Well I was able to take my first deer ever on 9-10-14. The first sit of my season. I did it with my PSE and i cant begin to tell you how exciting it was! Here is how it played out. Drove to our friends land that we have sole permission to hunt about 2.5 hours away and got in to the stand about 3:30. My stand was over looking a wild apple tree at 55yards and a wild pear tree at about 12 yards. There was a gate in the fence that stays open next to the apple tree allowing the deer to easily pass over from the neighboring property which is a unkept 50 acre field that the deer use as a bedding area. Just after 4pm a buck walked through the fence and right up to the apple tree, my adrenaline was pumping hard at this point, and I forced myself to take deep breaths and continue to scan other directions to keep my mind occupied. Now being as I had never shot a deer, my plan going into this was to take the first legal and ethical shot that was presented to me. If you don't agree with that then move on. The buck which I believed to be a large forked horn ate apples for about 20 minutes and then came into a thick grass area at 30 (and behind a tree with no shot) and bed down. He stayed bedded down till about 5:45pm. All I could see where the tips of his antlers as he moved around every once in awhile. At about 5:45 a Doe, and her fawns, one a little spike came right up to twenty yards, the Bedded fork (Forked or larger was my tag) got up and took one step towards the doe, she started to take off and he chased her away. I was drew back and cave him a quick grunt, but he had his mind else where. My heart sank so low. I waited so long and my opportunity just ran away faster then I could even think about it. Well the sun went down behind the mountains and it was about 7pm. Giving me a good hour to sulk in my unfortune when i heard a pesky squirrel back to my left. Looked out of spite of the stupid animal to see a buck (legal) walking into the pear tree at 15 yards. I waited for him to put his head down, and drew my bow, at this point he was under the tree and I didn't have a clear shot, he took a step into a little lane and I settled my pin on him and let my arrow fly. Hearing the thud of the hit, he let out a grunt and went straight to the ground. He was kicking on the ground, and seeing enough videos assumed I had caught his spine (being as I was 28 feet up and he was so close it was a easy assumption). I quickly grabbed another arrow and gave him a sympathy shot. At this point he positioned himself so I couldn't see him clearly under the tree, but wasn't moving near as much. I made the decision to lower my bow and climb down to make sure he didn't suffer any longer then necessary. By the time i was safely on the ground, he was done. I have the memory of a life time with my best friend and will never soon forget it. I met him at our truck and made the proud hike back to show him. We had some smiles and pictures in last light and then loaded him up. I hunt for meat and because I love it, I want to make sure I don't loose sight of that so I process as much as I can. We have all the meat in freezer bags now and we will take the hamburger to a local processor to have it ground, I don't have a grinder, and then bag it up for later. As it turns out I caught the near side of his spine just barely, and then the second arrow which you will see in the pictures sticking out, stuck into the ground. It looks like a bad shot and it would have been if it was my first, but it was the only shot he offered and it was for ethical reasons so please don't lecture me about it. (sorry about the pictures, we tried to get a few before last light, but with the heat we had to process it right away) I wanted to thank all the guys on here for their advice along the way, I think that with everything I have learned it truly made it a great and ethical experience. I couldn't thank you enough for your support. Needless to say he is my trophy and I will always remember this first deer.
Congrats! That's what it is all about there. You took the ethical shot and did the deer justice. Now you are hooked for life Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
A very warm congratulations on the harvest! Just a few does and a few more bucks and your dues will be current. Then you can graduate to the big old brutes and if you think you're hooked now...just wait. Enjoy that venison!
Congrats too you young man. That, as you said will be a memory you will never forget. Nice Deer, and great story.