| My First Deer! |
| November 16, 2004 |
I shot my very first deer just one day after my 18th birthday. I had bought myself a PSE Spyder bow
a few months back, and had been trying to get a deer ever since I missed one on opening day in
September. Most of the time I either saw nothing or just saw glimpses of deer but did not have them
come into shooting range. Even though Nov. 13th was the opening day of gun season here, and I do
have a deer rifle (Remington 25_06), the location that I hunt in is very near houses and I wouldn't
feel safe shooting a gun there.
The morning of the 16th, it was about 35 degrees outside and I got to my stand just a little after
5:30. At 6:40, I could hear something coming through the woods. At this point, it was just barely
starting to get light and I could not see my pins very well. I kept wishing it would get just a little
lighter so I could see the pins better. All of a sudden I could make out the shadow of a deer in the
woods, too dark to see much at that distance, but I could tell it was a deer. I watched it slowly move
around for a few minutes as it began to get lighter. It looked like a good sized doe. A funny thing
happened as I watched the deer eat.. a house cat came into the woods and it started walking right
towards the deer! I was afraid it was going to spook it, but they actually sniffed noses and the deer
didn't mind at all! The cat started walking toward my stand, and the deer followed! Finally it stopped
only a mere 10 yards directly in front of my stand, and started eating at one of my corn piles. It was
in a "quartering-to" position, I wanted it to turn full broadside but it wasn't moving. I went to draw
back (and seemed to have an extra hard time pulling back my bow!) and came to full draw, and then
realized that there was no way I was going to be able to make an accurate shot with the way things
were at the moment. My thick face mask was obstructing my view and it totally covered my mouth,
making me unable to put the kisser button where it was supposed to go. So I had to let the draw out,
adjust things, and draw back again! This was very risky but I'd rather take a risk than take a poor
shot. The deer stuck it's head up and I knew it could sense something, it just couldn't see me. I was
so afraid that it was going to spook at any moment. But I put my 10 yard pin on it and let the arrow
fly... When it hit, the deer spun completely around in a circle and headed into the woods. It all went
so fast that I didn't see where the arrow hit but I knew I had hit it. A few seconds later I heard an
incredibly loud CRACK which I was sure was my carbon arrow breaking against the side of a tree.
a few months back, and had been trying to get a deer ever since I missed one on opening day in
September. Most of the time I either saw nothing or just saw glimpses of deer but did not have them
come into shooting range. Even though Nov. 13th was the opening day of gun season here, and I do
have a deer rifle (Remington 25_06), the location that I hunt in is very near houses and I wouldn't
feel safe shooting a gun there.
The morning of the 16th, it was about 35 degrees outside and I got to my stand just a little after
5:30. At 6:40, I could hear something coming through the woods. At this point, it was just barely
starting to get light and I could not see my pins very well. I kept wishing it would get just a little
lighter so I could see the pins better. All of a sudden I could make out the shadow of a deer in the
woods, too dark to see much at that distance, but I could tell it was a deer. I watched it slowly move
around for a few minutes as it began to get lighter. It looked like a good sized doe. A funny thing
happened as I watched the deer eat.. a house cat came into the woods and it started walking right
towards the deer! I was afraid it was going to spook it, but they actually sniffed noses and the deer
didn't mind at all! The cat started walking toward my stand, and the deer followed! Finally it stopped
only a mere 10 yards directly in front of my stand, and started eating at one of my corn piles. It was
in a "quartering-to" position, I wanted it to turn full broadside but it wasn't moving. I went to draw
back (and seemed to have an extra hard time pulling back my bow!) and came to full draw, and then
realized that there was no way I was going to be able to make an accurate shot with the way things
were at the moment. My thick face mask was obstructing my view and it totally covered my mouth,
making me unable to put the kisser button where it was supposed to go. So I had to let the draw out,
adjust things, and draw back again! This was very risky but I'd rather take a risk than take a poor
shot. The deer stuck it's head up and I knew it could sense something, it just couldn't see me. I was
so afraid that it was going to spook at any moment. But I put my 10 yard pin on it and let the arrow
fly... When it hit, the deer spun completely around in a circle and headed into the woods. It all went
so fast that I didn't see where the arrow hit but I knew I had hit it. A few seconds later I heard an
incredibly loud CRACK which I was sure was my carbon arrow breaking against the side of a tree.
