Your very first whitetail deer you harvested?

What was your very first whitetail deer you harvested? What caliber rifle did you use? Also, what year?
I killed my first deer in 1980 with a .222 rifle. It was a 4 pointer.

A Doe, Remington 700 .243 on my 10th Birthday, '96.

My dads deer lease outside of Sweetwater. "M" Blind

1968 with a Savage 30-30 sitting in my Dad's lap because I wasn't quite tall enough to get the rifle level in the blind window. I was 9 years old.

Doe, H&R 30-30 with open sights, Mason county. About 1973. I started hunting in 1969, but I had the worst case of deer fever, I missed everything for 4 years or so.

My family would not let us start hunting deer till we were 12-13 yrs old. They wanted to make sure were could hunt alone and were safe with the rifle. My first deer was a spike in 1969 and killed it in DeWitt County. using a 6mm Remington Model 700( I still have it). That spike started the roll that has kept going today. Still shoot and have shot a ton of spikes since then

A Doe in 1958 with a single shot 22 in what is now the city limits of San Antonio where Wurzbach meets IH 35.

I got a late start with whitetails since I grew up in CO hunting mulies and elk in the high country. Shot my first mulie at the age of 9 in 1972 and my first bull elk at the age of 15 but whitetails didn't occur where we hunted. It was only after I got seriously into upland game that I realized that eastern CO had good numbers of whitetails. This was before they were writing about them in every outdoor magazine in the land. An old time family friend owned 10,000 acres along the Arikaree River in Yuma County CO that I hunted birds on and he told me I was welcome to deer if I drew the tag. I drew the tag and my first whitetail was a 6 pt buck that I took in the middle of a sagebrush flat with a 7mm Mag in about 1984. Have shot many since then and that first rack is still hanging over the rafters in the barn.

1975 30-30 opensights from about 8 yards as it was browsing on a low hanging limb in the oak tree I was sitting on a limb of. Did not see his polished knobs that were a little bigger around than a half dollar. State Biologist that lived close by looked at him and the teeth said he was 9 or 10 years old. Still my oldest buck

A buck with one antler completely broke off and the other side was a normal 4 point half of an 8 pointer. Shot it in 1996 on what is now George Ranch in Garden Ridge Texas with my brothers Rem 700 270 winchester and 130 grain bronze point. I was 10.

I was 11 or 12 so it would have been 1997. Shot a button buck accidentally, thought it was a doe.

Winchester stainless featherweight in .22-250. Killed a lot of stuff with that rifle

First deer was a doe, was hunting with an older friend of mine near Mineral, Tx. Shot her out of the headlights pulling up to the main gate with my 270. I was 12 years old and was in 1989. Started deer hunting with my Dad when I was 3 or 4 yrs old, but didn't kill my first deer until 12.

no idea

1979, yearling doe, 80 yd shot, Rem 788 .243 (which I still have), Rem 100gr Corelokt.

My Dad was more of a fisherman and camper. He never really got into hunting, but I was ate up with it even before my first hunt. At 10 years old, he took me to a friend's property to squirrel hunt, and that only gave me more of a fever for hunting. The problem was, he wasn't a hunter, and really didn't know what he was doing. I never shot a deer as a kid. Fast forward to 2001. I had given up hunting 4 legged deer and had been hunting 2 legged dear for a number of years. I was 28 at the time, and a buddy offered to take me out to his place. I shot a doe with my rem 788 in 243. I got my own lease in Ga the next year (I was living in FL at the time), and shot 4 does that year. I shot my first Buck the following year in OK, a spike shot with my bow. 2 days later, I shot a nice 10 point with a Savage .270. I'm still ate up with hunting.

I made the mistake of selling mine...

Same situation but with a 7mm mag.

1971, maybe 4 miles NEE of where Don shot his doe, on Vance Jackson (south of Huebner Rd.), behind my grandfather's house, with my dad. Pitiful little buck that I was itching to shoot and Dad said "okay". I was 11. My grandfather had slung out corn from a metal bucket, like he usually did and walked back to the house. I think the place was right at 50 acres. Mission Trace is the condo development he sold to. I remember the blind was some kind of waxed cardboard with a wooden frame and glass windows? I'm sure it was store-bought, as that grandfather is where I get my pitiful carpentry skills from. I used Dad's Marlin 336 (.30-30) that I still have and take into the pasture on a regular basis. 'Still have the little horns too. Dad glued an envelope to the back with the date, location, and what it weighed on a note inside. I did the same for my girls' first bucks, many years later. Both of theirs are decent bucks.

