First deer - Chuffed

Last year I shot a buck on a permission near us but we never found it. It got into some conifers and despite us going back in there for the next 3 days we couldn't find it even with our 2 spaniels which are pretty good on deer. I was heartbroken.
I don't know if you can remember but a while ago on here I mentioned I should hopefully be putting up a report of my first deer soon. That post was on April 1st after seeing a cracking buck in velvet just before the start of the season.
We visited the place we had last seen him for 14 times without a sign of him and we feared he'd been shot by someone else on the neighbouring farm as there was a new stalker there and he was shooting everything.
Last night we were on another nearby permission and shot a fox and I said to dad I'd like to have another look for the roebuck we'd seen or a munty which are abundant near us but a bugger to get.
We arrived about 20.00. We parked up for 5 mins to have a look before I went for a walk down the hedge to a gap where we can see on the neighbouring farm where we'd also seen the buck in March. As I got down the hedge I could hear whistling so I span round to see dad and my brother waving me over with the buck stood 100m in front of the truck. I ran up the hedge whilst dad grabbed the gun out the slip and put it on the bipod. I got down on the bipod and found the buck in the scope stood perfectly broadside.
I aimed half way up his body just behind the shoulder and squeezed off a shot. I saw him lurch forward in the scope and he ran off with his head down around the corner and disappeared out of sight.
I was very nervous and shaking as I thought I may have pulled the shot with how he reacted. We gave him a couple of minutes and went to look. As we went around the corner, there he lay. I was so relieved, yet ecstatic at the same time.
We slowly walked over and he kicked once but we checked his eye and he was dead. I hadn't paid much attention to his head in the scope as I knew from past sightings that he was a goodun and I thought buck fever may kick in if I dawned on it too much.
He was beautiful looking, almost in his full summer coat and with lovely long brow points. As dad went to get the truck I looked him over. It was obvious he was a bit of a scrapper, with only half an ear on one side and his other ear split in half. He also had several scars all over his body. Plus he'd been causing a lot of fraying damage to young trees which we saw when we got there.
We gralloched him on the field where the fox earth is, and we are gonna sit out for them tomorrow.
It's a shame he wasn't much of a stalk but there you go. I couldn't care less and the stalking bug has most certainly sunk his teeth into me.
I hope you enjoy reading this and here are a few photos. Sorry for waffling a bit but I am soo pleased. I now have something to contribute to the site and you'll see me posting on here a lot more now.
Bucky 042.jpgBucky 057.jpgBucky 052.jpgBucky 062.jpgBucky 050.jpg
Forgot to say, he was shot with a Ruger VT .243 with 87grn v-max and a Schmidt 10x42 scope. Also, sorry for the backgarden pics, but we forgot to take the camera.
 
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Well done Cam-S94 -- a good story and good pics to go along with it. I wish I was your age again getting my first Buck. You will remember this one for ever as I remember mine when I was sixteen.

ATB

JR
 
well done on your first buck and a great story my boys 14 and out with me every chance he gets.

gadget
 
Cam, congrats on your first deer. That's a good looking buck- well done! It's something that hopefully you'll remember for a long time.
It's almost 20years since I shot my first (27/7/91) and still I can remember every detail.
Keep records of your shooting days-- you'll enjoy looking back in years to come.:old:
Pete.
 
Great writeup and result :thumb:

Well done for bouncing back from the earlier disappointment too, although it was an unlucky thing to happen with your first deer it is still valuable experience that will help steer your decisions.

Even though you'll see more and more different reactions to shot as you get more experience that feeling of anxiousness and then relief is normal and healthy and shouldn't go away either, don't let it!


all the best

Alex
 
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Thanks for all of the replies, I appreciate all of them. Just about to skin him under the assistance of my dad, then gonna deliver a haunch each to the farmers that let us shoot, as without them none of this would have happened. Cheers, Cameron.
 

With regards to the lawn, we have recently moved house and have just left the garden as we've been doing a lot of work inside the house. I think the foot long grass adds a bit of character to the photo. Lol, never mind.
Thanks for all the comments nonetheless.
 
Well done, if you shoot enough you may well forget a lot of the details, but you will never forget your first one.
I like your touch of distributing the venison its always nice to be nice.
 
Great write up & well done! Cracking buck too. Very envious, I'm on to my 3rd attempt to find me that allusive first roe buck.

Stig
 
Nice one fella, like everyone has said you will go onto shoot many more roe in the years to come, but you will never forget your first. It is a lovely buck which could possibly make a medal if the weight is there?

Make sure you do the buck justice and put it on the wall as a nice skull mount with the cartridge case next door and a sticker on the back of the shield with the story and the date.

All the best

Lakey
 
well done glad you got your first i had chance of my first last monday but i was shaking that much after the stalk in too him that when had crosshairs on him couldnt keep steady so he disapeared into woods by time i got sorted to take a shot lol next time though
 
Well done on your first official roe the loss of the first would have easily put many off it but glad you stuck at it. I've not been stalking long but everyone says its only a matter of time until you loose a beast. Anyway well done on a real nice buck a good 6 pointer there i bet your over there moon. I hope you have many more.

George
 
Thanks for all of the lovely replies. It's nice to be on a forum surrounded by loads of likeminded and genuine people. With regards to him possibly being a medal. He really is quite thin and although I think he has the shape and height for a medal, he doesn't have the weight. I really am not too fussed about medals anyway, this is a deer that will be on my bedroom wall forever.
Just finished dressing out the joints and learnt a fair few lessons from my dad on how it's done. He did one half and I did the other. All the joints are now in the fridge, ready for us to distribute it in the morning. I'll stick a photo up of the head when it's done.
Cheers, Cameron.
 
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Good on ya mate , in years to come you might shoot lots of medal class animals , who cares , you only shoot one first buck and youll never forget him . Keep a diary of each one and take lots of photographs , the pictures of me in the 80s when i started make me laugh . When your working with nature the seasons fly by , if your not stalking your mowing the flipping lawn :rolleyes:
 
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