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JerryBobCo
Senior MemberPosts: 8,049 Senior Member
Your first game animal?
JerryBobCo
Senior MemberPosts: 8,049 Senior Member
and whatever else you wish to share about how/when/where you took it.
For me, it was a whitetail doe taken near Sonora, Tx. I was a freshman in high school, hunting with my dad. For those not familiar with the area around Sonora, it's fairly heavily wooded with mostly different species of oak. The county is also somewhat hilly, but most of the hills are what one might call rolling hills. In other words, it's not especially hard country to hunt.
I was walking up a wooded hill at mid-morning. I looked to my left, and there she stood, maybe 50 yards away. She presented a perfect broadside shot, and didn't seem the least bit leery of me. One shot from my Savage M340 30-30 and it was over. All things considered, it was pretty anti-climactic.
My first buck was much more exciting. I already posted some of the details on the latest .270 thread in the shooting portion of the forum, but might as well share it here.
It was a year after I took the doe, which meant I was 16 and a sophomore in high school. I had worked all summer long at a gas station and saved my money. We had the opportunity to get on a great lease near Pandale, Tx for $100, but Dad didn't have the money to swing it. He told me that if I wanted to go in halves, we could do it. I jumped at the chance and gave him $50 without a second thought. It was money well spent.
Pandale is between Ozona and Del Rio, near the Pecos river. The country can be described as desert, and features mostly small canyons that may be a mile or so long and 200-400 yards deep. It's possible to stand on one side of a canyon and have a makeable shot at a deer on the other side. There are some bigger canyons, though.
I was shooting a Sako .243 bolt action rifle my dad borrowed from his cousin. We didn't reload at that time, so I was shooting 80 grain factory ammo. It was Thanksgiving weekend, and the man who oversaw the lease invited me to hunt with him and his family. He had two sons a little older than me, and I considered it a great privilege to hunt with them.
I don't remember if it was the first or second day of the hunt, but I was placed on the rim of a canyon while the older of the two brothers walked the bottom in my general direction. The idea was to push deer to me and the younger brother, who was watching a bit further down. Sure enough, the plan worked, as I saw a 6 pt. buck step out into the canyon bottom. He presented about a 200 yard shot, and it was pretty much broadside.
On my first shot, I noticed it twitch its ear and start walking in my direction. I got excited and shot again. It then started running, so I shot three more times. The last time it was running straight away from me, and going around a bend in the canyon floor. I can still remember the sight picture I had in my scope. The dot in the scope was positioned right over its head when I pulled the trigger. The deer then disappeared from sight and I was extremely disappointed that I had blown such a great opportunity for my first buck.
Shortly after all my shooting, the older brother came into view. I told him what I had done, and he quickly found a good blood trail. He found the buck a few yards from where I had last shot at it. I had hit it on all 5 shots, but only two were fatal. The first shot, I believe, punched a hole it its ear and explained the deer twitching its ear immediately after the shot. It field dressed about 75 lbs., which was about average at that time.
Those are my memories, and ones I've kept for nearly 50 years. Please share yours.
For me, it was a whitetail doe taken near Sonora, Tx. I was a freshman in high school, hunting with my dad. For those not familiar with the area around Sonora, it's fairly heavily wooded with mostly different species of oak. The county is also somewhat hilly, but most of the hills are what one might call rolling hills. In other words, it's not especially hard country to hunt.
I was walking up a wooded hill at mid-morning. I looked to my left, and there she stood, maybe 50 yards away. She presented a perfect broadside shot, and didn't seem the least bit leery of me. One shot from my Savage M340 30-30 and it was over. All things considered, it was pretty anti-climactic.
My first buck was much more exciting. I already posted some of the details on the latest .270 thread in the shooting portion of the forum, but might as well share it here.
It was a year after I took the doe, which meant I was 16 and a sophomore in high school. I had worked all summer long at a gas station and saved my money. We had the opportunity to get on a great lease near Pandale, Tx for $100, but Dad didn't have the money to swing it. He told me that if I wanted to go in halves, we could do it. I jumped at the chance and gave him $50 without a second thought. It was money well spent.
Pandale is between Ozona and Del Rio, near the Pecos river. The country can be described as desert, and features mostly small canyons that may be a mile or so long and 200-400 yards deep. It's possible to stand on one side of a canyon and have a makeable shot at a deer on the other side. There are some bigger canyons, though.