I've typed out the long version here before and to lazy to go find it.

November 15, 1963 (reason I remember, it was the day before opening day of season, which was the first Saturday after Nov. 16 unless Nov. 16 fell on a Sat.) and I was about a month shy of my 5th birthday. Shot with a Winchester model 92 in 218 Bee from the middle of a 1957 Chevrolet 3/4 ton pickup (Sinclair Green, dad was a Sinclair jobber) with the end of the barrel not quite outside of the cab (about blew our eardrums out), over the fence into the adjoining pasture, about a 30 pound fawn (dad always joked the bullet knocked the spots off of it and the milk off it's lips). Quickly dressed, skinned and quartered, served for dinner back at camp for the big Dinner the evening before season where everyone cleaned out their freezer ... and the area Game Wardens always joined us for that dinner.

A little fork horn with a .270.

First Deer was a doe shot with a 6.5x55 custom mauser. 1979 10 years old.

A little 8 pointer shot with 30-06 while hunting with "one eyed Bob" on Dec.5 1975.

basket 8 that is on the wall in the loading room...it was either 89 or 90.

Late to the game but not for lack of trying/interest. Parents weren’t hunters, I came by it naturally, but life gets in the way (school,school,school) 2008 BAR 30-06 Alva, WY public land. Nice 8 pt buck.

In 1973 on opening morning, I got a spike on a friends place in Leigh, Texas with a Model 98 Mauser in 30-06 with open sights. I was hunting on the ground, as the limbs on the tree I had my stand built in were cut off by the man who leased the grazing rights to the land. My dad and the landowners son-in-law came to help me with him. The landowner was mad as heck that the tree got cut, it had an aluminum ladder wired to the tree the next weekend, it was that or loose his grazing rights.

Killed a button buck in Junction hunting with my dad when I was 10 years old in 1965. I shot it with a Remington 600 in 308 and scoped my eye badly but was so excited that I didn't even realize it until I felt blood running down my face. Funny how I remember that as if it were yesterday.

I was 14 1979 Henly Texas Winchester 94 30-30, open sights, about 80 yards. I thought I missed but hit her good folded up out of sight 30 yards away. I had only seen one deer shot before that and it dropped dead in its tracks with the same gun.

Shot a button buck on my Grandfather's place in central WI in 1984. Winchester 100 in .308. Grandpa was sick that year so I used his rifle to get my first deer.

1977 in Erath county. I was18 and used my new Remington 700 ADL/ 270 that I barely had the money to buy. It was a spike and the very first shot at a deer for me and my new gun. I didn’t own a hunting knife, so I used a box opener. I had 4 or 5 in my car since I stocked groceries at Winn Dixie. I still swing that same .270 over my shoulder every year on opening morning.

Year was approximately 1990. Ruger M77 MKII All-Weather in .270 Win. Place was Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Deer was a button buck. Both me and my hunting buddy killed our first deer that day.

1961 in Blanco County with my dads .300 Savage. Nice fat 6 pt. I was 13 yrs. old.

Basket rack 9 point, Thanksgiving weekend at a place relatives had in Cross Plains, TX in 1983. Used a 30-06 I had bought with money earned doing tape, bed and texture work that summer after my HS sophomore year. Remington 700 BDL was $299 in those days. Still have the gun, although she doesn't get used much these days.

Was your memory the first thing to go?

About 1960 or so, or maybe 1959, I was on a mound of dirt along a drainage canal on family land in NE Louisiana. Had my single shot Stevens 410 with slugs (Ok, one slug). The dogs were released to the North of me about 100 yards, and right away they found a scent and started their loud tracking. Just as I got excited, a spike buck rose up in a briar patch 40 yards in front of me, spikes shining, and stood broadside. I let fly with the 410 and thought I hit him, but off he went. Somebody put him down south of me. Truth be told, I probably missed, but the other hunters gave me some meat. So, maybe I hit it or maybe not, but I count it as my first deer. I was about 13 at the time, if I got the year right. It’s a vivid memory that has stuck with me all those years.

little 7 ptr,ruger 44 mag semi auto,thank the lord I forgot to take off the safety because I yanked the trigger so freaking hard...lol...after almost pulling myself out of the tree stand I took a deep breath,took off the safety and got him.

