Your First Deer

JH83

Well-Known Member
I was looking through my stalking album the other day and came across a picture of me with my first deer. I think we would be all interested to hear about others first beast/or your most significant memory, and a few details.

My first deer was taken on a cold dark January morning on the edge of a large reed bed. We saw some dark shapes through the gloom at long range and stalked to a high seat to try and intercept. Over the course of about 20 minuites they edged closer and closer, materialising from non-descipt blobs into a parcel of 8-10 hinds and calfs, the stalker whispered the one he wanted. From that moment on she did not give me a chance for what seemed like ages, the tension getting worse and the hands trembling. When she did turn sideways I had to wait for her to clear the herd, then fired. To my horror she was off like a scalded cat, but after 20 yards tripped, went down and stayed down, heart shot. This was the longest shot I have taken to date at around 175 yards!

A few years now ago but still vivid, as was my first roebuck just a couple of months later, also the first deer I shot off my own land. Both shot with my trusty old ruger 308(now gone I am afraid). I have no piccies of the hind but below is the buck.

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Great memories.

JH
 
Sorry for the rubbish picture, this was my first deer. Shot a few years ago in the Czech republic with a borrowed 7x64 Brno and Sellier & Bellot ammo.

A day I'll never forget, being surrounded by 7-8 large stags which were roaring their heads off, necks swollen and dark shaggy manes. The largest beast had over 20 points.

I was invited for a cull, so after glassing dozens for promising heads, I was allowed to shoot this fellow here. Not a bad specimen at all, but under the Germanic deer management principles, considered a weak head.

The skull has pride of place at home and I can still smell the deep musty rut smell that hung in the air that September morning.

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Wow Boghossian that is a serious beast for a first! Talk about starting like you mean to go on :lol:

That little one in the picture is nothing special but I think that the first roe buck in a massive landmark. I always remember him as my most exciting, it was last light and I had given up and was off back to the car, and had given it up for a bad job, when I saw him and a doe in the corner of a meadow. One long wet crawl later and I had my first buck!

JH
 
28/4/88 that’s when the bug well and truly bit me, a mate and myself had booked 2 days roe buck stalking in the borders but not long after the booking it looked like it was going to be a non starter as the stalker had broken his ankle, anyway we did get to go.

Day 1 was a blank for me saw plenty of beasts and my mate did bag a buck with 1 antler.

Day 2 we was walking down one of the forestry roads that was cut into the side of the hill we came to a long ride which ran up from the valley bottom upon looking down the ride there was a group of 4 roe in the valley bottom they had clocked us so there was no chance of a stalk all l could do was lay down and take the shot l was told which animal to take my heart was trying to jump out of my mouth, BANG- complete miss reload and hold over was the words that came back, BANG down he went l must say it was probably more luck than judgment.

I could not get down that valley side quick enough but once l had finished admiring my first beast a 4 point in velvet l realised that l had to drag the animal back up the steep valley side to be shown how to gralloch and off cause to be blooded.

Even though that was an account of my first beast there are even more memories that make it truly an unforgettable time it was my first time in Scotland, the diversification of nature there was amazing and it was the beginning of a very good friendship with the stalker who is a true and genuine friend, god father to my daughter and a top bloke, good on ya Jim.
 
I got a Roe buck as my first, the thing was I was out after foxes not deer. A pal was having trouble with a fox and being kind hearted I volunteered to deter it. I was making my way through his wood when I saw it, at first I thought the movement was the fox but no, a buck. I just kept still and watched it for a bit. It was walking a fence line deciding where to cross it I think, or there may have been a doe about. However for whatever reason he kept walking to and fro the fence, this was good as every time he made the return trip I was able to stalk in a bit closer. I covered about forty yards like this, just nipping from tree to tree all the time closing the gap. then I ran out of tree's, I was well withing range but decided to see how close I could get. When he turned his back it was down onto my belly and crawl, all the time keeping an eye on him, when he turned I froze. I had the hood of my jacket over my head and had my face in the dirt when I stopped. I was aiming for a depression in the ground which would was big enough for me to get in and lie down to take the shot. I had a couple of stops while I was crawling along but eventually got to the depression. By the time he was making his next trip back towards me I was in a prone shooting position with the cross hair's on him. He got to within about twenty yards of me and stopped. I pulled the trigger and he moved no more. No photo's I am afraid, no digital cameras and phone cameras then :D

That's a long winded way to shoot a buck isn't it? I would like to say I got the fox as well but I think he must have died of old age, never did see him.

