, and lost track and interest in the other 4 guys. I was HUNTING!
Followed the tracks maybe a quarter mile. Worked thru a stand of oak brush, and beheld the grandest thing I'd ever seen. A 2x3 point mule deer buck, about 80 or so yds up the hill from me, broadside and looking right at me. I'd played this scene out in my mind several thousand times before. There was no hesitation, no buck fever, no adrenalin, the rifle just positioned itself on my shoulder, the safety took itself off, and the trigger pulled itself. The buck never knew what hit him. DRT! For the record, it was a 130gr Nosler partition, out of my brand spanking new Ruger M77, 270Win. I had become a Jack O'Connor fan.
Then the adrenalin, buck fever and all else kicked in. It was all I could manage to make it the 80yds to the buck on my rubber knees. But I did it, and I'll never forget it. I can still smell that morning. I can still feel that rifle recoil, and still watch that buck drop where he was standing.

I'm 60yrs old now. Mom has eaten many a venison meal, and even likes it. Still won't cotton to guns though.

[EDG]

Anything in my family that was expendable and cost money was discouraged - that meant ammo.
I had no support in this what so ever. We saw a few deer in the early 60s. A paper delivery man hit a buck about 1961 on the farm to market road. He normally drove about 70. He and my GF field dressed it and split the meat.
The next summer I saved my change and bought a rifle. Then I got my $.25 (thats right twenty five cents) exempt hunting license. I lived with my grandfather on his farm and you got an exempt license if you hunted on your own property back then. In 1962, the Texas whitetail season began Nov 15 which was a Wednesday. It always began on the 15th no matter what day of the week at that time frame. As a school kid I was at a disadvantage because I got no vacation from school to go hunting. So I was not able to hunt the first 3 days of the season. That Saturday morning was cool and the clouds were very low and moving fast even though there was little surface wind. At 5 AM I left the house and began a mile and a half hike. I crossed 3 barbed wire fences in the dark. My timing was good so I arrived at my hunting location about 15 to 20 mins before shooting light. Afflicted by beginners luck, a nice 8 point buck walked into view at 3 oclock to my location. For some reason he walked around to the preferred 12 oclock location and I shot him.
Fast forward a year. JFK is killed. The next day school is closed. I go deer hunting for the second time in my life. An even better 8 point buck this time.
The area became know for deer because of me. The next year all the land around was leased to deer hunters and I was SOL. No more deer hunting for me. The family was too hungry for money.
I did not hunt again until I was an adult and could afford to lease my own place to hunt.

[Ozarklongshot]

Friday (two days ago) I took my step son with me out to make a run for some more venison on the last day of the season. We have some large hay fields that for some reason this year are full of deer every evening. Took up a spot in a branch (wet weather ditch between two fields) Just as we get the hide set up and all comfy a fat 8 point shows up lasered at 280 yds. It was about 45 minutes before the regular herds show up so I put it down with a Colt Sauer 7mag. We just let it lay and waited. in about 40 minutes we had over 30 deer from 175yds to way way out there. Got son settled on a big doe at just past 200yds. He touched one off and that silly thing ran right at us and fell over dead 35 feet from us. Son stayed calm and asked about a second. Sure, go ahead. He calmly settled on another and put here down DRT. He was shooting my M77 243 and both shots were very well placed. His first deer, two actually and my last one this year. Was a really good day. We don't hunt horn. We are all about meat. Living on a cattle farm and we haven't eaten beef at home for years. My wife process's them and shoots her fair share of deer also. It's not a sport and we're not trying to prove our manliness. It's just the way we have always lived and I wouldn't change it for the world. For the record we can legally take 6 deer each if we don't want to us the depredation permits. We have more deer than squirrels these days.

[K-Rod]

Started at 12 but didnt get to drag anything home until I was 16. I'll never forget either day

[Andrew Mason]

im still looking.
had my first chance a few months ago, but didnt pull the trigger.

so im still on the hunt.

i am 23

[bucklind2]

I got my first deer during what was then affectionately called "Rabbit Season" in WV. It used to be bucks only for as long as I could remember, then they opened up antler less in about 1984 I think. It lasted 2 days and if memory serves me correctly there were more deer taken in those 2 days than in the bucks only in 2 weeks.

[cattleskinner]

I had been hunting for deer since about the age of 14 with a co-worker of my dad's. I never had the opportunity to pull the trigger on one until 16, where I was able to finally drive on my own and went to another place to hunt. My first deer ended up getting a big old doe with a single shot New England Firearms 20 gauge using the old Winchester BRI slugs. As they say, it has been all down hill from there, getting at least one a year since then. I guess it pays to own land, to hunt by yourself so the deer aren't pressured, and to watch them all summer so you can harvest one on the first day or two most years. It also helps not to be picky especially when you just want to eat them, i.e. I shoot mostly does.

[2HighSpeed]

I was 16, My crazy uncles decided to give me my Papaw's double barrel sawed off shotgun. 5'7 and 109 pounds at the time, It broke my collarbone and my jaw. Man that sucked. Didnt pick up a gun again untill last year, My husbands S&W 45. He just bought me a diamondback .380 and it has become my best friend!

[somedude101]

This year, I shot my first deer. I'm 28 years old I've shot rabbit and squirl before, mut this is my first deer. Shot him with my DPMS Lr 308.

[RoyEllis]

We don't hunt horn. We are all about meat. Living on a cattle farm and we haven't eaten beef at home for years. My wife process's them and shoots her fair share of deer also. It's not a sport and we're not trying to prove our manliness. It's just the way we have always lived and I wouldn't change it for the world. For the record we can legally take 6 deer each if we don't want to us the depredation permits.

Yep! Same way I am...can't eat horns no matter how long ya boil them. We get 6 a year (7 if ya count Holiday antlerless only season) & it's a rare thing if I don't tag out every year. With my lifetime combo license, deer tags are free and I'd be ashamed to waste free tags!

[rhadamanthos12]

This will be my first year hunting hoping that I will be successful and take a deer, so if that is the case I will be 29 when/if that happens.

[Friends call me Pac]

I was 13. Used a 16 ga bolt action with #1 buckshot. I'm going to be 47 this year and my dad still has that dinky 3 point rack in his house.

[Loony44]

I was 36 in 1991 and stationed at Ft. Huachuca, Az. Shot a nice little Couse with a .50cal TC Hawken.

[Matt_G]

I was 13. Used a 16 ga bolt action with #1 buckshot. I'm going to be 47 this year and my dad still has that dinky 3 point rack in his house.

Of course he does. Duh!!
My Dad has a 16 ga. bolt action also. Can't for the life of me remember the make or model. I've got to call and ask him now. It will drive me crazy till I do...

[Old Ironsights]

Mossberg made them for House Brand guns. I have one stamped "Western Auto". It has a 3 rd detatchable box mag.

[Matt_G]

Found out my Dad's is a J.C. Higgins Model 583.21
Weird model number...
2 3/4 chamber, full choke.
He told me he hates shooting it because he swears that thing kicks more than his 12 ga.

[birddog21]

i was 13 and used a single 20ga i got for christmas the year before they guys from the club said it sounded like an auto goin off on the mountain shot at the 3pt 8 times turned out one hit him not sure first or last

[hd09]

I was 14, A spike with a 12 ga slug from maybe 10 yds. Scared the heck out of me when he jumped out of the brush. The dogs were pushin' him pretty good. I was lucky to get the shot off that quick. He dropped about 5 more yds from me.