My first deer rifle was a brand new 700ADL 30/06 with a lil 3x9x32 Tasco uptop. It was one of those " long skinny boxes" wrapped up under the Christmas tree that I knew what it was but didnt know EXACTLY what it was. That was Christmas 1984 when I was 13. I was the " BIG DOG" after Christmas at school that year while all the other boys had gotten 243s and 30/30s I had a REAL gun that actually kicked at both ends!!!

The first time I pulled the trigger on it was in November ' 85 on a 10 pt in Missouri (120incher that seemed HUGE at the time lol). I remember putting the crosshairs on " brown" and pulling the trigger. 6 shots later (yep had to climb down and chase after him with a followup shot) I had one shotup trophy and the start of a lifelong passion/obsession, as well as a trophy that took me several years to top! I was at my step-father' s ranch in MO and it was he who first took me deerhunting with him the year before. He was just around the corner from me when I shot the 10ptr and came down to see what all the shooting was for. We hung and dressed the buck in the very tree that I killed him from.

What a NASTY habit/addiction that spawned!
RA