HuntingNet.com Forums - Killed My First Deer

I've shot my first deer! I first started hunting last year, and I got an opportunity to hunt this season with my uncle. He took me down to a friend's place right outside of Lowndesborough, between Montgomery and Selma. It's adjacent to the river, and much of the nearly 1,000 acres is swampy. We got there around 9:30 or so and did some shooting. He had brought a .243 and his Winchester 7mm. I was dead on with the .243, a little off with the 7mm, but plenty good for a kill shot; I decided I'd use the 7mm that afternoon.

We fished the pond until about 2:30. We caught plenty of bass, all nice ones. We headed out to a shooting house on one of the 6 or 7 greenfields. The bucks had just started chasing the does, but the weather was very warm (70's). We were on the field at 3, and by 3:30 I looked to my right and saw a button buck that had popped out of the woods. he was followed by three 1.5 y/o does. We waited to see what else would come out, and sure enough a 2.5 y/o spike came out acorss the field, followed by yet another spike. I could have taken a doe then, but I decided to wait and see if anything else would come. The landowner really wanted us to take does, and only a good mature buck. Suddenly something spooked the four younger deer, and they ran off. So I had lost a chance at a doe, and then I decided if another presented itself I'd take her.

Sure enough, with the two spikes still there, the original four yearlings came back out into the field. I spotted one doe that was running a bit, with the spikes real interested. I got my gun up, put the scope on her, she stopped broadside at about 100yds, and I took the shot. It was a good shot, and she dropped immediately. Man, I've never felt such a rush before! Pure excitement and adrenaline. The ballistic-tipped 7mm did its job, entry wound was so small we couldn't ever find it, but it made a mess of the exit side shoulder.

So we took her back to the barn, and my uncle decided I would do the whole 9yds and skin and gut her. We got both inside tenderloins, the backstraps, hindquarters, and one shoulder out of her.

I've never felt such a great feeling as when I took that doe! I know I'll keep on hunting as long as I can pick up a rifle.