About 1973 in Coryell county, a 9 pointer with Marlin model 336 30-30. Was actually walking back to truck about 9:00 am and saw a doe. Following her was the 9 pointer.

1971, small 8 pt, Bronte TX with a Marlin 336 30-30.

Albany,TX 1991 I was 6 years old and killed a spike with an open sight .30-30 @ 75 yards

About 1990 w a Mini 14 at 100

Aimed center shoulder, hit dead center high spine

Thought I pulled it but turns out those older Mini’s shot like that

8 pt in Mason cty. 243 Remington 742 . About 1975.

First real trophy

1972, I was 10. Shot a button buck with a Sako .222, scoped, about 90 yards. This was on the Young County lease I grew up on. Amazing place, had 3000 acres with the Brazos on three sides. Near Bunger all the way to the river in an area known as Ming Bend.

November 15, 1969, cousins land in Southern palo pinto County. spike × fork. 303 British i bought at local pawn shop for 25.00. I am surprised how many shot first deer with a 30-30.

About 1 mile as the crow flies from Natural Bridge Caverns or so.
Just turned 7 in December of 74'
Shot a doe with 16g shotgun and 00 buck at about 35-40 yards

I must have been 13 or 14?? Uvalde County. A doe using a loaned .30-30.

Missed a chance at a nice buck because I forgot to put a round in the chamber after I got up in the tripod stand.

First deer was a button buck. The gun was a Browing BLR 243. I was 12 years old.
I was hunting on my Dad's lease in San Saba county.
Hunting by myself in a box ground blind that I helped my Dad build.
That morning I remember a fighter jet fly by followed by a sonic boom shortly after. It shook that ground blind so hard I thought it was about to explode.

1979 in Buffalo, Texas; Hunting with a Savage .243 a gentleman in Camp was selling. On the way to my stand, found a flashlight, half buried in a cow trail, that still worked. Sitting in my stand, there were a couple of Doe 100 yards out. Then I saw a large number of Deer coming into the field with a Large deer trailing. There had been a HUGE buck spotted in that area that no one had gotten a shot at. I was a bit excited! Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a buck running at the 2 doe. I saw horns and fired a shot. After the shot, there were a large number deer hopping the fence; I was amazed by the site. After regaining control of my heart rate, saw my little buck stand-up at 300 yards out. I shot again and didn't see anything. Waited 30 minutes( more like a few minutes) to look for the deer. Got within 50 yards, he jumped up and ran. Fired another shot and he dropped. After I got to him, found he had a hole behind the shoulder, and two holes in his neck. The 55gr bullets was just not enough for the shots I had made. (Learned a lot from that day).
Used the flashlight to make my way back to camp. Got teased for shooting 3 times, but I was so excited, it didn't bother me at all. As for the rifle, Dad would not buy it...
I remember everything about the first harvest...it has been etched in my memory forever.

Mine would have been an East Tx 8 point, small but mature, about 1985, with my dad's 30-06. Still have the rifle.

December 1955. Small 8 point. (does were illegal) . M1 Carbine, military ball ammo. (Bad idea!) Had to finish him off with Dad's 03/30.

Fall of 1988 I was 12, Marlin 30-30 no scope, had left the cedar tree I was sitting in because I was freezing and hadn't seen anything, it was 0 degrees when we went by the bank clock that morning. The road I was walking T'd into the fence and another road, as I approached there were several deer run past the T and they look like they might circle back towards where I was sitting. I walked back down the road and as I approached the cedar that was on my right about 10' higher than the road a doe ran just beside the tree down the hill into cover. I was frustrated to say the least. When I got even with the tree I looked up the hill and there was a mature doe standing beside the tree I was sitting in maybe 20 yards away facing me. I cocked the hammer, raised the gun, aimed for where her neck met her chest and fired....hit her right between the eyes. Better to be lucky I guess.

