My first buck ever came on the last day of the hunt on the last day of the regular season. He is an old buck, has a broken main beam, a blind eye and scar that suggests war wounds. I am proud of him. I didnt grow up hunting. If I told you I was self taught, it wouldnt be far from the truth- but it wouldnt be the whole truth. Maybe it would be best to say that I am self motivated to hunt. I sought out the knowledge and was fortunate enough to be taught by a couple good men. I have hunted since I came home from war for the last time. A good army buddy of mine took me out to a friends place in Red River County. There I saw my first buck ever through a gun sight. He was a nice albeit smaller buck chasing a doe. I saw her first but watched- lo and behold- there he was like a haggard ghost, come determined out of the creek bed after her. I didn't shoot him. Maybe the war still weighed too heavily on me. A gunshot seemed like the perfect way to ruin that moment, I'd been home for 6 months at the time. Years passed, I read everything I could about hunting from "Field and Stream" to "Big Bucks the Benoit Way", I watched everything I could too. I was busy rebuilding my life and didn't hunt for a couple years. Then in 2011, a friend got me pumped up about hunting deer again by teaching me about public land hunting. I never have asked for permission to hunt on other's land. Maybe it's pride. Either way, the discover of public land and the mentorship of a work buddy got me back into the field. Maybe the second hunt I ever went on, I shot a (what I considered to be) beautiful buck. He tumbled and came to lie under a small oak. I watched him and then in a move I still regret. . I moved up to him. The deer dragged himself to his feet and half dragging tumble disappeared into a beaver dammed creek and swamp. I searched for two days and never could find him. My muscles failed from crawling and wading and pushing back cattails. I was broken hearted. In the years since I've seen a few good bucks but things just never quite worked out. When I was married, my wife and I agreed to get on a lease but not before I gave elk hunting by bow a shot, so I never did get onto a lease. I opted for eating a few years of elk tag soup. That my friends is the brief story of how I got to today. I am overwhelmed by the feeling of gratitude for the animal, for the hunt, but especially for the men who taught me and took me to hunt all these years.
Great story and a helluva nice buck for the first. I settled for a number of spikes and 4 points in my early years just too shoot a deer. No does legal at that time. Now for the really big one. Best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats! And awesome story. We all get here some how and some way! We make it happen regardless of what gets in our way. That's what makes us hunters. I have one friend who is distant now not by distance that I owe it all to. Hope I can do the same for someone else someday.
I was invited to hunt on a friends ranch and shot a small buck and never found for my first deer. I was crushed for a while. That gave me the urge to get my own lease and get it done! Haven't stopped since. Though it was that same ranch I got my first deer (10 inch 8 pt before ARs!!) a year later as my first lease sucked but learned a lot. Lol.
" I am overwhelmed by the feeling of gratitude for the animal, for the hunt, but especially for the men who taught me and took me to hunt all these years." Sounds like your have a great character. Thanks for a great story, and congrats on a very nice buck.
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