After about 15 minutes of waiting in the stand, I
went to take a look around and try to find the
deer. I searched the area for nearly an hour,
but found no blood. I went inside to take a rest
for a while and think things out. I was very
upset, but I knew I had hit it. I called my
boyfriend, Robby, and he convinced me that I
must search harder -- that the deer had to be
out there. So I went out and started to look
again. It was about 9:00 at this point. I took my
8 year old sister, Hannah, along to help me. All
of a sudden, in a spot about 40 yards from my
stand where I was sure I had been before, I
found a small pool of blood! Bright red, bubbly
blood! I knew this meant that it was a fatal lung
shot, and I was filled with confidence. I tracked
it spot by spot for another 50 yards, finding
pools of blood here and there, but mostly just a
spot here and there. Finally, I found the deer in
a patch of dense trees. I had never been so
excited in my life!!
went to take a look around and try to find the
deer. I searched the area for nearly an hour,
but found no blood. I went inside to take a rest
for a while and think things out. I was very
upset, but I knew I had hit it. I called my
boyfriend, Robby, and he convinced me that I
must search harder -- that the deer had to be
out there. So I went out and started to look
again. It was about 9:00 at this point. I took my
8 year old sister, Hannah, along to help me. All
of a sudden, in a spot about 40 yards from my
stand where I was sure I had been before, I
found a small pool of blood! Bright red, bubbly
blood! I knew this meant that it was a fatal lung
shot, and I was filled with confidence. I tracked
it spot by spot for another 50 yards, finding
pools of blood here and there, but mostly just a
spot here and there. Finally, I found the deer in
a patch of dense trees. I had never been so
excited in my life!!
I had thought it was a doe, but came to find it was actually a button buck! I took a look at where
the arrow entered -- it was a perfect placement. Had the deer been broadside, I'm pretty sure it
would have been a double-lung passthru. But due to the angle, I found out later on after skinning
it that it went through one lung and down into the stomach a little way.
I was afraid to leave the deer there for fear that I would not be able to find it again, so Hannah
helped me drag it by it's feet to the edge of the woods. It wasn't a huge deer but it was very
heavy. From there, my stepdad, James, helped me put it on a tarp and drag it the rest of the way
home.
I hoisted it up into a tree with a skinning gambrel, and skinned it out. I kept the entire skin and
plan on doing a lifesize mount of it later on. After I got the skin off, I cut up the meat and put it
in a cooler. It took me 2 hours to skin and cut the meat off. I was so tired by then, but felt like I
had accomplished alot.
I am so happy that I got my first deer, and even happier that it was shot with a bow. Hopefully I
will get another one later this year with my gun -- maybe an antlered buck this time! But I will
never forget the exciting experience of shooting my very first deer.
the arrow entered -- it was a perfect placement. Had the deer been broadside, I'm pretty sure it
would have been a double-lung passthru. But due to the angle, I found out later on after skinning
it that it went through one lung and down into the stomach a little way.
I was afraid to leave the deer there for fear that I would not be able to find it again, so Hannah
helped me drag it by it's feet to the edge of the woods. It wasn't a huge deer but it was very
heavy. From there, my stepdad, James, helped me put it on a tarp and drag it the rest of the way
home.
I hoisted it up into a tree with a skinning gambrel, and skinned it out. I kept the entire skin and
plan on doing a lifesize mount of it later on. After I got the skin off, I cut up the meat and put it
in a cooler. It took me 2 hours to skin and cut the meat off. I was so tired by then, but felt like I
had accomplished alot.
I am so happy that I got my first deer, and even happier that it was shot with a bow. Hopefully I
will get another one later this year with my gun -- maybe an antlered buck this time! But I will
never forget the exciting experience of shooting my very first deer.