John
 
my first deer was shot in feb 2006 on apiece of ground where i shoot foxes iwas with a mate of mine who i have grown up with and shot with for 25 years starting with air rifles,410 12 bore,rimfire,then centre fire.we went out one morning after a fall of snow to see if we could see any fox prints or slots in the fresh snow .we could not see any so we sat under a tree and had a flask of coffee,when all of a sudden my mate said look,andat the bottom of the valley we could see a red stag making its way up to us,as it got about 200 yards from us it started to run towards the wood ,i whistled and it stopped ,i put the crosshairs just behind its shoulder,and i swear the deer could hear my heartbeat,i pulled the trigger of my 3006 and the deer dropped like a stone.when i approached the deer and counted the points i couldnt believe it .it was a 16 pointer.when cleaned out it was 307 pound . what made it for me was that it was very fitting that my mate of all those years was by my side.that first rabbit 25 years ago with our shared 177 original seemed like only yesterday
 
I'm afraid i really didn't have a clue what i was doing when i got my first. It was approx 7years ago and i was living in north Essex. I was an active wildfowler on a nearby marsh that was owned by a local farmer. He complained about being infested with 'little buggers' so i agreed to take a walk with my rifle - i only did it to keep him sweet.

Anyway, his land was pretty flat and within minutes i could plainly see the munties breaking across into his crops in a dawn half light. Sneaking down the hedge line i came across a small buck who was casually walking the other way and only stopping occassionally to bark away without reason. I dropped him at approx 60yds.

I'm ashamed to say that we considered them vermin and a mate and i must have knocked down quite a few that year, which kept the farmer happy and let us wildfowl on his land for free.

It was only years after that i realised how unique deer are and how worthy of my skill and respect they are.
 
my first deer was a little muntjac buck,
it was nothing exciting it was around may/june 1991 i was waiting for a vixen to come back to the earth as she had a late litter and they were not welcome , when i saw this little deer walking down the railway embankment towards me so i put the cross hairs on centre of his chest and pulled the trigger.
it tasted beautifull and from that day muntys were on the menu, such inquisitive oppurtunists well worth stalking
 
I count myself very lucky that my first stalking experience saw me stalking sika hinds on an estate in the borders.

A good friend had been up after the stags in the autumn and through his contacts a trip was arranged for the following February.

Conditions weren't ideal with a ringing frost underfoot and little discernable wind. On the second morning of the trip the stalker and I came upon a hind and follower sunning thenselves on a bank at approx 110m.

I had a firm support on a stone wall and felt the shot was good, into the boiler room. However, on firing both animals high tailed it back into the forestry. Despite being told it was relatively for normal for sika to act as if they hadn't been hit, I suffered a couple of hours agony at the thought of my first live shot resulting in a wounded deer.

I am forever indebted to 'Rob', who arrived with his german wire haired pointer, Gugna, and proceeded to locate the hind about 60m from where she was shot, stone dead. The shot had deflected on a rib on entering and the exit wound was much further down the rib cage than the entry.

I've yet to take another sika, but the memory of that hind will stay with me always.

Novice
 
First beasts

This is the first deer I ever shot at about 180m in Fife in an open field just before dusk straight through the heart what a Buzz.

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This is the first buck I ever shot, he was at about 90m and the shot was taken from a high seat.

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This is the first and only Muntjack I ever shot he was at 15m and the shot was taken off of the bipod

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This is the first fox I ever shot with a rifle, he was at about 60m in broad daylight

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All Shot Using .243 Remington 700

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The rifle started off as an ADL but I hve put a PSS stock on it and a mag Conversion I have also fitted a timney trigger The scope and Bipod have been upgraded to a Shmidt Bender 8x56 and Harris 13-27 tilt.
 
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