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Theres only one picture of my 1st buck with me in the pic and I dont have a clue where its at. My sister thinks my mom has it. But I have this one which mom took as soon as me and my dad made it back from "camp". It was 1993, I was 23. To this day I cant believe it took me from 12-23 to kill a buck But dad and my uncles just took us out in the mountain and said sit here, good luck. We never really scouted, just where ever you saw deer one time is where you went. Shot couple doe, but that started to be frowned upon, doe really outnumbered buck then. Doe werent pic worthy I guess, cause none of my cousins have pics of their 1st does either.



I put camp in quotes cause we didnt have our own camp yet, and my uncle Eddy's camp was full. So my old man bought a beat up Winnebago....I gotta take a 2nd to see if I can find a pic of that




There it is lol. Bought it that summer and the roof leaked so my old man fixed that. Had some issues with the 413, fixed that. New tires, all kinda stuff. Its funny thinkin back now. On the way to "camp" the fuel pump went bad and left us sit right at Lock Haven college just past the light to Renovo. I was behind him in the Wagoneer so dad jumped in that and headed to the auto parts store and he grabbed some tubing, wire and an electric pump and he plumbed it up and strapped it to the frame. Hey...it worked and got us where we needed to go lol.

We parked at a little pull off right near the swamp, bout a mile from where camp...well house, where dad lives now. Wrapped some plastic tarps 'round some trees, put a bucket with seat in there for a toilet and we were set.

Opening morning me and my cousin drove dads old Wagoneer up to the top of the mountain. We walked the whole way out this gas line. I had my 1st and only rifle with me, 336 marlin in 35 rem. Still got it, if I remember right its a 1957 or '58. Anyhow, we get out as far as we could go on the gas line before it dropped off again and walked up the mountain to a bench. I sat down by a tree and my cousin walked about 50 yards to my left and sat down. Wasnt there an hour and here come a doe with this buck behind her. I pulled up and shot! He ran off and I ran over to my cousin. I said lets go see if we got blood. He said what? I said didnt you hear me shoot?? I just shot a nice buck! He said he didnt hear anything. I think he fell asleep lol.

We looked and couldnt find hair, blood...nothin. It was about 9:30 now, so I said its cold, lets go back to camp and get some lunch and then get back out here before the other hunters leave for lunch, theyll surely push something out. So we did just that. When we got back to camp dad was there and I told him the story. He said the scope must be off, here, take my 6mm. Dad just bought that before the trip. It was a remington 600 6mm with vented rib. Never shot the gun myself so wasnt sure I could hit anything, but I didnt have faith in the 35 after missing that buck. It was probably me, but why chance it?

So off me and cousin went back out to the same spot. The temp dropped 20 degrees and its a helluva walk out that gas line. We finally get out there and start up to the bench. My cousin Bobby was in front of me and we got to the laurel he yelled HORNS!! I looked up and that same buck was facing us then took off to our left. I pulled the 6mm up and BANG!! The buck went down! And my cousin started runnin toward it. I yelled for him to stop, the buck was still kickin his back legs and told him I gotta finish him off. So I pulled up again and shot him in the chest finishing him off. At the time I didnt think about how much meat I was ruining I just knew to finish him so he wouldnt get back up and run off. When we gutted it we saw he wasnt gonna get back up. I hit him in the hind quarter and the bullet drove up and along his spine just short of his neck.

I was so shook up I couldnt gut him lol. My cousin never gutted one so I talked him through it while I smoked half a pack of cigarettes lol. Soon as he started gutting him it started snowing. Finished gutting and it was really snowing now. I was afraid we wouldnt be able to drag that buck back up to the Jeep.



Red arrow is where I shot him, yellow is as far as we could drag him. By this time it was almost 4 inches of snow on the ground. I asked cousin if I should try to bring the Jeep down that mountain. We both looked up and there was a smaller vehicle parked beside dads Jeep. I said im goin for the Jeep, if anything happens those guys will help us. I get up there and its 2 old men in a 40 some model Willys, they had a rifle I never saw before on a bench that the top swiveled. Said they were long range huntin. I never heard of that before, but by the looks of their spotting scope and the barrel length on that rifle it looked like they done this before lol Just lookin at it it looked like it weighed a ton.

The one older guy said we been watchin you young men drag that deer and wonderin how far youd get. Looks to be a nice one. I said thanks, but we cant drag it any farther so im gonna try to drive down and load it up, but im scared we aint gonna be able to make it back up the gas line. He said no worry, we got a winch we can get ya up. Hey boy, when ya get back up here stop, we'd like to get a look at that buck. I said sure thing, thanks! Jumped in dads Jeep, and went to put it in 4 low. I knew how to do that in his old Wagoneer, but this one didnt have a shifter. Then I remembered dad said this was fulltime 4wd and the "shifter" was a knob in the glovebox. So I opened the glovebox and turned the knob. Off I went.

I slid the whole way down that damn gas line, ass cheeks clinched!! Got down to Bobby and he said I thought you were gonna slide right on past me! LOL! So we opened the back and put the buck inside. I said you ready for this? Bobby said im ready. And I floored that sucker!! We were spinning like hell!! Dumb as hell, but I was scared we wouldnt make it. But sob we sure did! And I was so pumped about making it up that hill when we got to the top I forgot to stop and show those old guys my buck like they asked, just waived and kept goin. I still regret that. Hate to think what they were sayin about me.

We got down to the bottom of the mountain and looked across the hard road up the other side of the gas line. I told Bobby thats dad, lets go show him. He said that aint yur dad. One way to find out, so we drove up. And sure as hell it was. I stopped short 200 yards or so and yelled up I got that buck dad!!! He yelled back oh yur full of schit.....something he'd say many more times throughout life when id get something, he'd always say it, oh yur full of schit LOL. I said no im serious we got him stuffed in the back. He said if you got that buck you can have that 6mm. I yelled DEAL!! He said I was full of schit 3 more times til he got about 40ft away and he could see the horns stickin up, HUGE smile on his face! I think his smile beat mine that day! He said well deals a deal, guess you got a buck and a new rifle and patted me on the back.

He jumped in and we drove over to Eddy's camp to show off and brag. Eddy and them were already done for the day and sitting around drinking. Think they all tied a big one on that night!! LOL.

I said many times before on here about that 6mm. My dad loved that gun, and unfortunately I had to sell it when I left an ex of mine. Dad was pissed but understood. Later he bought 2 more 6mm's, Winchester featherweights. He had to sell one when him and mom got divorced. The other featherweight he hunted for years. I always teased him about that one and he said there aint no way I get that one after I sold that 1st 6mm. But you know how dads are. Eventually he ended up givin his favorite featherweight to me. Still got THAT 6mm, and ill be damned but ill die before that leaves my possession.

Sorry I rambled as much, but that hunt was one of my favorites, for many reason. Take care now.