Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting First and last whitetail

My First was November '82.
Midday doe standing alone in a pasture about 40 yards from standing position.
Rifle was a 308 pre81 BLR Simmons 4x
180RN Remington CL.
High shoulder dropped to the shot.

Last was New year's day.
8am Doe with a couple yearlings at about 25 yards from seated on the ground against a stump.
Rifle was Steyr scout 308 Leupold VXR.
168 AMAX handloads.
heart shot and she ran about 20 yards.

First was Aug 15, 1975 with a Colt .357 Python in a bean field. Little spike. Lucky neck shot as it ran away from me at 50 yards.

Last was Nov 22, 2019... 135 class eight point in a creek bottom. RAR .223 with a can. Neck shot at 120 yards.

Thanks for the memories

First was many years ago in MS. 6 pt, DRT from a tree stand with a 45-70. 300 gr. Hornady.

Last one this past Fri PM locally, a fat doe at 80 yds, near dark with 7-08, 140 SGK HPBT, ran around 30-40 yds, bleeding.

DF

First
1976 - small six point buck with a Ruger tang safety M77, chambered in 270 Winchester. 130 gr. factory load, probably Winchester. The deer was about 30 yds in an open area beside a creek. I had deer hunted for 12 yrs and only seen 2 deer that fit the “buck only” criteria in the state.

Last
2019 - mid sized doe with a Barrett Fieldcraft, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor shooting a handloaded 120 gr. Ballistic Tip. The deer was at 75 yds in an open pasture. I was meat shopping.

First was a spiker down in a hollow on the mountain behind our camp. About 75 yards away with a sporterized Mauser in 30-06. The last was a yearling doe standing broadside at about 50 yards with a Model 99 chambered for 300 Savage. I had just shot another doe prior to that.

That doe was fat.

Tenderloin, cubed, split with Jalapeno strip and cream cheese inserted, wrapped in bacon, just off the grill.

Good eating.....

DF

dirt, i do the same thing as you there bro. must be a southern thang lol. try some sweet n hot jalapeno from trappeys brand. it gives just the right amount of sweet to the combo.got some smoked sausage with pineapple and pepper jack high temp cheese on my boys last cull buck.
Big Ed

First was some 25 years ago.
About 125 yards off my knee seated near a tree. I was using a ....oh heck no one gonna believe me..........Ruger mini-30 (Ranch rifle 7.62x39)- with a Simmons. Double lung doe. I thought it was firing a little left so I aimed a little right and surprise - it hit where I aimed. Go figure? It ran about 20 yards and piled up. Sisters came out and we looked around wondering what to do now. So of course next thing was "....Hello.....Dad?"

Latest was the one I posted here just the other day.
Best ever big ole mature 10 point, heart shot quickly at about 40 yards with a .......oh heck no one gonna believe me ......actual working Browning A-bolt in 260 Rem. This was with a hand loaded 120 grain .....oh heck no one is gonna believe me.......Sierra Pro Hunter.

I can satisfy the doubters by saying the Pro Hunter didn't exit though! And for like the third time to use this joke now- I did NOT call Sierra. lol

Thanks for that info, Ed.

Will have to try that.

DF

First was in 2001. Little Y buck shot with my grandfathers Model 141 35 Remington.
Last one was this guy shot December 11 with my Ruger M77 chambered in 260 Rem

First was November 1980. A 4 pointer shot from about 6 feet away with a 250 Savage.

Last was November 2019. A spike shot at about 40 yards with a 308 Winchester.

First, was around 40 years ago, 135 pound 6 point, at 15 yards, bow shot, from the ground. Proline Point Blank, 80#, 2413 aluminum arrow, 100gr. Muzzy. Last, (my first flintlock deer) button buck, at 110 yards, bedded down. Shot a bit back, misjudged the angle. Tracked 40 minutes. Got him. Lyman deerstalker, 50 cal. Lyman SML57 peep, 240gr. XTP over 80 gr. FF goex.