Doe, south of Ozona on a buddy's father's lease. Shot it with a borrowed .243. After that, got my first deer rifle. 6mm Remington BDL with a Leupold 2x7 variable. Loved that gun, it was stolen with I was 25. Still miss it.

Spike in 1980 with a 6mm rem ADL with a 4x scope in Gillespie County.

A doe....15 yds...Pearson Spoiler Plus...Taylor county...circa 1988. Didn't shoot a deer with a gun until 1993

6 point in 1981, pretty odd so many of us killed our first deer within a few years apart.. Damn we’re getting old

A doe. 1985-ish with a Jennings Shooting Star compound bow while sitting adjacent to a water hole near Sheffield, TX.

It was not the Trophy Buck, but a 3 point.

Doe, 1989. Milan Arsenal in TN. 20 gauge slug

Spike, 1988, 5 miles outside of Crockett, Remington 700 ADL .30-06 with 3-9x32 Japanese Tasco scope in Weaver mounts shooting Federal 165 Grain BTSPs. I was 16 and mowed yards all summer to buy the rifle. Bought the rifle, scope, mounts, and ammo from Kmart for 318 bucks.

A four point with a open sighted Marlin 30-30 when I was 13 and you would have thought it scored 200"

Kinda funny how we all remember it with such clarity even though it was a long time ago for some of us.

1984. Sutton County. I was 7 years old but almost 8 and I was big for my age. Had a .243 my grandad bought me. Was sitting in a blind with my dad. Watching several does and a couple baby bucks. Then a nice 8 pointer walks in - 17" wide and mature. Too good for a first deer, but there he was. My dad (obviously nervous) asks if I want to shoot him. Of course I did. I'd wanted to shoot everything. I go to stick my gun out the window and smack the barrel on the frame of the blind and make a really loud smack. Every single deer runs off except for that buck. He sits there and stares at me. I line him up in the scope right at the middle of his chest as he's facing me and looking straight at me. My dad says "don't rush - you've got all the time you need" and we both know he's lying. I pull the trigger and the buck crumpled where he stood. Thank God he was a deaf deer.

Button Buck with a 30.06 in 1978 I think it was down in Falfurrias, TX. It wouldn't be until 2019 that I shoot my real first buck, an 8pt and shot it with the same 30.06. I was doing the quacking thing all those years.

Charlie

Spike. 1998 in Brady, TX. Ruger M77 Mk.II in .257 Roberts.

Basket 8, on a coworker of my Dad's family ranch in George West, Tx. I shot it with my Dad's Marlin 336 in .35 Rem. I was 11 so it would have been in1980.

Big doe in 1989 at 5 years old. Shot with a Ruger M77 in 22-250 with the stock cut down to fit. My grandfather loaded some Sierra 63gr SP over some H380, which i'm now loading the same bullet for my son to hopefully shoot his first deer soon.

4pt
1974
Marlin 30 30
Gillespie co

my first deer was a doe when i was 10years old with an M1-30 carbine. probably 1993 or 1994 in comal county.

Nice Rifle...everybody I know that hunts with a "Bob" really likes it.

Well what do you know...Mine was a doe in 2002 right up the road in Carroll County, TN.

4 point nov. 1996 jewett, texas day lease 270 savage still have the rifle. have a season lease now but hunt with a remington 700 30-06

1982, Fork horn, 30/30, 17 1/2” spread, big deer, north of Sterling City. I was walking rimrock with my dads buddy when he jumped up running. First shot knocked his back leg off at the knee, second one hit him in the shoulder. I was one happy 7 year old. I remember it took me a long time to gut him and dads buddy bitching about how far we had to drag a fork horn.
Dad always liked to drop people off and pick people up when there was a long walk, deer hunting or quail hunting. He enjoyed hunting within a few feet of the cooler. I’m starting to understand that wisdom. I appreciate the fact that he always took me even though he didn’t give a damn about killing anything and I always hunted with his customers when my Papaw didn’t go. I never hunted out of a deer blind until I started guiding in the 90’s. Big land west Tx hunting is the best!

I killed my first deer (8 point buck) in 1983 with a 30/30.

