My first deer

[ilcop22]

'Evening,

I'm a little late posting this, but I wanted to share with the forums.

Opening weekend in SE Missouri (November 12th) I went on my first deer hunt with my dad and uncle. We were hunting a large private piece of property. Weather was great (mostly 60s!) and the woods were thick with whitetail.

I was hunting with my restored M1903a3 with fixed sights using a Lee C309-180-R, 34.5 grains of IMR 4895, Felix Lube, and a Wolf Large Rifle Primer. OAL was set to match that particular rifle.

I started my hunt just before the sun came up. The woods were noisy with hooves, and a buck was grunting at me from the rough as I moved towards the spot I picked out the day before. I made the rookie mistake early on of moving to a "better" position, only to be met with a couple white tails waving goodbye. A few other deer were in my vicinity, but the woods were thick and I never got a shot. After a few hours I thought I heard a shot from my uncles 44-40, so I decided to head back to camp to see if he needed help dragging it up to the road. This was about 8:30 a.m. On my way back, I kept my rifle at the ready just in case. About 3/4 of the way back to camp I heard a loud commotion off the old lumber road to my right. Just then a doe and a couple yearlings come sprinting past some blowdown about 20 yards off the road, slightly downhill from me. When the doe ran past, I dropped to a knee, steadied my rifle and shot her on the run. The round went into her neck at about a 45 degree angle, tore through the windpipe, bounced off and shattered her spine and left out her jugular straight to the ground. She was dead before I even got up to her.

They estimated her to be about 130lbs (about the same as the 8 point buck my uncle shot) and 4-5 years old. I was pretty proud that on my first ever deer hunting experience I was able to bag a doe on the run with a rifle I restored using the boolit I cast and the lube I stunk up the kitchen cooking. It was a great time, and just like huntin' pheasant - now I'm hooked.

Here are a few pics of me and the doe. (Should add I look pretty goofy thanks to that underarmor face mask giving me elf ears!)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/Nosferatu1022/IMG_2284.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/Nosferatu1022/IMG_2277.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/Nosferatu1022/IMG_2279.jpg

[303Guy]

Good one - congrats! Nice photo's. Thanks for sharing. :2_high5:

[madsenshooter]

The elves of Rivendale wish they had such a fine weapon! Good job using the kneeling position, I like it better than sitting when shooting highpower with my Krag. I get a lot of funny looks from everyone else sitting, mostly kids with AR15s, but it works for me. Course I get a lot of funny looks anyway shooting a 116yr old rifle.

[wch]

I, too, shot my first deer with an '03 with iron sights-I'm glad to see the tradition of the 30-06 with iron sights carried on.

[725]

You did good! Congratulations. (Nice deer!)

[Jal5]

Nice job and great pics. You will never forget that first deer! Joe

[captaint]

ilcop - Congrats. It's all about satisfaction and accomplishment. You did good. Oh, and stop blaming the face mask!! enjoy Mike

[Reload3006]

Congrats. the first one is always the most memorable. I know you have many more seasons and you will score that Big buck your after but this Doe will always be the special one.

[Larry Gibson]

Very well done, good hunt, good, rifle, good load and good deer. Lot's of lesson's in hunting there and you executed all of them well. With experience will come patience to stay on the stand when stand hunting. Well executed shot using the kneeling position as mentioned. Congrats.

Larry Gibson

[RugerFan]

Excellent! I'm itching to baptize my 03A3 as well. Great job!

[largom]

Great job, great shot and a nice deer. That will be a tasty doe and as you know "you can't eat horns".

Larry

[waksupi]

Nice deer, and great choice in rifles!

[GT27]

Nice deer there,no fashion show out there,wearing it that way makes you hear better!http://i42.tinypic.com/106ltue.jpg I hunt sometimes without a hat!

[ilcop22]

Thank you all for the kind words and the jokes. I was decked out in half upland, half turkey gear. No sense buying new stuff when the blaze orange ruins any camo anyway! :bigsmyl2:

She is a good tasting doe with a lot of meat on her. I can't wait til next year.

[L Ross]

Congratulations, a very competent job in all aspects of the preparation, the hunt, and the shot. You should be pleased.

Duke

[ilcop22]

Oops! I forgot the most important part.

The reason those deer were sprinting past me was that my uncle was walking up the old logging road to come check up on me and get help dragging his deep-woods kill back up to the road. He told me when he turned around the bend in the road, he saw me stop, drop to my knee and take the shot. He was completely unaware that he had spooked any deer, let alone that I was walking down the road to find him. My uncle got to witness my first kill which made it all the more important. A cool experience, indeed.

[frankenfab]

Man, that is awesome. Congratulations!

[TXGunNut]

Very nicely done! First deer, first CB deer and a classy rifle to boot! Great Job!
A good kneeling position is almost as steady and much, much quicker than a sitting position. A kneeling position will also get you a bit higher over the grass for an early season hunt.
How'd you like those gloves? I've used them a few times but I think they need to include an apron.

[Westwindmike]

Congrats!!! That's a good eating size doe.

[emrah]

Congrats! I shot my first deer two seasons ago with my Mosin Nagant M44. J-bullet, but a handload nonetheless. I don't worry too much about the whole buck/doe thing. That doe looks real tasty. I have zero desire to shoot for horns. Meat is meat. Nice job.

Emrah

[ilcop22]

How'd you like those gloves? I've used them a few times but I think they need to include an apron.

The Underarmor gloves? They're not the warmest gloves (I use 'em for spring turkey hunting), but they don't inhibit movement or trigger control and give a good grip.

[TXGunNut]

No, looked like you had some long orange plastic field-dressing gloves. Been using them the last year or so.

[LAH]

Great story, congrats....................Lynn

[GLynn41]

boooyaaa

[ilcop22]

No, looked like you had some long orange plastic field-dressing gloves. Been using them the last year or so.

Oh, I see. I was confused a bit about the apron remark. :lol: It's actually the entrails bag that came with my uncle's field dressing gear. I think it came with standard latex gloves, though.

[Boondocker]

Nice deer, I shoot my first deer 30 some years ago with a sporterized 03a3 and one of those factory jacketed things but your rifle looks much nicer than mine.

[fatnhappy]

yup she's dead. Nice shot and great story. That's the perfect rifle IMHO.

[JDL]

Most excellent!! I don't think it could get any better, classic rifle, cast boolit, humane kill, and uncle to witness.

JDL

[missionary5155]

Greetings & Congradulations !
Great way to start out the corn cruncher elimination program. Fine rifle ( hard to beat a US caliber 30 military rifle) and that will be some tastey eating. My first & many after fell to a caliber 58 roundball out of a Zuoave (Navy Arms) many moons ago.. and still the only rifle form the great state of ILL. will allow. Very Primitive !
Mike in Peru

[MT Gianni]

Nice write up of a good experience. Congratulations.