1971. Dads 270. 2019 Grandpas 270.

Frist was in 1958 4pt, gun 35cal Marlin last 2015 8pt, gun 7mm mag Remington model 700 BDL, yes I am still hunting just had not had a shot !!!

First was a 4 point in Pennsylvania, 2001. Marlin in .44mag

Last was a 4x2 6 point in Ohio on December 22nd. Savage 99 in .375win

-Jake

Nov. 15 1976
6 point
Marlin 336 .35 Rem.
50 yards chasing a doe

Nov. 25 2019
10 point
Howa 1500 6.5x55
70 yards

First was a doe taken with a slug out of a Remington mod 17 20 gauge. It was very close and a drt. Those were the days of no sights, and if you could keep your slugs on a 9" paper pie plate, you had a shooter. Slugs were required back in those days in western NYS.
Last one was an 8 point on the 2018 opener, using a grandsons Win 70, in 270, and J OConnors load for a 130 gr Partition at about 120 yards. He was drt as well.
I didn't take a shot this past opener as the 2 grandsons took 5 on the opening weekend, all with 270's and 130 gr Partitions. 4 of 5 were drt. It was a pretty good day.

When I was growing up, my parents wouldn't even let me have a BB gun, much less go hunting. So, when I moved out at 18, I bought my first guns, a Remington 870 and a Remington 700 ADL (wood stock from Wally World) in 270.

I wanted to go hunting, but, being in Texas there wasn't much public land hunting opportunities for me and being poor at the time, couldn't afford to hunt out of state.

After two years, I am now dating my future bride. I'm still looking for a place to hunt and my future MIL tells me that her cousin Jim owns a ranch south of Kerrville, TX. She called him and he told me to come on down, he'd love to host me.

So, it is December of 1994 and I'm trying to prepare for my first hunt. This was pre- 24hourcampfire.com days (actually, pre-computer days for my poor ass). But, even then, I knew that my .270 wouldn't be adequate for a giant hill country deer. My future FIL had a Marlin 336 in 30-30 that he bought new in 1975 and had never fired it. I had heard a lot about the venerable 30-30 and I was hunting wooded areas, so I decided to take it for my first hunt. I picked up some 150 gr Winchester power points from Wally World for it.

When I got down there, I didn't want to look any dumber or wet behind the ears than I already was, so I pretended like I already knew what I was doing. So, ol' Jim showed me an area of the ranch about 8 miles from the house (large ranch) where I could hunt. I took off like I knew exactly what I was doing and where I was going. Jim was (I'm sure) thinking "that poor basturd is going to scare off every critter in the area."

But, behold, as I stalked around this area, I came across a doe. I fired the borrowed 30-30 and actually hit the doe from about 75 yds. I had never field dressed an animal before and had no clue what to do. No cell phones then (for my poor ass). I butchered that poor doe, but ended up with a respectable amount of meat in the cooler.

When Jim showed up, he said it looked like I had just finished filming the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and wanted to know if I needed a doctor. I assured him that none of the blood that I was covered in was mine.

Jim was a great man (passed away several years ago). In the upcoming years, he always invited me back to hunt and he took me under his wing and taught me a lot of the things that I didn't know about. I truly miss him.

Anyway, last deer shot was a buck back in November. Used a 280 Rem in a Winchester M70 Featherweight with 140 gr Berger VLD's.

FWIW, my first one was a small 6-point buck taken in 1957 on a ranch near Camp Wood, TX. Used a Marlin lever-action .30-30 borrowed from my Uncle.

Last one was an 8-point Coues whitetail taken three years ago on a friend's ranch in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico, about 20 miles SW of my house, as the crow flies. Used a custom Mexican Mauser chambered in .257 AI.

Looking forward to drawing another whitetail tag somewhere around here one of these days. My stepson wants me to apply with him for the unit across the line in Arizona this year...