October 4, 2000. Great Dismal Swamp near Suffolk, Virginia. This chunky guy was taken on a morning hunt with a Model 700 BDL in .243 Win. Frontal heart shot, he ran 27 yards toward me and piled up in the brush behind me. I was stationed at Fort Myer near D.C. at the time.

P.S. I hunted for four years before pulling the trigger on this guy. I wanted my first deer to be a "decent" buck, even though I had no idea what a decent buck was.

Doe, November -1972,, Sauk County Wisconsin, 45 yards with model 92 Winchester in 25-20. Still have the rifle. Was 12 years old.

1995
Lampasas County
3 pt.
Ruger 25.06
I was 9 years old

I shot no whitetails until I retired into Texas close to 20 years ago. Before that it was just mule deer and blacktails in other states.....along with lots of antelope. When I retired here a friend took me down to Ozona with him to his lease, and I nailed a couple on that trip.

8yo...A 4pt in 1958....I was sitting in a tree fork with grandpa’s 300 Savage. The recoil almost knocked me out of the tree. That was on land my uncle owned in Comal co that Canyon Lake covered up

I was 12 years old on my first deer hunt by myself on opening day in 1972. We were hunting my Uncles 400 acre farm. My uncle and pop told me to sit by the wall of the old cemetery looking over a small ravine. I really couldn't see well so I sat on top of the wall with back to old tombstone. My instructions were simple, shoot the biggest deer I saw. What I didn't realize I was the last person in the line of the deer drive. About an hour or so after sun up, I could hear the deer the coming. There were about a dozen or so does. I had my brand new Win model 94 30-30 in my lap I got a few weeks earlier for my birthday. The deer were trotting so I whistled like pop told me to do and raised my gun. The all stopped. I did as I was told and found the biggest deer. At 30 yards I made an OK shot, well it was in the mid section of the doe. She ran about 150 yards and laid down. I was beyond excited. A short time later my pop, uncle, brother and cousins showed up. I yelled "I got one"! When they got up to me they asked how many points, I said I have know idea, I pointed to where she fell.

When we got to the doe, my uncle was pissed as it wasn't doe season. He started yelling at me! Behind my tears I said you told me to shoot the biggest deer I saw and that's what I did. My pop calm my uncle down. Shortly after lunch the deer was in butcher paper and in the cooler for the ride home. On the drive home my pop said nice shot and congratulated me on my first deer. He said next year shoot something with horns! Pop and I used to laugh at the moment in history as I grew older! Despite being yelled at by my uncle, I was on cloud nine and proud of my first deer!

1983- 5 point , 22-250 I bought with my first pay check when I was 15. Went to east Texas paper mill land and didn’t kill anything so on the way home we went to Athens and got to skip school that Monday .

Deadgum, I was reading these at breakfast at Cracker Barrel and had me crying like fool at the table by myself thinking about how excited my Grampa was at my first deer......Van,TX, 1990, 11 yo, 6pt with a rem. 700 .243. I can still see my grandads hat bouncing over the tank dam as he ran to my stand at 80 years old. When we got to the deer, he sent me to walk back and get the truck. At 11 years old, still shaking, and barely able to reach the gas pedal, I still don't know how I didn't wreck. Remember it like it was yesterday.

I was 17 in in 1965 in western New Jersey. 56 years ago on my grand Pa's farm. Hunting with a couple other guys my age. They still hunted a wood lot and I sat on the opposing side as a blocker. Heard 5 different shots from their direction. About 10 minutes went by and this little button buck crossed an opening in front of me He was wounded and although it wasn't the trophy I wanted I put him out of his misery with my Dad's JC Higgins double barrel 12 gauge. with double O Buck. I also remember in detail this incredible moment in my Life!!!!!

Just read all of these, great memories. I'll add mine - I was 17ish, my friend took me to his deer lease near Brownwood, even though he wasn't that interested in deer hunting??? He put me in a stand and said "watch that feeder", it was in a really open area. After sitting there a bit, I decided that no deer was going to walk out in the open, so I turned the chair around and watched back into the mesquite flat. Sure enough, I saw deer and shot an 8 pointer. Neither one of us had ever cleaned a deer, but I figured it out (my family didn't hunt). Still remember it very well all these years and deer later.......