majphill

I love reading first deer stories. Mine kind of had a bitter-sweet ending. I married into a family of hunters and always went on the annual gun season hunt in Cadillac, MI. For about the first five years I went, I was more about the time away (cards, beer, fire, etc.)than anything else. Well I slowly took it more seriously and really started enjoying sitting in the woods. Meanwhile I had never shot at a deer yet.

About two years ago I went and hunted on some other Michigan property that had just been purchased by the same guy who owned theinitial property. The mission was clear on this property: Please shoot a doe if you can, and don't shoot a buck unless it's a wall hanger.

I get to my stand with my shotgun and am being a good hunter. I'm quiet, watchful, and patient. I hear something other than the 10,000 black squirrels running around making a racket. I can tell the footfalls are heavy and deliberate. I turn in that direction and see three does coming up behind me just off to one side. I aim into a clear lane, let a small one walk through and the second one was the biggest. BOOM! I'd say about a 30 yard shot. The deer took off into the woods and I'm sitting in the stand wondering how in the hell I missed.

I waited 30 minutes and got down - blood everywhere....and it was bright so I'm thinking it was a nice clean lung shot. I follow the obvious trail and there it was. Dead as can be and a nice clean shot right where I wanted to hit her. Now for the bitter sweet part......it was a button buck. I was excited to shoot my first deer, but I felt bad it was a young buck. That is the first and only shot I have taken ata deer. I've passed up lots of doe since.