I was shooting a Sako .243 bolt action rifle my dad borrowed from his cousin. We didn't reload at that time, so I was shooting 80 grain factory ammo. It was Thanksgiving weekend, and the man who oversaw the lease invited me to hunt with him and his family. He had two sons a little older than me, and I considered it a great privilege to hunt with them.
I don't remember if it was the first or second day of the hunt, but I was placed on the rim of a canyon while the older of the two brothers walked the bottom in my general direction. The idea was to push deer to me and the younger brother, who was watching a bit further down. Sure enough, the plan worked, as I saw a 6 pt. buck step out into the canyon bottom. He presented about a 200 yard shot, and it was pretty much broadside.
On my first shot, I noticed it twitch its ear and start walking in my direction. I got excited and shot again. It then started running, so I shot three more times. The last time it was running straight away from me, and going around a bend in the canyon floor. I can still remember the sight picture I had in my scope. The dot in the scope was positioned right over its head when I pulled the trigger. The deer then disappeared from sight and I was extremely disappointed that I had blown such a great opportunity for my first buck.
Shortly after all my shooting, the older brother came into view. I told him what I had done, and he quickly found a good blood trail. He found the buck a few yards from where I had last shot at it. I had hit it on all 5 shots, but only two were fatal. The first shot, I believe, punched a hole it its ear and explained the deer twitching its ear immediately after the shot. It field dressed about 75 lbs., which was about average at that time.
Those are my memories, and ones I've kept for nearly 50 years. Please share yours.
Jerry
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
Replies
Of course, that was a complete noob mistake. The bullet clipped through the lung, back through the diaphragm, and scrambled some of the guts. So I ALWAYS remind new hunters now that they are not aiming for a spot on the outside of the deer, but on the inside.
Anyway, deer hit the ground where she stood, but the head was up and looking around. I cycled another round in the gun, and had the crosshairs on the back of the deer's head, and was debating if I should finish her when she took off at ludicrous speed.
Noob mistake 2. Bullets are cheap, tracking sucks. If the deer is still alive, put a round in it and stop it's suffering.
Well, as the deer just made it to the brush, I cracked off a shot. I exploded out of the blind, cycling another round in the chamber.
Noob mistake 3- let the deer find a spot to lie down and bleed out. Don't charge after it like you are going to run down a deer and tackle it.
But luckily, my snap shot (I was still tracking the head in the scope as she ran) plowed through her neck and she piled up about 2 feet into the brush she was running for. Dumb luck I hit her with a kill shot right then since I had no idea about leading on running shots.
The buddy I hunted with is still my hunting partner, and I am on a lease with him now. He has taught my wife to shoot, and our kids hunt and play together now. Hunting is a lifetime friendship thing.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
And that right there is worth more than a whole wall of trophies.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
My first deer was taken in the same area. He was scared to me by another hunter. I had a scoped Deerfield carbine. Put two shots in him on the run. They entered broadside and left a hole out his chest big enough for my fist. Took me till dark to dress him. A bunch of logging was done there that summer. I had a hard time dragging him and figured to camp the night with him and try again in the morning. My Dad and his friends came and found me and lent a hand saving me a cold night in the woods. He was just a forkhorn 4x, but I was a happy boy.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
First assignment was at Ft Lewis, Wa. Bought myself a 30-06, cant remember who made it but took it to the woods, zero'd the scope and went deer hunting.
Never saw anything close enough to shoot or just a glimpse as it disappeared into the woods.
Fast forward two years and I was on Weyerhaeuser property sitting against a tree where my FIL told me to sit and wait for an elk to enter the clearing.
Right about when he said a small fork horn entered the clearing and I waited. A few moments later a 4 by 3 entered the area and I aimed and shot and that dang elk fell over dead, right over the edge into the gully. By the time I gutted and quartered my first game animal I was covered in blood. Got to the house and FIL hosed me off and sent me in for a shower as he began to cut up my elk. To this day it is the one and only elk I have shot. From what I understand the Willapa Hills in Washington have been domesticated and lots of homes in the area. That's too bad cause it was gorgeous wooded hills back in the late 1970s
First whitetail deer, late 49 or early 50, Big Cypress Swamp , spike, M-94 32 Win spc.
