JWFilips
Well-Known Member
I guess I started reminiscing tonight about the first deer I ever got as a lad!
It was back in 1966 after 3 years of hunting. I got it with the Marlin 336 35 Remington that my Dad bought me in 1965 (buy scrimping and saving)
Thought I would share this story and would like to hear of the others on out forum about their "first"!
The First Deer I ever shot was when I was 13 years old. I had been hunting since I was 11 at a place called Dutch Mountain. Most shots in this place were under 40 yards. About mid morning on the first day of Buck Season I noticed a Spike buck about 20 yards from me in a heavy laurel ticket. It must have taken me about 15 minutes to be sure it was a legal buck ( of that time of 4 inch spikes). the Deer was 3/4 to me with his left side showing....however I could not see the heart-lung area at all because of the ticket! Being an excited young hunter I just guessed based on his head position! So I carefully aimed at the place I thought it should be and fired my 35 Remington 200 grain bullet at that point! The thicket exploded and my deer started running down the mountain! Since I had a 336 Marlin that My Dad bought me 2 years prior I do believe I emptied my rifle at the running deer but I know I had no real aim point... Just fired away! And he disappeared over the crest of the plateau I was on!
My brother Bernie yelled down to me from the next crest above me to ask if I got him & I responded " I Do Not Know" so he told me to stay put and he came down to me.
When he got to me we retraced the area of the shot and there was hair and blood! He being an experienced hunter picked up the blood trail and we followed it down the mountain. At one point we saw the deer but it got up and hobbled away. He said to me.... we will wait and he lit up a cigarette ( back then all my brothers smoked) He said if we wait until he smoked his cigarette I would have my deer!....longest few minutes of my life but he was right we only walked a bout 20 yards and there was my first Buck!
While I was learning the fine art of Gutting a deer we saw the entrance wound on the left front quarter The bullet had key-holed after taking out a large laurel branch....missed the heart but clipped the lungs then went almost to the right side of the deer but spun back hit the liver and ended up in the left hind leg! talk about a strange trajectory! I still have that recoverd 200 grain 35 Rem bullet taken from the left rear leg of the deer I shot in the left front section between the heart & lungs on a quartering shot! Strange but true!
It was back in 1966 after 3 years of hunting. I got it with the Marlin 336 35 Remington that my Dad bought me in 1965 (buy scrimping and saving)
Thought I would share this story and would like to hear of the others on out forum about their "first"!
The First Deer I ever shot was when I was 13 years old. I had been hunting since I was 11 at a place called Dutch Mountain. Most shots in this place were under 40 yards. About mid morning on the first day of Buck Season I noticed a Spike buck about 20 yards from me in a heavy laurel ticket. It must have taken me about 15 minutes to be sure it was a legal buck ( of that time of 4 inch spikes). the Deer was 3/4 to me with his left side showing....however I could not see the heart-lung area at all because of the ticket! Being an excited young hunter I just guessed based on his head position! So I carefully aimed at the place I thought it should be and fired my 35 Remington 200 grain bullet at that point! The thicket exploded and my deer started running down the mountain! Since I had a 336 Marlin that My Dad bought me 2 years prior I do believe I emptied my rifle at the running deer but I know I had no real aim point... Just fired away! And he disappeared over the crest of the plateau I was on!
My brother Bernie yelled down to me from the next crest above me to ask if I got him & I responded " I Do Not Know" so he told me to stay put and he came down to me.
When he got to me we retraced the area of the shot and there was hair and blood! He being an experienced hunter picked up the blood trail and we followed it down the mountain. At one point we saw the deer but it got up and hobbled away. He said to me.... we will wait and he lit up a cigarette ( back then all my brothers smoked) He said if we wait until he smoked his cigarette I would have my deer!....longest few minutes of my life but he was right we only walked a bout 20 yards and there was my first Buck!
While I was learning the fine art of Gutting a deer we saw the entrance wound on the left front quarter The bullet had key-holed after taking out a large laurel branch....missed the heart but clipped the lungs then went almost to the right side of the deer but spun back hit the liver and ended up in the left hind leg! talk about a strange trajectory! I still have that recoverd 200 grain 35 Rem bullet taken from the left rear leg of the deer I shot in the left front section between the heart & lungs on a quartering shot! Strange but true!