Originally Posted by 7.62NATO

Congrats! Very nice deer, first deer ever or not! Liked the story too. The only thing I'll say is, especially since you didn't feel 100% confident in your shot due to nerves, that it may have not been the best thing to immediately jump out of the stand after shooting. Especially since it was getting dark. If he had still been alive and you spooked him, you may have had a very, very long night trying to find him. Best to wait at least 30 minutes before tracking unless you know for sure they crashed and burned.