First hog , same above
First Mule deer, 1958 , Owyhee county Idaho, 4 pt western count , M-94 32 Win spc.
First elk 1958, N.W. Rocky Bar Idaho 5 1/4 pt. M-94 32 Win spc.
First bull moose, 1960 Pemache River , Chapleau Ontario, Canada, Savage M-99 ftw. 358 Win
First Black bear Same time and place as above , about 250 - 300lbs
Second black bear 1961 , Newberry Michigan ,Maybe 325lbs M-70 358 win
After 61, I just don't remember anymore dates.
Since 1961 I have been fortunate to have hunted in 16 states, 2 provinces in Canada , and many trips to Alaska
JAY
I had found a spot off the creek through the swamp that I could tie up the boat and step off on to dry land and only have to walk 2 minutes to get on
my stand location.
That morning it was below freezing so I took Damart long johns and put them on when I got to my ground hunting spot.
I was on a spot I had cleared so I could sit against a tree and watch 2 scrapes. About 30 min after sunup a spike came along
about 40 yds out and I shot it with 125 gr .30-06. The deer died on the spot, but, I walked over to make sure.
I then started back to the hunting spot and noticed it had warmed up, I got so hot walking around in those double force Damart long johns I had to take them off
right then, halfway back to the rest of my gear.
I actually shot 3 deer that season in that location.
Damn Jay, sounds like that old 94 in 32 Win. Special served you awfully well there. What a great rifle and cartridge!
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I think that would be all I would require for a lifetime, one nice elk. But then again I killed one really nice deer, in my opinion anyway, and I'm still hunting for a better one. But I don't hunt too hard.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Snake, true story, my buddy Harold and I both bought used M-94s, took them to the swamp to site in, Hal hit the target every time, I couldn't hit a barn from 10', we swapped guns , I hit the target and Hal didn't, went back to the gun shop ,told them it was no good, owner says "what are you shooting" showed him a box of Win. ammo, he says "no wonder its a 32 Win" what's that I asked, so he explained the difference. I was 13 and thought all M-94s were 30-30, had never heard of a 32. New shells and it shot fine.
JAY
Let's keep it clean, please.
Where's the dang mods when you need one! :roll:
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
FIFY (Sorta)
Took you weeks to just get her to talk to you? My gawd man where's your manners?
:tooth::tooth::tooth:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Was running my 73 land cruiser up a canyon and jumped a batchelor herd of six or seven.
I got out of the cruiser and took a out 5 steps when they bolted up the hill........took a knee and levered a 30-30 round into my 336 took aim and shot the last buck in line square in the lower jaw.....oops.
He changed his direction, put his head down and ran like he was trying to win the Kentucky Derby straight away from me......I stood up and ran a few steps to get a clear shot and dispatched him with a Texas heart shot.
As I started to walk to where he fell I had a terrible pain in my right knee.......seems I kneeled on a ball of choilla cactus and didn't even feel it till the action slowed down........of course the action only took a few seconds but I can remember it like it was yesterday and it's been over 30 years.
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-96 lbs
At least you remembered to park first. I almost jumped out of my pick up while it was rolling once :tooth:
Well ya know, ya gotta have your priorities straight!...:tooth:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk
-96 lbs
Hey that's a pretty important part in the process. Yeah, you could have stopped before shutting down the engine but at that point all that mattered was stopping and putting your gun on target, then pulling the trigger. If the motor dies in 4 wheel drive that thing's coming to a stop pretty quick. Too many gears and friction for it to keep rolling.
Good Job!
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
First deer, a nice (for Florida) 8 point that dressed out at ~180 lbs. Shot with a Mossberg 12 ga. bolt-action shotgun using 2 & 3/4" 00 Buckshot with a variable choke at ~40 yds..... and ~35 yds.... and ~ 25 yds. Ran ~75 yds after that, and left a blood trail that looked like it was poured from a bucket from just past the last shot to where it died. My Aunt came to my stand, and helped me find the start of the blood trail, and track it from there.
She later told me (as did everyone else at the camp) that they were all certain it was not me shooting since the shots came so fast back to back that they were convinced it was someone with a semi-auto... or at LEAST a pump. :tooth:
It's impressive what you can do all jacked up on adrenaline. LOL
Luis
My first shotgun was a Mossberg .410 Bolt Action.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.